U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Government Website

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Safely connect using HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. About DHS
  3. Site Links
  4. Keywords
  5. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

Last Updated: | Publication

DHS/USCIS/PIA-016 Computer Linked Application Information Management System (CLAIMS 3) and Associated Systems

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) oversees lawful immigration to the United States and is responsible for processing petitions, applications, and other requests for immigration benefits and requests. Executive Order 13780, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States" requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect standard data on immigration forms and in case management systems. USCIS is now updating this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to provide notice of USCIS updating certain immigration forms and associated systems, such as the Computer Linked Application Information Management System (CLAIMS 3), in support of the Executive Order 13780. Upon publication of this PIA, USCIS will collect additional biographic and social media data elements necessary for identity verification, vetting, public safety, and national security screening. USCIS is updating this PIA to evaluate the privacy risks and mitigations associated with these changes including the collection, use, and maintenance of additional personally identifiable information (PII).

Last Updated: | Site Page

Annual Report to Congress

By statute, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) submits an Annual Report to Congress by June 30 of each year. Our Annual Report must provide a summary of the most pervasive and serious problems encountered by individuals and employers applying for immigration benefits with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Annual Report also reviews past recommendations to improve USCIS programs and services.

Last Updated: | Site Page

Public Engagement

The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) holds engagements and provides summaries for current and past webinars.

Last Updated: | Publication

DHS/USCIS/PIA-081 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Information Data Share

On January 9, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to share biometric and associated biographic data on refugees seeking to resettle in the United States. DHS and UNHCR entered into this MOU to expand the scope of the existing information shared through the State Department to support the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Under the 2019 MOU, UNHCR is now directly sharing biometric and associated biographic information with DHS Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) (soon to be replaced by Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART)). The electronic transmission of data between UNHCR and IDENT/HART is facilitated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Enterprise Service Bus (ESB). USCIS is conducting this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to evaluate the privacy risks associated with collecting and using biometric and associated biographic UNHCR data for identity verification purposes. This PIA is limited to covering the collection and use of UNHCR data for identity verification purposes, as well as to identify any incident of potential identity fraud, by DHS and other entities authorized by the MOU. Any additional uses of UNHCR data will be addressed in a future PIA.

Last Updated: | Publication

DHS/USCIS/PIA-080 Enterprise Gateway and Integration Service

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is migrating its information technology systems to the cloud environment to align with the Cloud Smart initiative. To support this modernization effort, USCIS launched the Enterprise Gateway and Integration Services (EGIS) to connect and share data from different systems.

Last Updated: | Publication

S&T ZADD Fact Sheet

ZADD develops innovative solutions and fosters collaborations to protect the Nation’s agriculture and public health sectors against high-consequence foreign animal, emerging, and zoonotic disease threats.

Last Updated: | Publication

DHS/USCIS/PIA-079 Content Management Services (CMS)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is expanding its use of the Content Management Services (CMS) to ingest and manage immigration-related content from other producers of Alien File content (hereafter A-File), which includes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (DOJ-EOIR) Electronic Court of Appeals System (ECAS), and the Department of State (DOS). Content Management Services will also interface with USCIS’s Person Centric Identity Services (PCIS) via an Application Program Interface (API). This model for managing content aligns with USCIS’s vision to move away from transaction-based processes and toward a process focused on delivering person-centric content. USCIS is updating this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to describe the additional immigration-related content that Content Management Services will manage, the new interconnection with Person Centric Identity Services via an Application Program Interface, and the new data sources included in the Content Management Services’ Content Repository. October 2024

Last Updated: | Publication

DHS/USCIS/PIA-078 Data Streaming Services (DSS)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses Data Streaming Services as intermediary messengers to effectively and efficiently move data among USCIS systems in near real-time. The use of these services allows USCIS to transport data without the technical and administrative burden usually placed on the operating systems. USCIS is publishing this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to evaluate the privacy risks and mitigations associated with the transport of personally identifiable information (PII) using these services.

Last Updated: | Publication

DHS/USCIS/PIA-077 FOIA Immigration Records System (FIRST)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), operates the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Immigration Records System (FIRST) to process FOIA requests, Privacy Act requests, and Privacy Act amendment requests from any eligible person or entity requesting access to or amendment of USCIS records. FIRST serves two purposes: (1) FIRST has a public-facing portal that allows members of the public to submit FOIA/Privacy Act requests online and allows USCIS to electronically deliver responsive records, and (2) FIRST is an internal case management system for USCIS. USCIS is conducting this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to analyze the privacy impacts associated with USCIS’ use of FIRST, as well as the information collected, used, maintained, and disseminated.

Last Updated: | Publication

DHS/USCIS/PIA-076 Continuous Immigration Vetting

Information related to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) number 076, Continuous Immigration Vetting.