Citizenship and Immigration Services

DHS/USCIS/PIA-073 USCIS and CISOMB Information Sharing

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CISOMB), established by Section 452 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, provides independent analysis of problems encountered by individuals and employers who have submitted benefit request filings to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and proposes changes to mitigate those problems. Sharing information between USCIS and CISOMB, where there is proper consent, is crucial to fulfilling this statutory mandate.

Asistencia en Casos - Espanol

El Ombudsman brinda una perspectiva imparcial e independiente para el Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración (USCIS, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) en un intento por resolver problemas con casos pendientes.

DHS/USCIS/PIA-072 CAP Tracker

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) oversees lawful immigration and non-immigration benefits. For all incoming applications, petitions, and forms, USCIS reviews the completeness and acceptability of each one and rejects those failing to meet the stated criteria. USCIS developed the CAP Tracker system to track and maintain an inventory of all rejected filings. CAP Tracker is also used to generate standardized rejection notices sent to applicants or petitioners and, if applicable, legal representatives.

Privacy Compliance Review of the USCIS Customer Profile Management Service and National Appointment Scheduling System

USCIS oversees lawful immigration to the United States. As part of this mission, USCIS receives and adjudicates requests for immigration and citizenship benefits. The administration of these benefits requires the collection of biographic and biometric information from benefits requestors.  USCIS uses multiple systems to administer immigration benefits, including the Customer Profile Management Service (CPMS) and National Appointment Scheduling System (NASS). Due to the heightened privacy risks associated with the collection of biometrics information, PIAs for CPMS and NASS in 2015 required the DHS Privacy Office to conduct a PCR.  During the course of this PCR, the DHS Privacy Office found USCIS to be in compliance with privacy requirements of federal privacy laws, DHS and Component privacy regulations and policies, and explicit assurances made by USCIS in existing privacy compliance documentation.  We identified six recommendations designed to improve USCIS privacy compliance, and to incorporate best practices for other USCIS and DHS programs and systems.

Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents Recession Memo ("DAPA")

On June 15, 2017, Department of Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly, after consulting with the Attorney General, signed a memorandum rescinding the November 20, 2014 memorandum that created the program known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (“DAPA”) because there is no credible path forward to litigate the currently enjoined policy. 

Electronic Workload Reporting and Tracking System

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the custodian of the Alien File (A-File) and stores inactive files at the National Records Center (NRC). USCIS, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) use A-Files in the course of performing their mission and may request A-File content from USCIS NRC. USCIS NRC developed the Electronic Workload Reporting and Tracking System (EWRTS) to accurately record and track A-File requests at the NRC and to record the actions taken to respond to those requests. Information in EWRTS includes contact information of DHS personnel requesting information and the Alien Registration Number (A-number) for subjects of interest. USCIS conducted this PIA to comprehensively discuss the privacy risks and mitigations associated with the use of an electronic database to record and track incoming information requests.

Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman 2015 Annual Report Executive Summary

The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman’s (Ombudsman) 2015 Annual Report contains:

• An overview of the Ombudsman’s mission and services;
• A review of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) programmatic and policy achievements during this reporting period; and
• A detailed discussion of pervasive and serious problems, recommendations, and best practices in the family, employment and humanitarian areas, as well as in customer service.

Message from Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Maria M. Odom in the 2015 Annual Report to Congress

Read Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Maria M. Odom's message introducing the 2015 Annual Report to Congress.

Ombudsman Recommendation: Employment Authorization for Asylum Applicants

Administration of U.S. immigration laws is a shared responsibility divided among different departments and agencies. There is no doubt that this division sometimes creates challenges for both applicants and immigration officials.  The recommendations in this report address such a challenge: employment authorization for asylum applicants involving what is commonly referred to as the asylum clock.

Enterprise Citizenship and Immigrations Services Centralized Operational Repository (eCISCOR)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses the Enterprise Citizenship and Immigrations Services Centralized Operation Repository (eCISCOR) to streamline access to relevant information necessary to administrate the Immigration and Nationality Act. eCISCOR is a repository that consolidates information collected during the adjudication of applications and petitions for immigration benefits. USCIS updated and reissued this privacy impact assessment (PIA) to clarify eCISCOR’s functionalities, and to discuss all source systems and interconnected systems to eCISCOR. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses the Enterprise Citizenship and Immigration Services Centralized Operational Repository (eCISCOR) to streamline access to relevant data necessary to administer the Immigration and Nationality Act and to accomplish mission support-related tasks. Historically, eCISCOR has been used as a data repository that primarily consolidates data collected during the adjudication of applications and petitions for immigration benefits. In 2015, USCIS issued DHS/USCIS/PIA-023(a) eCISCOR to update eCISCOR’s functionalities and add appendices to include all source and interconnected systems.