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  5. Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman

Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman

The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman is dedicated to improving the quality of citizenship and immigration services delivered to the public by providing individual case assistance, as well as making recommendations to improve the administration of immigration benefits by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • DHS/USCIS/PIA-013 Fraud Detection and National Security Data System (FDNS-DS)

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) created the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) to strengthen the integrity of the nation’s immigration system, and to ensure that immigration benefits are not granted to individuals that may pose a threat to national security and/or public safety. In addition, FDNS is responsible for detecting, deterring, and combating immigration benefit fraud.  USCIS is updating and reissuing this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA), originally published on July 30, 2012 as DHS/USCIS/PIA-013(a), to include FDNS’s sharing with law enforcement agencies, and include the DHS/USCIS/ICE/CBP-001-Alien File, Index and National File Tracking System of Records, published November 21, 3013 at 78 FR 69864 as coverage for initiatives under this PIA.

  • Ombudsman J-2 Recommendation

    International medical graduates in the United States make important contributions in clinical care in underserved areas, as well as research and teaching. These recommendations, issued by the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, seek to ensure that spouses of foreign medical doctors accepted into the Conrad State 30 program are able to obtain employment authorization. Under this program, each state may receive up to 30 physicians each year to provide medical services to rural, inner city, and other medically underserved communities. USCIS currently does not permit spouses to change to an employment-authorized nonimmigrant status, even where the dependent independently qualifies for such status.

  • 2013 AR Exec. Report Chinese

    Read the Chinese translation of the executive summary to the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman's 2013 Annual Report to Congress.

  • Informe Anual 2013

    Read the Spanish version of the 2013 Annual Report to Congress.

  • Executive Summary of 2013 Annual Report to Congress

    The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman’s 2013 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 humanitarian, family, and employment areas, and in customer service and Transformation.

  • Ombudsman Maria M. Odom's message for 2013 Annual Report

    This Report describes the work of the Ombudsman, including the key issues and areas of study addressed over the year.