Privacy
The DHS Privacy Office is responsible for evaluating the Department programs, systems, and initiatives for potential privacy impacts, and providing strategies to reduce the privacy impact.
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DHS/USCIS/PIA-013-01 Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate
The Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services created the Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) Directorate 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, the FDNS Directorate is responsible for detecting, deterring, and combating immigration benefit fraud. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services conducted this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) update to document and assess how the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate collects, uses, and maintains personally identifiable information.
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Customer Identity Verification (CIV) System Update
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is updating its Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the Customer Identity Verification (CIV) system to remove the "Pilot" designation of the system and to address the further deployment of the system to all field offices. The CIV system collects and uses biometrics (fingerprints and pictures) when an applicant appears before USCIS in person at the time of an interview so that USCIS can verify that the individual being interviewed is the same person for whom it conducted a background check and collected other information at the Application Support Center (ASC). USCIS will use United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology's (US-VISIT) Secondary Inspections Tool (SIT), a web-based tool, that processes, displays, and retrieves biometric and biographic data from the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT).
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Microfilm Digitization Application System (MiDAS)
DHS/USCIS/PIA-017 Microfilm Digitization Application System (MiDAS)
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Alien Change of Address Card (AR-11)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is required to track address changes of individuals who have a pending or recently approved application, petition, or request form. USCIS is updating this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the Alien Change of Address Card (AR-11) to account for the modernization of the data systems that track change of address information. USCIS is in the process of modernizing several systems, including AR-11, by retiring their mainframe applications and transitioning their operations and functions to a cloud environment. USCIS uses three independent systems to collect change of address information from individuals.
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Changes to Requirements Affecting H-2A Nonimmigrants and Changes to Requirements Affecting H-2B Nonimmigrants and Employers Final Rules
December 18, 2008. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is publishing this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) in conjunction with two Final Rules titled Changes to Requirements Affecting H-2A Nonimmigrants and Changes to Requirements Affecting H-2B Nonimmigrants and Employers.
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Compliance Tracking and Management System (CTMS)
DHS/USCIS/PIA-022 Compliance Tracking and Management System (CTMS)
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Background Vetting Service (BVS)
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) developed the Background Vetting Service (BVS) to comply with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, Public Law 109-248 which restricts the ability of any U.S. citizen (USC) or lawful permanent resident alien (LPR) who has been convicted of any "specified offense against a minor" from filing certain family-based immigration petitions. Under the BVS, the USCIS will facilitate fingerprint checks of USCs whose principal residence is overseas filing family-based immigration petitions at Department of State (DOS) Overseas Posts against the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) and the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT). The information is collected and assembled by DOS. The USCIS BVS does not collect or originate any information but only serves as a conduit to route the information between DOS, US-VISIT, FBI IAFIS, and the USCIS BVS Users. USCIS Conducted this privacy impact assessment (PIA) because BVS checks personally identifiable information (PII) collected by DOS against US-VISIT's IDENT and FBI's IAFIS and returns a status flag back to DOS for their use in the adjudication of the applicable petition.
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E-Verify
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Verification Division administers an electronic employment verification program called E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet-based service that allows enrolled participants to confirm the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees and, in some cases, current employees to work in the United States.
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DHS/USCIS/PIA-031 Citizenship & Immigration Data Repository
USCIS developed the Citizenship and Immigration Data Repository (CIDR) to enable authorized USCIS users to efficiently query between multiple USCIS benefits administration systems from a single entry point.
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National File Tracking System (NFTS)
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is preparing this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the National File Tracking System (NFTS). NFTS is an automated file-tracking system used to maintain an accurate file inventory and track the physical location of files. This system facilitates USCIS's ability to efficiently manage and streamline access to the millions of immigration files under its control. USCIS is conducting this PIA to document, analyze and assess the current practices with respect to the personally identifiable information (PII) NFTS collects, uses and shares.