CIS Ombudsman Releases Annual Report

07/15/2019

On Friday, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services ("CIS") Ombudsman released its 2019 Annual Report to Congress. In its announcement to stakeholders, the Department of Homeland Security noted the following:

The Ombudsman's Office, created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, is a component within the Department of Homeland Security that is separate from, and independent of, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Its mission is to: (1) assist individuals and employers in resolving problems they are experiencing in seeking immigration benefits from USCIS and (2) study and report on broader trends and problems in the administration of U.S. immigration laws. Each year, the Ombudsman submits a report summarizing its work to Congress.

In addition to reviewing case assistance provided by the Ombudsman during 2018, this year's Annual Report contains:

• A history and analysis of wage and specialty occupation issues within the H-1B visa program;
• An explanation of how USCIS is modifying its applicant support services, including the implementation of the Information Services Modernization (InfoMod) program;
• An assessment of the progress USCIS is making on its eProcessing initiative;
• An overview of the new USCIS Asylum Vetting Center; and
• A detailed analysis of challenges USCIS is facing in timely processing Employment Authorization Documents (EADs).

A copy of the report is available online.