AILA Discusses Customer Service Concerns with USCIS

Earlier this month, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) held a joint engagement to discuss customer service at the USCIS. Following is a summary of some key points from AILA’s unofficial notes of the meeting.

  • The USCIS opened the discussion by highlighting a number of recent achievements, including the following:

-The USCIS noted that 17 of the forms available for online filing are for high volume case-types, and that about 41 percent of those cases are filed online. The USCIS says they still are working on making more forms available for online filing, which should help to make it easier to file the cases, and for the USCIS to adjudicate them.

-The USCIS touted the “Connect to Live Agent” option that now is available within its online virtual assistant, Emma.

-The USCIS also remarked that it has improved its online form for requesting in-person appointments with a USCIS representative.

  • AILA representatives asked several questions related to the possibility of making future improvements to myUSCIS, especially as it relates to the how this online tool can be used by attorneys representing clients.
  • AILA raised issues regarding the rejection of filings at USCIS lockboxes, including cases that were rejected multiple times, sometime erroneously. The USCIS responded, indicating that the usual rejection rate typically hovers around 8-to-9 percent, but that it went to 10 percent following the recent fee increase.

AILA requested that USCIS lockboxes provide more detail when rejecting a package. The lockboxes are given a list of fifteen possible reasons to select when rejecting a package. However, there is little explanation or clarity as to what each reason signifies when an application is rejected. The USCIS agreed to review this issue and take it into consideration.

  • AILA expressed concern about a spike in I-485 approvals being issued for applications where the foreign national’s priority date was not yet current. While this may seem like a pleasant surprise, in reality, having a green card approved before one’s priority date is current can create tremendous problems for the applicant. The USCIS indicated that they are putting measures in place to better prevent this from occurring in the future.

 

The USCIS is a public facing entity, so it is important that they be responsive to service concerns that are raised. If any additional updates are provided, details will be posted on MurthyDotCom.

 

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