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This section contains all of the Ombudsman’s formal recommendations made since the establishment of the Ombudsman’s office in July 2003. Problems reported to the Ombudsman by individuals and employers (during the Ombudsman’s travels), discussions with immigration stakeholders, and suggestions of USCIS employees themselves provide the basis for many of the recommendations listed below.
Recommendations prepared by the CIS Ombudsman are intended to:
The USCIS responses to the Ombudsman’s recommendations are also included in this section.
Recommendation #34: The CIS Ombudsman recommends that USCIS clarify its refund of fees procedures and revise the Adjudicator's Field Manual, Section 10.10 “Refund of Fees” accordingly. The Ombudsman further recommends that USCIS provide customers with a way, such as refund request receipt information, to track the status of the refund. April 8, 2008, (PDF, 3 pages - 92KB)
2007 Annual Report Recommendations, June 11, 2007
Recommendation #32: Recommendation to USCIS that it 1) post general information on deferred action on its website; 2) maintain statistics on the issuance and denial of deferred action requests; and 3) designate a headquarters official to review grants and denials of deferred action requests on a quarterly basis to ensureUSCIS Response to Recommendation #32 that like cases are decided in like manner, April 9, 2007, (PDF, 4 pages – 105 KB)
Recommendation #31: Recommendation that USCIS adopt a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) under which there would be at least 30 day advance notice to the public and posting on the USCIS website of changes to policy and operations instructions, absent exigent circumstances, February 8, 2007, (PDF, 3 pages - 86 KB)
Recommendation #30: Recommendation to USCIS to improve Freedom of Information Act operations while ensuring that information is provided timely by implementing seventeen actions and requirements which will result in a substantially reduced backlog, July 12, 2006, (PDF, 15 pages - 175 KB)
Annual Report Recommendations, June 30, 2006
Recommendation #29: Recommendation that USCIS amend O petition rules to facilitate “extraordinary ability” aliens’ employment in the United States by extending the maximum initial validity of O petitions from three to five years, and increasing the maximum extension length from one to five years, June 30, 2006, (PDF, 6 pages - 113 KB)
Recommendation #28: A recommendation to immediately implement an online change-of-address procedure to supplement the current Form AR-11 process, June 9, 2006 (PDF, 4 pages - 82 KB)
Recommendation #27: Recommendation to USCIS that it implement up-front processing of immigration benefits beginning with those for family-based adjustment of status applications for the following reasons: 1) to enhance security and process integrity; 2) to improve customer service; and 3) to increase USCIS efficiency, May 19, 2006 (PDF, 11 pages - 127 KB)
Recommendation #26: Recommendation to accept DNA test results as secondary evidence of family relationship, to grant authority to directors to require DNA testing and to initiate a DNA testing pilot project to study the impact of requiring DNA testing as evidence of family relationship, April 13, 2006, (PDF, 6 pages - 133 KB)
Recommendation #25: Changes to employment authorization document (“EAD”) procedures including: (1) issuance of multi-year EADs; (2) issuance of EADs valid as of the date any previous issuance expires; and (3) amendment to regulations to provide that K-1 nonimmigrants are not subject to breaks in employment authorization, March 20, 2006, (PDF, 5 pages - 100 KB)
Recommendation #24: Asylum Office limitation on adjudication of I-589 applications for asylum and withholding of removal to those submitted from individuals who are in valid non-immigrant status in the United States, March 20, 2006, (PDF, 95 pages - 924 KB)
Recommendation #23: Elimination of fingerprint requirements for active duty United States military personnel in the naturalization application processes, March 20, 2006 (PDF, 3 pages - 84 KB)
Recommendation #22: Standardization of Notices to Appear (“NTAs”) to provide that NTAs be issued and filed with the immigration court in all cases where, as a result of adjustment of status denial, the applicant is out of status, March 20, 2006, (PDF, 4 pages - 87 KB)
Recommendation #21: Automation and standardization of the Notice of Action Form (I-797) that includes Form I-94 for asylum approval notifications by the USCIS Asylum Division, December 7, 2005 (PDF, 3 pages - 85 KB)
Recommendation #20: Publication of the process under which cases are deemed precedent decisions, the criteria under which cases are selected for oral argument, and the statistics on decision making by the Administrative Appeals Office, December 7, 2005 (PDF, 5 pages - 91 KB)
Recommendation #19: Elimination of ‘pick up’ decision delivery process for asylum applicants in favor of a certified mail, return receipt notification process, October 13, 2005 (PDF, 4 pages - 87 KB)
Recommendation #18: Publication of nonimmigrant visas issued against the annual numerical limitation on H-1B and H-2B visas to project the numerical cap of annually available visa numbers, August 28, 2005 (PDF,3 pages - 83 KB)
Recommendation #17: Elimination of the postal meter mark ‘Return Service Requested’ on USCIS envelopes, thereby allowing all USCIS correspondence to be forwarded to applicants/petitioners, July 29, 2005 (PDF, 4 pages - 1.3 MB)
Recommendation #16: Policy changes to processing procedures for form I-131 refugee travel documents, June 10, 2005 (PDF, 3 pages - 83 KB)
Recommendation #15: Correction to contract issues for Department of the Treasury Lockbox and contractor, Bank One, Inc. due to untimely issuance of receipts to petitioners and applicants, May 9, 2005 (PDF, 3 pages - 84 KB)
Recommendation #14: Guidelines for USCIS termination of pilot programs, February 25, 2005 (PDF, 2 pages - 77 KB)
Recommendation #13: Long and short-term recommendations concerning USCIS issuance of permanent resident cards to arriving immigrants, December 15, 2004 (PDF, 4 pages - 88 KB)
Recommendation #12: Cessation of use of the Department of Treasury Lockbox by USCIS upon the expiration of its current Memorandum of Understanding, November 29, 2004 (PDF, 4 pages - 92 KB)
Recommendation #11: National policy guidance on the implementation of InfoPass to ensure equitable access to immigration services, November 29, 2004 (PDF, 2 pages - 82 KB)
Recommendation #10: Correction to Naturalization policy memorandum in order to fully comply with section 319(a) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, as amended by Public Law 106-386, October 6, 2004 (PDF, 3 pages - 86 KB)
Recommendation #9: Single USCIS forms package per type of petition/application regardless of which district office or service center will process the petition/application, October 6, 2004 (PDF, 2 pages - 87.80 KB)
Recommendation #8: Expansion of the Premium Processing Service (PPS) to include employment-based change-of-status (I-539) applications, September 27, 2004 (PDF, 3 pages - 83 KB)
Recommendation #7: Establishment of a separate fee structure for the “e-filing” of applications/petitions, August 16, 2004 (PDF, 3 pages - 72 KB)
Recommendation #6: Authorization for employers to store Form I-9s electronically, August 16, 2004 (PDF, 2 pages - 83 KB)
Recommendation #5: Customer Service Training for USCIS Employees, August 11, 2004 (PDF, 2 pages - 79 KB)
Recommendation #4: Modification of Fee Instructions, June 29, 2004 (PDF, 1 page - 24 KB)
Recommendation #3: Reengineering Green Card Replacement Processing, June 18, 2004 (PDF, 1 page - 17 KB)
Recommendation #2: Streamlining Employment-Based Immigrant Processing, June 18, 2004 (PDF, 2 pages - 16 KB)
Recommendation #1: Streamlining Family-Based Immigrant Processing, June 18, 2004 (PDF, 2 pages - 19 KB)
This page was last reviewed/modified on July 28, 2008.