Sources: processing data: FY2013-FY2014: USCIS Immigration Forms Data (website): http://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-studies/immigration-forms-data/data-set-all-uscis-application-and-petition-form-types; FY2015 Projected: Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Such limitations became more apparent following the passage of the President's executive action of November 20, 2014, which included a new deferred action program that some Members of Congress oppose. H-1B visas are for temporary "professional specialty workers," an employment category closely associated with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, but not limited to them. The term "public charge" is used in the context of drawing public benefits for low-income households. See U.S. Government Accountability Office, Immigration Benefits: Several Factors Impede Timeliness of Application Processing, GAO-01-488, May 2001. 51, no. By analyzing and applying the law to each situation, these officers are responsible for the safe and effective enforcement of U.S. border security, citizenship, and immigration. Some fees, such as those for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and premium processing for certain employment petitions, are set in statute and cannot be adjusted by USCIS. 108-447, div. Employers qualifying as an institution or organization per INA 212(p)(1) institutions of higher learning, nonprofit and government research organizations are exempt from this fee. For more information, see Ibid. Since 2003, such annual direct appropriations have constituted a declining portion of USCISs budget. Immigration officers check whether people arriving at UK borders are eligible to enter the country. They also must determine whether a foreign national in the United States on a temporary visa (i.e., a nonimmigrant) is eligible to change to another nonimmigrant status or adjust to LPR status.17, Work Authorization: USCIS adjudicates work authorizations for aliens who meet certain conditions.18. CRS Report R43796, Department of Homeland Security: FY2015 Appropriations, coordinated by [author name scrubbed], p.87. 101-162; the H-1B Non-Immigrant Petitioner Fee Account was established by P.L. See archived CRS Report R41104, Immigration Visa Issuances and Grounds for Exclusion: Policy and Trends, by [author name scrubbed]. Welfare Reform and Immigrant Naturalization," Social Forces, Vol. The Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (CFO Act of 1990) and the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Circular A-25 requires that USCIS completes a fee review on a biennial basis. Each fiscal year since FY2008, $4 million has been transferred from the IEFA to the Department of Justice-Administrative Review and Appeals Account that funds EOIR pursuant to appropriations provisions. Citizenship and Immigration Services Information Technology Management Progress and Challenges, OIG-14-112, July 2014. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Citizenship Data, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICEs Mission, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE Statistics, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Salary Table 2021, Special Base Rates for Law Enforcement Officers at Grades 3 to 10. If implemented, these programs would require applicants to submit petitions and pay a user fee to USCIS. In this report, "immigrant" is synonymous with "lawful permanent resident.". Note that only USCIS receives its funding through the Immigration Examination Fee Account. The report closes with a discussion of issues for Congress. A refugee is a person fleeing his or her country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. As of December 31, 2014, USCIS had received and processed 962,000 new and renewal petitions for the 2012 DACA program. 107-296, 477(d)(3). Important information about DACA requests. Critics contend that changes in the agency's backlog definition masked the seriousness of the USCIS backlog. As of December 31, 2014, the figure was 414,146, also despite the fact that the petition volume for I-485 petitions had not increased inordinately during the period. or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Key skills. For more information, see CRS Report R43735, Temporary Professional, Managerial, and Skilled Foreign Workers: Policy and Trends, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed]. Issue entry visas, register all non-citizens resident in Kenya. An immigration officers job description may include the following tasks: From officers focused on investigations, information analysis, and report preparation to officers trained on the effective enforcement, detention, and deportation of individuals these officials play a crucial role in protecting the safety and security of U.S. citizens and those who wish to be. Council on Foreign Relations, Independent Task Force Report No. Unauthorized Population," press release, November 19, 2014. Notes: Petition information is presented for all USCIS petitions for which processing volume data are available from the DHS sources above. The authority as shared between agencies is rather complex. This authority to issue fees through regulation continued to apply when certain INS functions were transferred to USCIS in 2003. Fee and Processing Volume Statistics, Table B-1. U.S. Government Accountability Office, Federal User Fees: Fee Design Options and Implications for Managing Revenue Instability, GAO-13-820, September 2013. The issue arose most recently with the President's executive action, causing some to question how the agency would handle the workload from as many as 5 million new deferred action applications. U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, Becoming an American: Immigration and Immigration Policy, report to Congress, Executive Summary, September 1997. USCISs budget relies largely on user fees. This has increased demand for immigration officers, such as those hired by the Department of Homeland Security. Congress does appropriate a small portion of the agencys budget each year, primarily to fund E-Verify, a system used to electronically confirm that individuals have proper authorization to work in the United States. 1, 3.25[1]. Typical employers U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General, USCIS Faces Challenges in Modernizing Information Technology, OIG-05-41, September 2005, p. 28. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Ensuring Agency Priorities Comply with the Law, March 3, 2015. By pursuing a bachelors degree in international studies, those interested in becoming immigration officers can equip themselves to make a positive impact in the lives of others. See CRS Report R43366, U.S. Naturalization Policy, by [author name scrubbed]. In FY2014, direct appropriations constituted less than 4% of USCIS's budget (Figure 1). 643-666. For an analysis of the USCIS budget, see CRS Report R43796, Department of Homeland Security: FY2015 Appropriations, coordinated by [author name scrubbed]. See U.S. Government Accountability Office, Immigration Application Fees: Current Fees are Not Sufficient to Fund U.S. For example, in 2007 then U.S. For further discussion, see CRS Report R43366, U.S. Naturalization Policy, by [author name scrubbed]. With three options for experiential learning, the flexibility of online coursework, and supportive faculty, Maryville University is invested in your success. The user fees would purportedly pay for the cost of administering the program. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Service Ombudsman, Annual Report 2006, June 29, 2006, p. 9. Such fees may also be set at a level that will recover any additional costs associated with the administration of the fees collected." USCIS along with court cases at the Executive Office of Immigration Review are renowned for their backlog of applications and cases. According to the U.S. Senator Barack Obama, "Obama, Gutierrez, Schakowsky Bill Would Send Immigration Fee Hikes Back to the Drawing Board," press release, March 7, 2007. (See Appendix B for a list of selected USCIS petition fees as well as actual (FY2014) and projected (FY2015) petition processing volumes.) U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Compare with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In its publication of the new schedule that year, the INS stated: "The INS and the EOIR (the Department of Justice's Executive Office of Immigration Review) believe it is clear that 31 U.S.C. These include Customer Service and Public Engagement; Field Operations; Fraud Detection and National Security; and Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations. Investigate and prosecute persons who contravene the Immigration laws and regulations. Similarly, USCIS aims for equity in establishing fee levels, but when attempting to adjust fees for naturalization petitions on par with other petition fee adjustments, it confronts a vocal immigration advocacy community as well as its own broader policy objectives to foster citizenship.66, Immigrant advocates in particular argue that fee increases place disproportionate hardship on applicants for immigration services and benefits.67 They contend that higher fees force some families to seek services and benefits incrementally rather than as a family unit, causing some members to forgo the application process entirely.68 Some argue that high fees discourage eligible lawful permanent residents (LPRs) from naturalizing.69, At a broader level, immigration advocates have argued that sizeable fee increases may make wealth a de facto driving element of immigration policy.70 They have also suggested that increased fees might impact the size of the unauthorized alien population by encouraging illicit work arrangements and visa overstays.71 Under current regulations, applicants may receive a fee waiver if they can demonstrate an inability to pay.72 According to USCIS, about 1% of applicants apply for fee waivers. 114-4 (The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015). Declare and remove prohibited immigrants. Senator Barack Obama, "Obama, Gutierrez, Schakowsky Bill Would Send Immigration Fee Hikes Back to the Drawing Board," press release, March 7, 2007, p. 1. In addition, for those interested in front-line positions, the hiring process includes the completion of a background investigation, physical fitness test, and medical exam. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Functions and Funding, H-1B and L Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee Account, Recovering Individual Service Costs versus Full Agency Costs, data-set-all-uscis-application-and-petition-form-types, https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplayInit.do, http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/citizenship-and-integration-grant-program, http://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-studies/backlog-elimination, http://www.nclr.org/content/news/detail/25082, http://www.bibdaily.com/pdfs/AILA%20fee%20comment%204-1-07.pdf, http://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-studies/immigration-forms-data/data-set-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals, http://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-studies/immigration-forms-data. For example, GAO issued another report, which found that despite making some progress, the INS had yet to adequately resolve many longstanding management issues. Others may be concerned about the limits it places on congressional oversight of the agency. A lawful permanent resident is a foreign national who has been granted authorization to live and work permanently in the United States. CIS Ombudsman provides individual case assistance, and makes recommendations to improve the administration of immigration benefits.
