Posted by Alejandro Mayorkas, Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Every day, USCIS receives thousands of paper applications for immigration benefits - more than 6 million each year. For generations, we have received, reviewed, shipped, and stored paper applications and files throughout our agency. This paper-based process consumes a great deal of resources and employee time.

USCIS, the world’s largest immigration benefits agency, reached a significant milestone on May 22, 2012 with the launch of our new electronic immigration system, USCIS ELIS. USCIS ELIS allows applicants and their attorneys and accredited representatives to create an online account and submit and track their immigration benefit requests 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Currently, individuals applying to change or extend their nonimmigrant status, Form I-539, can use the system. We will roll out additional form types and functions over time until all USCIS applications and petitions can be processed through the system. USCIS ELIS also has enhanced tools to combat fraud and safeguard national security.

Not long ago, we received our 1,000th electronically-filed application through USCIS ELIS. We have also seen a commensurate drop in the number of paper Form I-539 applications submitted since the system’s launch. USCIS ELIS has already delivered for our early users the timeliness, convenience, and added security of a more modern immigration system.

While its use is not mandatory, I encourage all individuals who are eligible to file Form I-539 to use USCIS ELIS. We continue to build this system for our customers, our dedicated workforce, and our federal partners. Your feedback is important as we prepare future releases of USCIS ELIS to meet your needs today and into the future. Please visit the USCIS ELIS Web page to learn more about USCIS ELIS and its benefits, and please share your user story with us here in our comments section or by emailing us at uscis-elis-feedback@uscis.dhs.gov. I look forward to your comments as we continue to modernize our agency.

Labels: Director's Posts, USCIS ELIS

Labels: Citizenship, Director's Posts

Labels: Director's Posts

Labels: Director's Posts, USCIS ELIS

Labels: Director's Posts

Posted by Alejandro Mayorkas, Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Recently, I had the opportunity to give remarks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The event, hosted by the National Chamber Foundation and the Partnership for a New American Economy, focused on immigration and American competitiveness.



My remarks emphasized the tools we have in current immigration law to grow our nation’s economy and the progress we are making to support American businesses.  Business leaders understand the obstacles to attracting top talent in an increasingly competitive world. The contributions that immigrants make to American prosperity are undeniable, and we must work in the short-term to use existing immigration tools more efficiently and effectively.

USCIS has taken several significant steps in three main channels to improve our effectiveness: policy, process and people. These include:

• Clarifying our policies to reflect the availability of the H-1B visa and National Interest Waiver under the EB-2 immigrant visa category to foreign-born entrepreneurs, and providing the corresponding training;
• Expanding accelerated, or premium processing to immigrant petitions for certain multinational executives and managers;
• Providing new training, starting in early October, to our adjudicators in the review of L-1 petitions;
• Making significant changes in the way in which we adjudicate cases in the immigrant investor, or EB-5, program – a program designed to create jobs in America.

In addition, USCIS will hire people with business experience and consult with business leaders to inform our policy development and training. This will allow us to more ably address the realities and needs of the business community we serve.

We have many challenges before us. Each presents an opportunity to better our immigration system in an effort to improve our nation’s economic prosperity. America’s entrepreneurial spirit attracts the best and the brightest from around the world whose talents, skills and ideas are essential to growing this nation’s economy. USCIS has taken significant steps and will continue to make progress so that the engine of growth that is American business can thrive.

Labels: Director's Posts

Posted by Alejandro Mayorkas, Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Each September, Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and the weeklong celebration of Constitution Week offer an important opportunity to reflect on the meaning and importance of U.S. citizenship.  It’s a special time for me and the entire workforce of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  As the federal agency responsible for naturalization and citizenship, USCIS has the privilege of welcoming America’s newest citizens.

As part of this annual commemoration celebrating citizenship, we highlight naturalization ceremonies across the country and recognize the significant contributions of immigrants who have chosen to become Americans.

In addition, we are proud to announce grants totaling $9 million for 42 organizations charged with expanding citizenship preparation services for permanent residents.

This funding will support immigrant-serving organizations across 27 states and the District of Columbia.  The program fosters civic integration and helps permanent residents prepare for successful citizenship.  More than 19,000 permanent residents have received assistance through this grant program since it began in October 2009.  The full list of this year’s recipients, along with a description of their programs, is available on our website.

Citizenship is important because it unites Americans – all races, ethnicities, beliefs, or countries of birth – under shared civic principles based on the rights and freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution.  Please join me in this opportunity to cherish the important rights and responsibilities we share together, as citizens of this great nation.

Labels: Citizenship, Director's Posts

• We redesigned the Permanent Resident Card, commonly known as the Green Card, to include a radio frequency identification tag that allows Customs and Border Protection to quickly access the electronic records of travelers seeking to enter the United States and includes new security features that reduce the risks of counterfeiting, tampering, and fraud.
• We redesigned the Certificate of Naturalization, utilizing a tamper-proof printing process and embedding digitized photos and signatures.
• We added a machine-readable zone to the Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to make it easier for border control officers to more efficiently identify people who have already been approved for immigration benefits and who have been reviewed previously by USCIS officers.
• We have enhanced our partnership with the Forensic Document Laboratory which is dedicated exclusively to detecting fraudulent documents. As a result, we can better identify fake documents used to seek immigration benefits.

• Dozens of our Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) officers are aligned with local FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTFFs) to coordinate resources and provide immigration expertise to federal government agencies in support of terrorism investigations. 
• Our FDNS officers furnish support to the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), the FBI’s National Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Terrorist Screening Center, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s National Security Unit.
• We regularly exchange information with US-VISIT related to refugee claimants under existing data-sharing agreements with foreign-government partners.

Labels: Director's Posts

• Clarify that immigrant entrepreneurs may obtain an employment-based second preference (EB-2) immigrant visa if they satisfy the existing requirements, and also may qualify for a National Interest Waiver under the EB-2 immigrant visa category if they can demonstrate that their business endeavors will be in the interest of the United States;
• Expand the Premium Processing Service to immigrant petitions for multinational executives and managers;
• Clarify when a sole employee-entrepreneur can establish a valid employer-employee relationship for the purposes of qualifying for an H-1B non-immigrant visa;
• Implement fundamental enhancements to streamline the EB-5 process based directly on stakeholder feedback;
• Launch new engagement opportunities to seek input and feedback on how to address the unique circumstances of entrepreneurs, new businesses and startup companies.

Labels: Director's Posts

Labels: Director's Posts

As many of you know, we at USCIS are reviewing our policies and practices to ensure our careful and thoughtful administration of our nation’s immigration laws. A hallmark of our review is our engagement with you; your ideas and comments inform our decisions as we strive to implement the best ideas.

Through our review, your input and other analysis, we have identified needed improvements to a wide array of policies and practices. Some of these improvements have been implemented and many are to follow. We look forward to your feedback as we make continued progress on these improvements.

As part of our broad review, and echoing President Obama’s call to promote immigrants’ entrepreneurial spirit, we have focused on the Immigrant Investor Program, commonly referred to as the EB-5 Program. It is a program designed to attract investors and entrepreneurs from around the world to create jobs in America. In the two decades since its creation, the EB-5 Program has never met the annual cap of 10,000 visas. 

The EB-5 Program often involves complex applications and sophisticated business projects that require prompt attention and expert review in order to achieve their potential. Our focus on this program, and the input you have provided, has led us to propose a series of significant improvements to it. These changes include an accelerated adjudications process, with premium processing; the creation of specialized intake teams to handle the Form I-924 applications, coupled with the applicants’ ability to communicate directly with the specialized intake teams via email; and, the creation of an expert Decision Board to render decisions on the Form I-924 applications and to afford applicants with an in-person or telephonic interview to resolve issues.

Our proposal for the improvement of the EB-5 Program is available here. In keeping with our commitment to soliciting your ideas and input, we have posted the proposal for public comment. We will accept your comments at opefeedback@uscis.dhs.gov for 20 business days, until June 17, 2011.

We recognize the importance of the EB-5 Program and its goal of creating jobs. We recognize the importance of all of our policies and practices in realizing the goals of our nation’s immigration system. Thank you for working with us in service of those goals.

Alejandro N. Mayorkas
Director

Labels: Director's Posts

The Citizenship and Integration Grant Program, which provides support for local citizenship preparation services, was a central topic of discussion. The Director and Minister Friedrich discussed challenges faced by both nations in better integrating new citizens, and agreed that effective integration efforts are vital to both nations. Minister Friedrich viewed the Grant Program as evidence of the importance of local efforts to promote integration, pointing out that successful efforts could not simply be decreed from "Washington or Berlin."

The meeting concluded with Director Mayorkas presenting Minister Friedrich a bound copy of "The Citizen’s Almanac," a book provided to new citizens upon naturalization.

Labels: Citizenship, Director's Posts

(As published in The Blog at Homeland Security)

Yesterday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas spoke at a University of Southern California conference in Los Angeles entitled "Which Way America? Reframing, Regrouping, and Realigning for Immigrant Integration." Stressing the fundamental values of our nation, Mayorkas emphasized the important contributions immigrants have made to this country.

Mayorkas reminded us of courageous individuals like Gerda Weissmann Klein –a humanitarian, author, human rights activist, Holocaust survivor, and a proud naturalized citizen. Mrs. Weissmann-Klein was a recipient of the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and was also honored by USCIS as an Outstanding American by Choice – an honor bestowed upon naturalized U.S. citizens who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to this country.

As the federal agency that administers naturalization and ensures the integrity and efficiency of the citizenship process, USCIS is proud to have provided tens of thousands of people nationwide with information on eligibility, testing, and citizenship rights and responsibilities. Last year, USCIS’s Citizenship and Integration Grant Program provided nearly $8.1 million to 78 community organizations in 27 states to support citizenship education programs and naturalization application services for lawful permanent residents.

And earlier this year, Mayorkas and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa partnered to debut a first-of-its-kind Immigrant Integration pilot program aimed at strengthening citizenship efforts in L.A., a city that is home to an estimated 2.3 million lawful permanent residents eligible for citizenship. Through proactive citizenship awareness, education, and outreach activities, Mayorkas hopes to replicate this first-of-its-kind collaborative effort in other cities across the country.

"As a nation grounded in the fundamental value that all people are created equal, our unifying promise of citizenship has allowed people of all backgrounds, whether native or foreign-born, to have an equal stake in the future of this nation, "said Mayorkas. "Citizenship solidifies the inclusive vision of what America stands for: a nation united by the common ideals of freedom, equality, and democracy."

Labels: Director's Posts

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has posted to the Federal Register its proposed fee rule that would adjust fees for immigration benefit applications and petitions. The proposed fee rule will be available for public comment at regulations.gov on Friday, June 11.

I have previously shared with the public that our fee revenue in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 was much lower than projected, and fee revenue in fiscal year 2010 remains low. While USCIS did receive appropriations from Congress, budget cuts of approximately $160 million have not bridged the remaining gap between costs and anticipated revenue. A fee adjustment, as detailed in the proposed rule, is necessary to ensure USCIS recovers the costs of its operations while also meeting the application processing goals identified in the 2007 fee rule.

As a result of the cuts we have implemented, the proposed fee rule would increase overall fees by a weighted average of about 10 percent.

The proposed fee structure would establish three new fees, including a fee for regional center designations under the Immigrant Investor Pilot Program, a fee for individuals seeking civil surgeon designation and a fee to recover USCIS's cost of processing immigrant visas granted by the Department of State. The proposed fee structure also reduces fees for certain individual applications and petitions as a result of lower processing costs.

Requesting and obtaining U.S. citizenship deserves special consideration given the unique nature of this benefit to the individual applicant, the significant public benefit to the nation, and the nation’s proud tradition of welcoming new citizens. Recognizing the unique importance of naturalization, we propose that the naturalization application fee not be increased.

I encourage you to submit formal comments on the proposed rule, which is available at regulations.gov. The comment period runs for 45 days beginning on June 11, 2010.

Your comments will inform and help shape the final rule. Additional detail on the methodology and data USCIS used to develop these fees will be available at regulations.gov on June 11, 2010.

We at USCIS understand the effect of a fee increase on many of the communities we serve, especially in these economically challenging times. We have worked hard to minimize the size of the fee increase, and we will continue to do so. We will also continue to work hard to provide you with the level of service you deserve, a level befitting our nation as a beacon of hope and opportunity for people from all over the world, now and for generations to come.

Alejandro N. Mayorkas

Labels: Director's Posts

(in Spanish)

About twenty years ago I visited my great aunt and uncle in their apartment in Brooklyn where they had settled after emigrating from Cuba. They had prepared a sandwich for me wrapped in a neatly-cut square of wax paper. After lunch my great aunt took the wax-paper square, ironed the creases with her hand, and placed the flattened square on a stack of wax paper squares resting atop her refrigerator. My great aunt and uncle understood the value of each cent and the struggle it took to earn it.

As I have embarked upon my tenure as the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services I have carried my memory of the wax paper squares as a strong reminder that our Agency is funded mostly by the hard-earned fees that immigrants pay us. Our Agency is, as a result, ethically obligated to spend this money with extraordinary care and in the service of the immigrants and others whom we serve. This care and this service - together with our commitment to integrity, consistency, and transparency - are values that guide our Agency as we administer the largest immigration system in the world.

In giving life to our nation's immigration laws, we must look at our work and its impact through the eyes of the public we serve, including immigrants yearning to build a better life for their families, businesses in need of specialized skills that are unavailable here, individuals seeking refuge from home-country conditions that no person should have to endure, and the general public. Our work touches the lives of many and helps build a strong foundation for our nation, one that carries forward our tradition as a nation of immigrants while fulfilling our responsibility to protect the integrity of our system and the security of our homeland.

As we open our arms to those who rightfully see our nation as a beacon of hope and opportunity, so too must we as an agency open our doors and be transparent to those with an interest in our mission. We will not shrink from criticism but instead work hard not to deserve it; we will recognize our failures and use them as instructive steps to future success; and, we will build upon our achievements to become the agency of which our nation can be most proud. You deserve this, and so do my colleagues.

I came to this country in 1960, my family having fled Cuba so that my sister and I, and later my brothers, could realize the promise of democracy. I am forever mindful of the journey we made and the challenges it involved. The wax paper atop my great aunt's refrigerator is a lasting symbol, one that guides me as we at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services make the journey possible for others and help define our nation in that spirit.

Alejandro Mayorkas
Director
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security

UPDATE: For more, check out this video of Director Alejandro Majorkas speaking before the Migration Policy Institute.

Labels: Director's Posts

Our hearts are with you, the people of Haiti. The tragedy you have endured, the losses you have suffered, and the uncertainties you are facing affect us deeply.

The feelings we share with you are defining our actions. Today we launch this blog to provide you with one more way that you can learn about our Temporary Protected Status program. One section of our website, http://www.uscis.gov/, is devoted to the TPS program and the information there can be found in English, French, and Creole. Our personnel are working our toll-free phone lines from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. The number is 1-800-375-5283. We will continue to do everything we can.

On this blog, please ask us questions, raise issues, and express your concerns. We are here to help you in this time of great need.

Our hearts are with you.

Alejandro Mayorkas
Director

Labels: Director's Posts, Haiti, TPS