The USCIS expands its Policy Review by identifying the ten areas it will focus on.
The USCIS began its USCIS Policy Review in April 2010. The review is intended to help the USCIS examine its procedures and policies, hopefully in order to make the USCIS more effective and efficient. As part of the review, the USCIS sent out a survey to its workers and to anyone who was interested in completing the survey. About 5,600 participants took part in the survey, helping the USCIS decide which issues and topics needed to be examined in its Policy Review. According to the survey participants, the ten areas the USCIS should focus on are:
1. Adjustment of Status based on employment
2. The USCIS National Customer Service Center
3. Specialty Occupations (Nonimmigrant H-1B)
4. Citizenship and naturalization policies
5. Adjustment of status based on family
6. Immigrants in categories 3 (professionals and skilled workers) and categories 1 and 2 (holders of advanced degrees, professionals, and priority workers)
7. Adjustment of status for refugee and asylum seekers
8. Humanitarian programs
9. Application for Waiver of Ground of Inadmissibility (Form I-601)
10. Employment Travel and Authorization
The Review will now focus on these ten areas. It is expected that the review process will take a few years and will require several phases:
1) Phase one. At this stage of the review, the USCIS gathered documents related to its policies and group them or organize them according to the areas or issues being examined.
2) Phase two. At this stage of the review, the USCIS conducted its survey. As part of this stage, the USCIS will publish and report the survey results. The USCIS also identified the ten topics of focus for the review at this stage of the process.
3) Phase three. At this stage of the review, the USCIS will establish working groups, with one group assigned to each of the ten major areas of focus. Each group will consider the policies and documentation for its specific area and will make any changes or updates needed. The USCIS will keep the public aware of any changes made.
4) Phase four. The new policies of each topic area will be consolidated into one electronic resource, so that everyone can access the new information.
By the end of the process, the USCIS hopes to have a new set of policies that is free from redundancies and outdated information.
As well, the review will give the public a chance to voice their concerns and their opinions about USCIS processes and policies. Finally, the review will make policies and information from the USCIS more available, since the final, updated policies will be posted publicly online.