USCIS Ombudsman Publishes 2011 Annual Report To Congress

Annual Report 2011

On June 29, 2011, Ombudsman January Contreras submitted the 2011 Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman’s Annual Report to Congress.

In her opening message, Ombudsman Contreras writes:

"In this role, I have had the opportunity to interact with people from around the world who have immigrated, or are trying to immigrate, to the United States. They never cease to inspire me…The Ombudsman’s Office has the responsibility for and privilege of helping…individuals, along with those who petition on their behalf, to navigate the citizenship and immigration process. On a one-on-one basis, we help resolve problems encountered by those seeking immigration benefits, and we make solution-oriented proposals to help improve the immigration benefits system."

This Annual Report identifies ways of solving some of the serious and pervasive issues that stakeholders experience with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), such as:

• Encouraging enhancements to USCIS’ humanitarian programs;
• Calling for agency action on issues, including survivor benefits, visa retrogression, the immigrant investor visa (EB-5) program, and Requests for Evidence; and,
• Improving customer service, interagency coordination, and assessing progress in modernizing USCIS’ systems and processing through the Transformation project.

The report also highlights new USCIS outreach and policy initiatives, efforts that demonstrate USCIS’ commitment to providing better immigration services and ongoing challenges.

• Read the Executive Summary of the Ombudsman’s 2011 Annual Report to Congress (PDF, 5 pages – 1.82 MB)
• Read the Ombudsman’s full 2011 Annual Report to Congress (PDF, 84 pages – 5.61 MB)

Not all of the documents in this section are fully Section 508 compliant. If you have difficulties accessing a file or need assistance, please contact the Ombudsman's Office at 202-357-8100.