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Original Date Announced
March 12, 2019USCIS reportedly "told senior staff members this week that the international division, which has operations in more than 20 countries, would close down by the end of the year...The overseas division provides logistical assistance to American citizens, lawful permanent residents and refugees seeking to bring family members to the United States; people who have been persecuted and wish to resettle in the United States; Americans who adopt children internationally; and members of the military and their families applying for citizenship. It also plays a crucial role in immigration fraud detection." [ID #73]
NYT reportSubsequent Trump and Court Action(s)
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August 9, 2019
USCIS Will Adjust International Footprint to Seven Locations
USCIS announced that it plans to maintain operations at its international field offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Nairobi, New Delhi, Guatemala City, Mexico City, and San Salvador. USCIS plans to close the remaining 13 international field offices and three district offices by August 2020, including closing the field offices in Monterrey, Mexico, and Seoul, South Korea, at the end of September.
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August 9, 2019
AILA August 15, 2019 Update: Tracking USCIS International Field Office Closures
View Document
Biden Administration Action: Modified
March 22, 20242024.03.22_USCIS Reopens Field Office Tegucigalpa, Honduras
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announces the reopening of an international field office in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. “Reopening the Tegucigalpa Field Office establishes USCIS’ presence and expertise in a critical location in the Western Hemisphere and is part of our commitment to the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to facilitate safe and orderly lawful pathways and meet our humanitarian mission,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. The office will assume responsibility for agency workloads formerly handled by the U.S. Department of State Consular Section, includign interviews and processing, fingerprinting beneficiaries of T nonimmigrant applications, and also supporting the U.S. government's effort to resettle refugees from the Americas.
View DocumentBiden Administration Action: Modified
April 23, 20242024.03.22_USCIS to Open International Filed Offices in Qatar and Turkey
USCIS announced the opening of field offices in Doha, Qatar, and Ankara, Turkey, to increase capacity for refugee processing, strengthening strategic partnerships, and facilitating interagency cooperation. Qatar is a critical location and refugee processing hub. Refugee coordinators from the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, as well as a suboffice for the Resettlement Support Center for the Middle East and North Africa, are already in Qatar. The office will be in the U.S. embassy facility at Camp As Sayliyah. The Ankara office will be located in the U.S. Embassy Ankara. The headquarters office for the Resettlement Support Center for Turkey and the Middle East is in Turkey, as are the PRM refugee coordinators and a regional office for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
View DocumentBiden Administration Action: Modified
August 17, 20242024.08.17_DHS Reopens USCIS Field Office in Havana, Cuba
The DHS, through the USCIS, announced the reopening of an international field office in Havana, Cuba, which will assist with U.S. immigration benefits and services, including interviews and processing cases for pending Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) cases and Form 1-730, Refugee/Asylum Relative Petitions. “This administration is taking steps to reduce unlawful entries, deny resources to ruthless smuggling organizations, and streamline access to lawful, safe, and orderly pathways for those seeking humanitarian relief. Reopening the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in Havana helps us do just that.” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. The office was previously closed on December 10, 2018, after a resource reallocation and the long-term suspension of operations in 2017 after the Department of State ordered all non-essential personnel and families to depart Cuba.
View DocumentBiden Administration Action: Modified
August 30, 20242024.08.30_USCIS to Open International Field Office in Quito, Ecuador
USCIS announced the opening of a new international field office in Quito, Ecuador on September 10. "The Quito Field Office will focus on increasing refugee processing capacity, consistent with USCIS commitments under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, and helping reunite individuals with their family members already in the United States." The office will be located in the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador and assist in the U.S.'s efforts to resettle refugees from the Americas. The Quito Field Office will be the 12th USCIS international office. There are currently other USCIS international field offices in Ankara, Turkey; Beijing; Doha, Qatar; Guangzhou, China; Guatemala City; Havana; Mexico City; Nairobi, Kenya; New Delhi; San Salvador, El Salvador; and Tegucigalpa, Honduras. See https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/international-immigration-offices
View DocumentCurrent Status
Partially in effectMost Recent Action
August 30, 2024 Action: Modified 2024.08.30_USCIS to Open International Field Office in Quito, EcuadorMarch 22, 2024Acted on by Biden Administration
April 23, 2024Acted on by Biden Administration
August 17, 2024Acted on by Biden Administration
August 30, 2024Acted on by Biden Administration
Original Trump Policy Status
Status: Final/ActualTrump Administration Actions: Agency Directive Change in PracticeSubject Matter: Humanitarian Immigrant Visas CitizenshipAgencies Affected: USCISAssociated or Derivative Policies
- February 5, 2019 USCIS closes field office in Moscow, Russia
Pre Trump-Era Policies
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November 28, 2018
The International Operations Division (IO) is the component of USCIS’ Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate (RAIO) that is charged with advancing the USCIS mission in the international arena. Reuniting families, enabling adoptive children to come to join permanent families in the U.S., considering parole requests from individuals outside the U.S. for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, and providing information services and travel documents to people around the world – all with unique needs and circumstances – are just a few of the responsibilities officers assume on a daily basis. Operating in a dynamic global environment with constantly changing political, cultural, environmental, and socio-economic contexts, IO has approximately 240 employees located in the U.S. and in three international districts composed of 24 field offices in 21 countries.
USCIS: International Operations
Documents
Trump-Era Policy Documents
Biden Administration Policy Documents
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Biden Administration Action
Original Source:
USCIS Reopens Field Office in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
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Biden Administration Action
Original Source:
USCIS to Open International Field Offices in Qatar and Turkey
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Biden Administration Action
Original Source:
DHS Reopens USCIS Field Office in Havana, Cuba
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Biden Administration Action
Original Source:
USCIS to Open International Field Office in Quito, Ecuador
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To provide information, corrections, or feedback, please email IPTP.feedback@gmail.com