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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-Era and Court Action(s)
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August 9, 2019
AILA August 15, 2019 Update: Tracking USCIS International Field Office Closures
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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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Biden 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, EcuadorAugust 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