OMBUDSMAN ESSENTIALS CIS OMBUDSMAN Office - Washington, D.C. 1

CIS OMBUDSMAN  Created by Homeland Security Act §452  Mission: assist individuals and employers in resolving problems with USCIS (Case Unit);  Identify systemic problems with access to immigration services and make recommendations.  Recommendations: see  Teleconferences, updates, negotiations, conferences, liaison to problem solve 2

Ombuds Essentials -- Toolbox  Ombuds use a toolbox of resources to resolve individual and systemic issues:  Facilitation  Mediation (use of mediation skills w/o mediation)  Training  Outreach  Oral and written reporting 3

Ombuds Tenets  Independence  Impartiality (Neutrality)  Confidentiality  Informality 4

Ombuds Tenets -- Independence  We do not report to USCIS, they do not report to us  Separate component, at HQ level –  CIS Ombudsman answers directly to Congress and the Deputy Secretary of DHS 5

Ombuds Tenets -- Impartiality  Provides confidence to public/USCIS in our work  “Advocate for a fair process”  Look at all sides  Individual cases  Systemic Issues  Attorney/representative is not always right, agency is not always right 6

Ombuds Tenets -- Confidentiality  Gives confidence to share with the ombuds  Enables us to look at trends others might not see  No repercussions to sharing information with ombuds 7

Ombuds Tenets -- Confidentiality  Individual Cases  Approaching the ombuds is confidential  Form 7001/G-28– permission to share with USCIS  CISOMB must request additional permission to share with media, other agencies, other components the public, other family members  Public materials (Annual Report, newsletters, etc.) -- no identifying information unless have permission of individual 8

Ombuds Tenets -- Confidentiality  Stakeholders  An ombuds does not attach a specific viewpoint or observation to a specific stakeholder in the ombuds’ written or oral reporting  Permission is required to share the above 9

Ombuds Tenets -- Informality  Resolve informally, before litigation  If in litigation, we do not participate publicly  Ombuds does not replace formal channels – parallel tracks 10

Ombuds Essentials -- What else?  Ombuds serves as early warning system for entity  Ombuds recommends systemic changes, can’t require them  Contacting ombuds does not stay statutory, regulatory, or other agency timeframes 11

CIS OMBUDSMAN – Contacts   Form 7001 for individual cases at or can use on – line  Peggy Gleason, Senior Advisor on Family Based Immigration  Humanitarian Sr. Advisor rena.cutlip-  Employment Sr. Advisor 12

Ombudsman Office Recommendations  Read at  Employment Authorization for Asylum applicants  Deferred Action  Customer Complaints to USCIS  Special Immigrant Juvenile Adjudications  I-601 Waivers  Future Topics: your suggestions here_________ 13

Ombudsman Annual Conference  October 18, 2012 – DC National Archives  Six panels with government and stakeholder representatives on employment, family-based and humanitarian immigration issues 14

Ombudsman Teleconferences  Asylum Process for Unaccompanied Minors  U Visas: USCIS/DOS Coordination  Small Business Immigration Issues  Status Verification Systems at USCIS: SAVE  Survivor Benefits under new INA Sec. 204(l)  Family-Based Visa Retrogression: DOS/NVC  Nov: Change of Address and Mailing Issues  Infopass and Access to Local Offices 15

CIS Ombudsman – Questions? 16