U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun staffing a new immigrant assistance center dedicated to processing applications for humanitarian relief, including visas for victims of crime and domestic violence.
After the recent crisis with crisis with the CBP OneIt has become clear that a new virtual support system is needed to streamline and truly help immigrants enter the country legally and safely. This is the sixth center to be opened by USCIS, the first fully virtual one, which comes after a series of efforts to reduce the lengthy delays and complications that have already separated entire families in the United States.
USCIS Director Ur Jaddou himself described this new additional service center as an important milestone for USCIS, saying it is part of the agency’s effort to reduce wait times for visas and other benefits. That is why today we will analyze how it will work and what kind of applications can be submitted to it.
And remember that if you are experiencing difficulties in your immigration process, at Jaskot Law we are here to help you. Contact us today by calling +1 (410) 235-6868 or at [email protected].
New USCIS Support center: the solution to delays?
After months of uncertainty and the CBP One application crisis, USCIS Director Ur Jaddou assured that immigration processing delays are beginning to be resolved.
With this new center, USCIS hopes to speed up the visa application process. It will operate entirely virtually. However, it will accept both paper and electronic applications.
The agency’s goal is to have the new support center nearly fully staffed by the end of September 2024. It joins existing USCIS support centers in California, Nebraska, Virginia, Texas and Vermont.
What will be the role of the new USCIS immigrant assistance center?
The new USCIS support center will handle four types of immigrant assistanceapplications:
- Applications for status for victims of crime under the U.S. U visa program visa program.
- Applications for status for victims of domestic abuse under the VAWA visa program.
- Refugee applications to bring their family members from abroad.
- Applications by certain undocumented immigrants to renounce their unlawful presence and become permanent residents.
USCIS officials stated that these types of petitions were selected because of their generally longer processing times. According to processing times published by USCIS, U visa applicants wait more than five years, while VAWA petitions are typically processed in 33 months, for example.
In addition, while many USCIS activities will remain face-to-face, the agency acknowledged that it will seek more virtual support centers in the future.
Waiting for help
Many immigrant rights advocates say the new USCIS support center could have radical impacts for survivors of abuse waiting for immigrant assistance.
Although obviously this will be the case as long as you have dedicated staff trained to adjudicate the specific humanitarian application forms. It is therefore extremely important that USCIS employees receive adequate training on the forms they will be required to process.
In addition, the director of the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project at American University Washington College of Law, Leslye Orloff, said that faster processing of these petitions will allow survivors of abuse to get work authorization quickly, which could allow them to leave their abusers’ homes.
This is just one of multiple examples that demonstrate the need for a USCIS support center to streamline immigrant assistance procedures as much as possible.
Staff objectives
USCIS began staffing the new immigrant assistance center, called theHumanitarian, Adjustment, Removal of Conditions and Travel Documents Services Center, or “HART” for short.
It all began in January, when USCIS authorities assigned some 150 members to staff the service center. In addition, they plan to hire another 330 employees in the future in order to be as fully staffed as possible.
On the other hand, a new job announcement for the additional functions of this new immigrant assistance center was scheduled to be published this Friday. USCIS expects to fill those roles by September 30, the end of fiscal year 2023. The agency aims to have staffed 95 to 98 percent of the new immigrant assistance center by the end of FY 2024.
Conclusion
The new USCIS support center comes after years of financial difficulties at the agency, which narrowly avoided having to lay off most of its employees in 2020 amid sharply declining revenues during the pandemic.
Added to this is the immigration crisis at the southern border and the problems caused by the implementation of the CBP One application, all of which have significantly delayed the application process for immigrant assistance.
A new USCIS support center would streamline the application process for immigrant assistance, which would significantly improve conditions for those seeking a better life in the United States.
The picture appears to be improving slowly, with a slight decline in the backlog of immigrant assistance applications that USCIS officials will be looking to build on. However, the immigration crisis is far from resolved and having a lawyer could be crucial.
At Jaskot Law we can provide you with the legal help you need to start a new life in the United States. Contact us today by calling +1 (410) 235-6868 or at [email protected].
Sources
FAQs
What is the purpose of the new USCIS immigrant assistance center?
The goal of the new USCIS Immigrant Assistance Center is to expedite the visa application process for four specific types of applications: applications for status for victims of crime under the U visa program, applications for status for victims of domestic abuse under the VAWA visa program, applications by refugees to bring their family members from abroad, and applications by certain undocumented immigrants to renounce their unlawful presence and become permanent residents. USCIS selected these types of applications because of their generally longer processing times.
What types of applications can be filed at the new USCIS Immigrant Assistance Center?
Four types of applications can be filed at the new USCIS Immigrant Assistance Center:
– Applications for status for victims of crime under the U-Visa program
– Applications for status for victims of domestic abuse under the VAWA visa program.
– Refugee applications to bring their family members from abroad
– Applications by certain undocumented immigrants to renounce their unlawful presence and become permanent residents.
How will the new USCIS immigrant assistance center work?
The new USCIS immigrant assistance center will operate entirely virtually, although it will accept both paper and electronic applications. It will be responsible for processing four types of immigrant assistance applications and will be nearly fully staffed by the end of September 2024.
Why has USCIS opened a new immigrant assistance center?
USCIS has opened a new immigrant assistance center to reduce the lengthy delays and complications that have already separated entire families in the United States. In addition, after the recent crisis with the CBP One application, it has become clear that a new virtual support system is needed to streamline and truly help immigrants enter the country legally and safely.
How can USCIS’ new immigrant assistance center help survivors of abuse?
Faster processing of applications will enable survivors of abuse to get work authorization quickly, which could allow them to leave their abusers’ homes. This is an example of how the new USCIS immigrant assistance center can help survivors of abuse. However, it is important that USCIS employees receive adequate training on the forms they will need to process so that applicants can get the assistance they need.
