DHS/USCIS/RAIO OVERVIEW Department of Homeland Security 2 We are - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

DHS/USCIS/RAIO OVERVIEW

Department of Homeland Security 2

We are USCIS. We are America. We are the 18,000 government employees and contractors of USCIS working at 250 offices across the world. Achieving our goals becomes possible when the different elements of our organization are engaged and acting as partners working toward a common outcome. Our Mission. USCIS will secure America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system. 3

What We Do  Citizenship  Immigration of Family Members  Working in the United States  Verifying an individual’s legal right to work in the United States  Humanitarian Programs  Adoptions  Civic Integration  Genealogy 4

USCIS Organizational Structure 5

Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate (RAIO) RAIO is the face of USCIS overseas. RAIO plans and implements policies and activities related to immigration services, including naturalization and refugee issues, overseas. There are three divisions in the RAIO Directorate: Refugee Affairs Division Asylum Division International Operations Division 6

Our Mission • Lead effort to secure America • Prevent & deter terrorist attacks and protect against & respond to threats and hazards • Ensure safe & secure borders DHS • Welcome lawful immigrants & visitors • Promote the free flow of commerce • Provide accurate and useful information to our customers • Grant immigration & citizenship benefits • Promote an awareness and understanding of citizenship USCIS • Ensure the integrity of our immigration system • Provide protection, humanitarian and other immigration benefits throughout the world • Combat fraud • Protect national security. RAIO 7

What We Do  Adjudicate asylum and refugee applications  Conduct protection screening for individuals seeking to enter the United States and migrants interdicted at sea.  Authorize humanitarian parole in urgent situations  Provide immigration and naturalization benefits to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents overseas  Work with community organizations; government agencies; international organizations & foreign governments on asylum, refugee, and immigration issues 8

Definition of a Refugee under U.S. Law Under United States law, a refugee is someone who: • Is located outside of the United States; • Is of special humanitarian concern to the United States (which means s/he qualifies under a processing priority); • Demonstrates s/he was persecuted or fears persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group; • Is not firmly resettled in another country; and • Is admissible to the United States 9

The U.S. Refugee Admission Program (USRAP) The USRAP is an inter-agency effort involving several governmental and non-governmental partners operating both stateside and overseas. NGOs NGOs NGOs RPC RPC RPC DOS/PRM DOS/PRM DOS/PRM UNHCR UNHCR UNHCR DHS DHS DHS RSCs RSCs RSCs HHS/ORR HHS/ORR IOM IOM IOM USCIS USCIS USCIS 10

Who Does What in Refugee Processing Overseas? 11

Who Does What…(Continued) 12

Refugee Processing Priorities FY 2014 Processing Priorities include: P-1: Referred by U.S. Embassy, UNHCR, or designated NGO P-2: Specific groups within certain nationalities P-3: Family reunification for designated nationalities 13

U.S. Refugee Admissions The President consults yearly with Congress to establish refugee admission ceilings. Region FY 2011 FY2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 Africa 15,000 12,000 12,000 15,000 East Asia 19,000 18,000 17,000 14,000 Europe/Central Asia 2,000 2,000 2,000 1,000 Latin America/Caribbean 5,500 5,500 5,000 5,000 Near East/South Asia 35,500 35,500 31,000 33,000 Unallocated Reserve 3,000 3,000 3,000 2,000 Total 80,000 76,000 70,000 70,000 14

USCIS REFUGEE INTERVIEW LOCATIONS Europe & Central Asia (18) FISCAL YEAR 2013 Armenia Malta 67 COUNTRIES TOTAL Austria Moldova Azerbaijan Romania Belarus Russia Bulgaria Slovakia Germany Tajikistan Georgia Turkey Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Kyrgyzstan Ukraine East Asia (7) China Hong Kong Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Thailand Latin America Vietnam & Caribbean (6) Near East & Africa (24) Bahamas South Asia (12) Botswana Gabon Nigeria Costa Rica Bahrain Oman Burundi The Gambia Rwanda Cuba India Pakistan Chad Ghana Sierra Leone Curacao Iraq Nepal Congo Guinea South Africa Ecuador Israel Kuwait Cote d’Ivoire Kenya Tanzania Trinidad & Tobago Jordan Sri Lanka Djibouti Malawi Uganda Lebanon United Arab Emirates Egypt Morocco Senegal Ethiopia Namibia Zimbabwe 15

Each Day, Our Refugee Officers… Interview refugee applicants for possible resettlement to the U.S. Conduct protection screening for migrants interdicted at sea Work with anti-fraud, law enforcement, intelligence, and national security colleagues to protect adjudication integrity Collaborate with governmental and nongovernmental organizations in order to support the annual number of refugee admissions determined by the president. 16

U.S. Refugee Statistics Fiscal Year Interviews* Admissions FY 2009 106,150 74,654 FY 2010 94,817 73,311 FY 2011 75,706 56,424 FY 2012 76,751 58,238 FY 2013 70,828 69,925 FY 2014 (through 3/31) 33,414 32,810 * Includes interviews conducted by the International Operations Division FY2013 Accomplishments: • 69,925 refugees were admitted to the United States, the closest the refugee program has come to reaching the admissions ceiling (70,000) in over 30 years. • A record number of Iraqi refugees (19,488) were admitted, including 7,000 U.S.- affiliated applicants who were processed in Baghdad. • Refugee applicants continued to undergo robust security screening based on interagency protocols. 17

Top 10 Nationalities (FY13) # Nationality 1 Iraq 2 Burma 3 Bhutan 4 Somalia 5 Cuba 6 Iran 7 Democratic Republic of the Congo 8 Sudan 9 Eritrea 10 Ethiopia 18

Cumulative Admissions 19

Resettlement Services Resettlement agencies sponsor refugees and provide these services:  Housing  English language training  Job counseling and job placement  Medical and mental health assistance  Assist refugees to apply for lawful permanent residence one year after admission.  Assist refugees to help them bring their families to the U.S. (spouse & unmarried children younger than 21) 20

Definition of a Refugee under U.S. Law Definition of Refugee from the Immigration and Nationality Act The Immigration and Nationality Act defines “refugee” in Sec. 101(a)(42) as: (A)any person who is outside any country of such person’s nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well- founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, or … • The term “refugee” does not include any person who ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. For purposes of determinations under this Act, a person who has been forced to abort a pregnancy or to undergo involuntary sterilization, or who has been persecuted for failure or refusal to undergo such a procedure or for other resistance to a coercive population control program, shall be deemed to have been persecuted on account of political opinion, and a person who has a well founded fear that he or she will be forced to undergo such a procedure or subject to persecution for such failure, refusal, or resistance shall be deemed to have a well founded fear of persecution on account of political opinion. 21

Asylum Division Programs  Affirmative asylum  Suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal under NACARA 203 (Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act)  Credible fear screenings  Reasonable fear screenings for certain individuals subject to administrative removal  Adjudication support for the Refugee Affairs Division 22

USCIS Asylum Offices 23

Top 10 Nationalities (FY13) # Nationality 1 China 2 Mexico 3 Egypt 4 Guatemala 5 Nepal 6 Syria 7 Ethiopia 8 Haiti 9 Ecuador 10 El Salvador 24

Asylum Benefits  Stay in the U.S. indefinitely  Apply for permanent resident status after one year  Apply for work authorization  Bring their families to the U.S. (spouse & unmarried children younger than 21)  Receive assistance from state, private & non-profit agencies through Office of Refugee Resettlement  Apply for a Social Security Card  Receive assistance from One-Stop Career Centers 25