By JANE COWLEY
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) now offers the Information Services Modernization Program in the Philadelphia District. The Philadelphia District provides immigration benefits to Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. USCIS anticipates expanding the program to all remaining field offices by the end of FY 2019. The Information Services Modernization Program ends self-scheduling of InfoPass appointments and instead encourages applicants to use USCIS online information resources to view general how-to information and check case statuses through the USCIS Contact Center. Recent improvements to online tools provide applicants the ability to obtain their case status and other immigration information without having to visit a local field office. The Information Modernization program started as a pilot in March 2018 and since then has improved the delivery of emergency and other critical inperson services quickly. The agency hopes this new system will help people “skip the trip” as they will only have to come in for urgent situations. An additional benefit is that this system ultimately gives USCIS officers greater capacity to complete their cases more quickly.
“Expanding this program is a significant step in our efforts to move more USCIS services and information online,” said USCIS Director Francis Cissna. “It also frees up agency staff to spend more time adjudicating benefit requests which should help reduce case processing times. USCIS remains committed to pursuing the most effective and efficient ways to administer our nation’s lawful immigration system.” At USCIS pilot field offices, the Information Services Modernization program reduced the average wait time for an appointment from 11 to five days. Additionally, when an individual needed in-person assistance, the USCIS Contact Center has been able to schedule it for them without the individual having to search for available time slots.
Jane Cowley Public Affairs Officer – PA, WV, OH, IN, KY, VA, MD, DE and southern NJ U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Department of Homeland Security jane.m.cowley@uscis.dhs.gov
