{"id":29685,"date":"2019-10-03T00:00:12","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ourpublicservice.org\/citizenship-and-immigration-applicant-services-2\/"},"modified":"2024-01-08T11:17:38","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T16:17:38","slug":"citizenship-and-immigration-applicant-services","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ourpublicservice.org\/our-solutions\/customer-experience\/y2019\/citizenship-and-immigration-applicant-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Citizenship and Immigration Applicant Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This customer experience profile is from 2019. To view this year\u2019s profile, click here<\/a>.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Each year, more than 8 million applications are submitted to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for citizenship, permanent residence and other immigration benefits and services, transactions that can be life-changing for those seeking assistance but also time-consuming and complex.  <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To interact with the agency, customers have the option to call a contact center, get information from the USCIS website or visit a field office. Many customers stated they were treated fairly in conversations with a USCIS representative, according to a contact center survey. However, they also said it could take a long time to complete the purpose of their call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increased processing times for immigration applications is also a challenge for customers. For example, the average case processing time for the naturalization application was 10.3 months in fiscal 2018, up from 8.1 months in fiscal 2017. More complex forms that take longer to process, as well as an increase in the number of applications received, are two factors contributing to longer wait times, according to agency officials. Processing of immigration applications was largely unaffected by the partial government shutdown that began in December 2018, since USCIS\u2019 services are primarily funded by applicant fees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While customers waited to learn their status, they wanted clearer information about where their case was in the application process. They also wanted to know how long it might take to hear from USCIS, according to interviews with agency officials, who said they were working to provide customers with more transparency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency has improved online assistance by providing self-service options to help people get information and complete tasks more easily, and offered understandable content that is easy to navigate, according to our review of selected web pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Service Overview<\/strong>
Key Services Provided to Applicants<\/p>\n\n\n\n