USCIS digital transformation needs work, says watchdog
An immigration agency watchdog says USCIS is making progress in digitizing forms, but still has a lot of work to do in its effort to make forms paperless.
The agency responsible for immigration administration is making progress in digitizing its e-filing and adjudication systems, but it still has significant issues, according to the annual report from its official ombudsman.
The report, issued by the independent watchdog at the Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services, shares the same concerns about the multi-year transformation program as an audit report issued in March by DHS Office of Inspector General. That report slammed USCIS' implementation of the Electronic Immigration System (dubbed ELIS), saying it would take three more years and another $1 billion to complete.
While the new report said about 900,000 customers filed and tracked services online using the emerging digital platform, "stakeholders encountered challenges locating or obtaining processing times and obtaining timely customer service."
It said digitized forms available through the platform were limited, with only two -- Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, and the payment of the Immigrant Visa Fee -- out of more than 90 form types and the activities associated with them available for e-filing.
However, the ombudsman said as it was finalizing its report, USCIS had begun entering data provided in select paper-filed forms and adjudicating them electronically, including Form I-821D, Consideration for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and the N-400, Application for Naturalization.
Despite the progress, the ombudsman said the OIG's report is still a big concern, particularly the finding that USCIS' shift to a cloud-based system architecture didn't include more "stakeholder involvement, performance metrics, system testing, or user support needed for [e-filing] to be effective."
The ombudsman recommended USCIS improve its customer service, including examining ways to increase responsiveness to user feedback and allow for more external user involvement to implement holistic approaches.