How to Request CIS Ombudsman’s Individual Case Assistance

The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) assists individuals and employers in resolving case processing problems with USCIS. Learn more.

The CIS Ombudsman’s Deputy Ombudsman Nathan Stiefel explains the case assistance services his office provides, and shares tips on how to use these services most effectively.

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Submit a CIS Ombudsman’s Assistance Request

Cases that the CIS Ombudsman can assist with:

• Non-receipt of USCIS notices or decisions, such as requests for evidence, appointment notices, or decisions even if USCIS systems indicate that it issued one, or instances where the U.S. Postal Service returned a card to USCIS as non-deliverable.
• Certain cases where the beneficiary may “age-out” of eligibility for the requested immigration benefit. See USCIS’ Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) webpage for additional information.
• Certain cases involving U.S. military personnel and their families.
• Applications and petitions that were improperly rejected by USCIS due to clear errors of fact or obvious misapplication of the relevant law by USCIS.
• Typographic errors in immigration documents.
• Cases where someone is in removal proceedings before the immigration court with a hearing scheduled within six months and has an application/petition pending before USCIS that could impact the outcome of removal proceedings.
• Lost files and/or file transfer problems between USCIS offices.
• Certain cases involving an emergency or a hardship that fall under the USCIS expedite criteria.
• Systemic issues that should be given higher level review.
• Expedites approved more than two months ago.
• Approval notification delays to the Department of State.

With few exceptions the CIS Ombudsman cannot help if:

• Your case is within published processing times unless there is a statutory or regulatory processing time requirement (such as Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, for Special Immigrant Juveniles; Form N-400, Application for Naturalization; and Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for L-1 petitions).
• There is no published processing time for the form type, and less than 6 months have passed since you filed your form with USCIS.
• USCIS has denied an expedite request.
• You are seeking legal advice.
• You are seeking assistance with an issue that does not involve USCIS.
• It has been less than 45 calendar days since your congressional representative made an inquiry to USCIS.
• Replace the formal appeal or motion process.
• Seek to change a USCIS decision.
• Communicate with anyone other than the benefit requestor (the individual who signed the submitted form to USCIS) or the attorney without written consent from the benefit requestor. In addition, if you are applying, or applied, for T, U, VAWA, or refugee status and do not have an attorney or accredited representative, your address must match the address in USCIS systems; we can only communicate with you via U.S. postal mail to comply with the law and keep your case confidential.
• Urge USCIS to take action on a pending application, petition, or request.
• Fix actions resulting from bad information given by third parties, such as legal representatives or designated school officials (DSOs).

Related Resources

• Video: Overview of the CIS Ombudsman's Case Assistance Services (Spanish Version)
• Case Resolutions Strategies: How Do I Resolve Case Problems?
• CIS Ombudsman’s Office Provides 2021 Annual Report