Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman

Our updated online case assistance request form now available! You requested a better process for submitting requests and we listened.

New features include:

✅ Simplified submission
✅ A track your progress bar
✅ A tab to check the status of your request
✅ A tab to upload documents after you submit your request

Go to the link for more info: https://go.dhs.gov/34R

To understand what happens after you submit a case assistance request with us, take a look at the 5 steps in our case assistance process on our website: https://go.dhs.gov/Jok

: If your case is taking longer than posted processing times and you’ve tried to resolve the issue directly with them first, the CIS Ombudsman may be able to help—but please expect to wait. We work on higher priority issues first.

Before reaching out to our office, make sure your case is past your case inquiry date. Find this date by entering your receipt date on USCIS’ Check Case Processing Times page: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/ (Scroll down to “When can I ask about my case?” after filtering for your type of form first.)

: Each month USCIS randomly selects about 15,000 pending Forms I-134A (CHNV) to process regardless of filing date. About another 15,000 cases are processed based on filing date order. Because USCIS does not provide processing times for Form I-134A, we cannot help if your only issue is how long your Form I-134A has been pending.

Renew your DACA as early as possible! DACA recipients can file their renewals 150 days before their DACA expiration date. Taking this step can help you avoid a gap in employment authorization.

We’re an office of last resort. If your case is taking longer than USCIS’ posted processing times, check that it is past the case inquiry date and try to resolve the problem directly with USCIS before contacting the CIS Ombudsman for help. Find this date by entering your receipt date on USCIS’ Check Case Processing Times page: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/ (Scroll down to “When can I ask about my case?” after filtering for your type of form first.)

While we can’t help with all immigration issues, we are improving the process for submitting a case assistance request.

Learn more: https://go.dhs.gov/3oY

While we cannot help with Form I-134A (CHNV) issues related to the CBP One app or issues with travel authorization, there are some exceptions. If you are contacting us about a minor child’s travel authorization or if a family unit has not all received approvals at the same time, we may be able to help. 👉 Learn more here: https://www.dhs.gov/cis-ombudsman-web-alerts

Separating fact from fiction on Form I-134A. For more information, read our September 27, 2023 web alert (updated on December 7) to see if we can help with your issue.

Myth: The CIS Ombudsman can help you with any Form I-134A issue.

Fact: There are only three types of Form I-134A issues we can help with because we are not a part of or . We focus on where we can help the most.

: Each month USCIS randomly selects about 15,000 pending Forms (CHNV) to process regardless of filing date. About another 15,000 cases are processed based on filing date order. This means I-134A processing times will vary.

Please note that USCIS does not provide expedited processing for Forms I-134A.

We received more than 23k case assistance requests last year.

Now we are making it easier, more intuitive, and more informative to get help with immigration issues.

Learn more: https://go.dhs.gov/3oY