The Trump administration recently decided to shut down the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman, an essential body that had supported thousands of immigrants in navigating complex visa-related issues. Immigration lawyers have expressed concern, noting that this move will significantly impact H-1B visa holders, F-1 international students, and green card applicants, particularly those from the Indian community. The Ombudsman’s office had assisted nearly 30,000 individuals last year, helping to resolve delays, errors, and disputes related to applications, as reported by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Legal professionals argue that the closure will lead to less transparency and accountability within the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director for government relations at AILA, explained that individuals and businesses sought help from the CIS Ombudsman for various issues, including mistaken rejections, typographical errors on secure documents like Green Cards and Employment Authorization Documents, and problems with mail delivery. “The Ombudsman’s office helped approximately 30,000 applicants last year,” Dalal-Dheini stated.
Rajiv S. Khanna, an immigration attorney in Arlington, highlighted that many visa holders turned to the Ombudsman when their legal status was jeopardized by administrative delays. For example, an engineer from Bangalore faced an 11-month wait for his H-1B extension despite following all the necessary procedures. After the Ombudsman intervened, the approval came within two weeks. Khanna also mentioned a case where a student’s OPT application was wrongly denied due to document errors, but the Ombudsman’s office successfully reopened the case and helped the student maintain their status.
Dalal-Dheini shared another example of a student who had their STEM OPT application rejected due to a bank processing error. The application had already passed the deadline for re-submission, but the Ombudsman successfully worked with USCIS to get the student’s application reapproved.
Adam Cohen, a partner at the immigration law firm Siskind Susser, pointed out that the Ombudsman also helped applicants receive important USCIS notices, preventing further delays. The office’s involvement was especially beneficial when USCIS insisted on filing additional paperwork, which could lengthen the process.
The Ombudsman’s office collaborated with USCIS to release guidance and hold sessions on common issues related to student and work visas. Employers, too, benefited from the Ombudsman’s assistance in addressing delayed or missing employment documents for foreign workers.
Khanna stressed that the Ombudsman was uniquely valuable due to its independence from USCIS, allowing it to objectively evaluate whether the agency was following its own policies and procedures. He shared an example where the Ombudsman’s intervention resolved a researcher’s green card application, which had been stalled for over three years due to an unlogged background check.
Although the Ombudsman played a vital role in addressing various immigration issues, Cohen clarified that it was not involved in cases relating to self-deportation threats for campus activism, as such cases involved other agencies like the Department of State (DOS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The closure of the CIS Ombudsman, along with the dismantling of two other immigration oversight bodies, has raised concerns about the lack of channels for addressing grievances in a system already struggling with delays and inconsistencies. Advocates worry that this decision may leave many immigrants in legal limbo, without a neutral body to help escalate and resolve their issues.
