U.S. Alert – USCIS Announces Launch Of Online FOIA Request Processing System (Video)
USCIS Announces Launch of Online FOIA Request Processing
System
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently
announced the launch of its “Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) Immigration Records SysTem (FIRST),” which the agency
said “will eventually allow users to submit, manage, and
receive FOIA requests entirely online.” Before this change,
USCIS only accepted FOIA requests by mail, fax, and email, and
requestors typically received their documents on a CD by mail.
USCIS is rolling out FIRST’s digital delivery of services
in phases. Initially, requestors who have an immigration court date
pending and file a request for documents can create an account
within myUSCIS to receive documents digitally. Through their
accounts, requestors can track the status of their FOIA cases and
will receive an email notification when USCIS has uploaded their
records.
In the coming months, USCIS said, this digital delivery option
will be expanded to all FOIA and Privacy Act (PA) requestors. When
FIRST is fully operational, requestors will be able to use a
completely digital FOIA/PA system, from online submission to
retrieving and downloading responsive documents. USCIS will notify
the public as additional services become available.
USCIS said that FIRST is part of the agency’s
“ongoing effort to move the nation’s legal immigration
system away from paper-based services to digital
transactions.”
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