Washington, D.C. (February 6, 2023) –  A new Center for Immigration Studies report offers suggestions for the “FYs 2023-2026 Strategic Plan” recently published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) – the agency which administers the nation’s lawful immigration system. These suggestions reflect the interests of both American citizens and applicants for immigration benefits while remaining true to the limits on the agency’s legal authority.

USCIS listed “Strengthen the U.S. Legal Immigration System” as a primary goal, which it defined as developing “immigration policies, regulations, and guidance to support and expand legal immigration pathways, improve access to immigration benefits, strengthen the asylum system and effectively support the resettlement of refugees.” USCIS also included plans to update the E-Verify program – but laid out no details regarding how it intends to do so. 

Elizabeth Jacobs, the Center’s director of regulatory affairs and policy, stated, “It is understandable that USCIS might want to introduce administrative reforms to promote efficiency within the agency. However, to accomplish USCIS’s own purported goals, the Biden administration must implement reforms to deter fraud and abuse of the immigration system.”

Jacobs outlines four sets of concrete USCIS reforms that will:

• Increase High Skill Worker’s Access to Immigration Benefits;
• Strengthen and Improve Access to the Asylum System by Deterring Fraud;
• Focus Agency Resources on Legitimate Visa Programs; and
• Strengthen the E-Verify Program.

“While administrative reforms are sorely needed to promote efficiency within USCIS, these reforms should not come at the expense of the American public, who are the primary stakeholders in their country’s immigration system,” writes Jacobs