The US Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS in short, is the legal authority responsible for "processing immigration and naturalization applications and establishing policies regarding immigration services." The news is that it has floated a new online form for individuals (as well as attorneys and accredited representatives) through which they can raise a request for an "in-person appointment at their local field office". As per USCIS, this will make it possible for applications to bypass the need to contact the USCIS Contact Center.
The facility applies only for ADIT stamps, Emergency Advance Parole, Immigration Judge Grants, among others. However, submitting the form doesn't automatically translate into them getting appointments.
"It is not a self-scheduling tool and individuals cannot schedule their own appointments with USCIS. The USCIS Contact Center will review submitted forms and the availability of in-person appointments at a specific field office," says a Somi Reddy Law Group, explaining how the process works.
While the applicants can make their requests, it is up to the USCIS when it wants to schedule the date and time for the in-person appointment.
Initiatives of this sort are meant to improve the customer experience. The idea is to minimize direct engagement with the USCIS Contact Center.
Visit my.uscis.gov/appointment for more information on the online appointment request form.
