Not all, just 21 of the 200 worldwide.
USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna wrote an email to staff Tuesday that referenced the plan to shutter the 21 locations.
Closing the offices would help "maximize our agency's finite resources," he wrote, the Post reported.
"I believe by doing so, we will better leverage our funds to address backlogs in the United States while also leveraging existing Department of State resources at post. Change can be difficult and can cause consternation. I want to assure you we will work to make this as smooth a transition as possible for each of our USCIS staff while also ensuring that those utilizing our services may continue to do so and our agency operations continue undisrupted."
USCIS started in 2003 and, according to its website, operates more than 200 offices worldwide. It employs 19,000 government employees and contractors to handle several facets of the immigration system, from reissuing lost green cards to helping foreign nationals apply for U.S. citizenship.
The 21 offices being closed fall under the USCIS's International Operations Division (IO) and are more specifically known as the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate. The IO employs 240 people in the U.S. and abroad.
More @ Wash Post: US to Shutter International Immigration Offices
USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna wrote an email to staff Tuesday that referenced the plan to shutter the 21 locations.
Closing the offices would help "maximize our agency's finite resources," he wrote, the Post reported.
"I believe by doing so, we will better leverage our funds to address backlogs in the United States while also leveraging existing Department of State resources at post. Change can be difficult and can cause consternation. I want to assure you we will work to make this as smooth a transition as possible for each of our USCIS staff while also ensuring that those utilizing our services may continue to do so and our agency operations continue undisrupted."
USCIS started in 2003 and, according to its website, operates more than 200 offices worldwide. It employs 19,000 government employees and contractors to handle several facets of the immigration system, from reissuing lost green cards to helping foreign nationals apply for U.S. citizenship.
The 21 offices being closed fall under the USCIS's International Operations Division (IO) and are more specifically known as the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate. The IO employs 240 people in the U.S. and abroad.
More @ Wash Post: US to Shutter International Immigration Offices
