FY2022 APPROPRIATIONS REPORTING REQUIREMENT REFUGEE DATA – FY2018 TO FY2021 UPDATE
The Department shall submit to the Committee and make available to the public on its website not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act the following information for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021:
- the number of USCIS staff assigned to the Refugee Corps at the Refugee Affairs Division of USCIS;
- the number of refugee processing circuit rides conducted;
- the number of USCIS Refugee Corps officers assigned to each circuit ride;
- the destination region and country for each circuit ride;
- the number of refugee interviews conducted by USCIS; and
- the number of approvals and denials issued by USCIS.
| Fiscal Year | Authorized Refugee Corps Staff2 |
|---|---|
| FY 20183 | 167 |
| FY 20194 | 182 |
| FY 20205 | 176 |
| FY 2021 | 189 |
| Fiscal Year | Number of Circuit Rides |
|---|---|
| FY 2018 | 67 |
| FY 2019 | 97 |
| FY 2020⁶ | 7 |
| FY 2021 | 13 |
The information for FY 2016-2021 is located at Refugee Processing Circuit Rides.
In mid-March 2020, USCIS curtailed six of the seven circuit rides that were underway in Quarter 2 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was unable to complete any refugee processing circuit rides during the rest of FY 2020. However, USCIS was able to conduct some interviews via video teleconference.
USCIS was also unable to conduct refugee processing circuit rides in Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 of FY 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while conducting certain interviews via video teleconference. USCIS resumed refugee processing circuit rides in Quarter 3 of FY 2021.
| Fiscal Year | Number of Refugee Interviews Conducted by USCIS |
|---|---|
| FY 2018 | 26,648 |
| FY 2019 | 44,753 |
| FY 2020 | 1,375 |
| FY 2021 | 10,227 |
| Fiscal Year9 | Approvals | Denials |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2018 | 21,944 | 7,507 |
| FY 2019 | 36,698 | 4,599 |
| FY 2020 | 10,018 | 527 |
| FY 202110 | 12,959 | 1,388 |
1 In FY 2020, the Refugee Affairs Division and the International Operations Division merged to form the International and Refugee Affairs Division (IRAD), which includes the Refugee and International Operations (RIO) component responsible for domestic and international operations. RIO is composed of the Refugee Corps, the Humanitarian Affairs Branch (responsible for certain parole adjudications), and seven international field offices.
2 Authorized Refugee Corps staffing refers to the annual number of positions approved by the Agency for adjudication of refugee applications, including supervisory review, but not including positions residing in the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate. Authorized staffing levels take into account a variety of factors such as the volume of work, lifecycle and processing time targets/requirements, and fiscal considerations for the agency’s operating budget.
3 Note that the data for FY 2018 above is slightly lower than previously reported. The numbers have been corrected to remove headquarters refugee officers, managers, and mission support. The FY 2018 data now includes only field-level refugee officers and first-line supervisory refugee officers in the Refugee Corps.
4 Note that the data for FY 2019 above is slightly lower than previously reported. The numbers have been corrected to remove headquarters refugee officers, managers, and mission support. The FY 2019 data now includes only refugee officers and first-line supervisory refugee officers in the Refugee Corps.
5 In FY 2020, the Refugee Affairs Division and the International Operations Division merged to form the International and Refugee Affairs Division (IRAD). The staffing numbers provided represent the total authorized staffing level assigned to IRAD’s Refugee Corps, comprising first-line supervisory and refugee officers within the Refugee Corps, excluding headquarters and managers.
6 Six of the seven circuit rides in FY 2020 were curtailed before completion due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
7 Interview numbers reported in this section reflect initial Form I-590, Registration for Classification as Refugee, and Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Petition following-to-join refugee, interviews conducted by USCIS officers. They do not include re-interviews nor I-730 interviews conducted by Department of State consular officers on behalf of USCIS. Data was extracted from Global and CAMINO on November 22, 2022. Note that the interview data for FY 2018 through FY 2020 are slightly higher than the numbers we previously reported for those years. There are common delays in capturing and cleaning data. Additionally, we periodically refine methodology, resulting in slight numerical variations.
8 Decision numbers reported in this section reflect final Form I-590 decisions adjudicated by USCIS officers.
9 Note that the decision data for FY 2018 through FY 2020 vary slightly from the data in FY2020's previously Reported Refugee Processing Data. There are common delays in capturing and cleaning data. Additionally, we periodically refine methodology, resulting in slight numerical variations.
10 The processing of a refugee case can span across fiscal years. Therefore, USCIS may conduct interviews in a particular fiscal year for refugee cases that USCIS does not approve or deny in that same fiscal year. Data extracted from Global, a USCIS case management system, on November 22, 2022.