Humanitarian, Adjustment, Removing 

Conditions and Travel Documents (HART)

Service Center

National Engagement

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

March 27, 2024
REMINDERS

• If you are a member of the media, please email media@uscis.dhs.gov.

• If you are a congressional staffer, please email 

USCISCongressionalInquiries@uscis.dhs.gov.

• This engagement is not being recorded.

• Electronic Reading Room: uscis.gov/records/electronic-reading-room.

• Submit written questions through the Q&A box on the right side of your 

screen.
USCIS SPEAKERS

• Connie Nolan, Associate Director, Service 

Center Operations (SCOPS)

• Tracey Parsons, Senior Advisor, SCOPS

• Jonathan Micale, Acting Director, HART

• Laurie Goudge, Acting Deputy Director, HART

• Jennifer Mickey, Chief of Staff, HART
OVERVIEW

4

• The HART Service Center is the 6th Service Center within Service Center 

Operations and has been adjudicating since January 29, 2023

• 100% virtual Service Center

• No geographical location

• Across multiple time zones

• Uses existing Service Centers for support with a hybrid approach

• Allocated positions increased from 480 to 481 with the addition of a 

permanent Chief of Staff
OVERVIEW (cont.) 

5

Currently, the HART Service Center exclusively processes the following case 

types:

• Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, 

based on Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

• Form I-601A, Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver

• Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition (Follow-to-Join Asylee)

• Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status, Bona Fide Determination
First Year Accomplishments

Staffing

• The HART Service Center reached its 60-85% staffing goal for FY 2023.

• In its first year, the HART Service Center fully onboarded 379 employees, 

with an additional 34 awaiting start dates.

• Staffing level is 86%. The remaining 14% are in various stages of the hiring 

process.

• We anticipate reaching our FY 2024 goal of being 95-98% staffed before the 

end of the fiscal year.
First Year Accomplishments

Training

• 322 employees have completed training related to HART operations, 

including 251 officers.

• In addition to form type training, other applicable training may include 

(but is not limited to):

o Victimization Awareness;

o Special Confidentiality Protections; and

o Secondary Trauma.
First Year Accomplishments

Training (cont.) 

• BASIC Academy

o 65 HART Service Center officers have attended USCIS 

BASIC Academy or are currently attending BASIC.

o 53 additional officers are scheduled to attend in the next 

several weeks.
First Year Accomplishments

Processing Times

Form January 2023 Processing Time January 2024 Processing Time

I-360, VAWA 32.5 months 37 months

I-601A 39.9 months 43.5 months

I-730, FTJ-A 36.8 months 29 months

I-918 BFD 59.5 months 64.5 months

Find historical processing time data by form type and fiscal year on our 

website at uscis.gov/processing-times/historic-pt



I-730 FTJ- Asylee Trends

• The Form I-730 adjudication is complex from an operational perspective 

because multiple USCIS directorates share this workload.

• The Texas Service Center intakes all Form I-730 on behalf of the Agency, 

but SCOPS-HART only adjudicates the I-730 Follow-to-Join Asylee 

workload.

• HART and TSC expend numerous hours prepping other Form I-730 

categories before they are shipped elsewhere for adjudication.

• Successful backlog reduction initiative last summer reduced the HART 

Service Center's pending over 90-day backlog and allowed us to add 

resources to the Form I-601A workload.

First Year Accomplishments

Outreach

• Supported over two dozen external engagement 

opportunities related to the stand-up of the HART Service 

Center.

• We will continue to support national engagements and other 

opportunities.

• Continue to build our culture to ensure a quality workplace.

15
RESOURCES

Find historical processing time data by form type and fiscal year on our website 

at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/historic-pt

Service Center Operations: uscis.gov/about-us/organization/directorates-andprogram-offices/service-center-operations-directorate

Inquiry Process: uscis.gov/about-us/contact-us

Check Case Status: egov.uscis.gov/

Lockbox and Service Center Filing Location Updates: uscis.gov/forms/lockbox-andservice-center-filing-location-updates
CONCLUDING REMARKS

• For additional questions, please email 

public.engagement@uscis.dhs.gov. 

• For more information on our national engagements, visit 

uscis.gov/outreach.

• Follow us on X(formerly (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and 

LinkedIn.

17
DISSEMINATION

This presentation may not be reproduced or further 

disseminated without the express written consent of USCIS.
DISCLAIMER

This presentation is not intended to, does not, and may not 

be relied upon to create or confer any right(s) or benefit(s), 

substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by any 

individual or other party in benefit requests before USCIS, 

in removal proceedings, in litigation with the United States, 

or in any other form or manner. This presentation does not 

have the force of law, or of a DHS directive.
ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION

• Author: USCIS

• Date of last revision: 03/27/2024

• This presentation contains no sensitive Personally 

Identifiable Information (PII).