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USCIS FYs 2023-2026

LEARNING AGENDA
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M E S S A G E F R O M T H E 

CHIEF EVALUATION OFFICER

I am proud to share the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 

(USCIS) Learning Agenda for fiscal years 2023 to 2026. This Learning 

Agenda will help us to build evidence to better achieve USCIS’ mission 

of upholding America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility 

with fairness, integrity, and respect for all we serve. 

The Learning Agenda is an evidence-building roadmap to enable us to 

achieve our strategic goals and objectives. It outlines priority learning 

questions that we identified in collaboration with stakeholders. These 

questions center on access to the legal immigration system; fair, 

efficient, and humane adjudications; naturalization promotion and 

process improvement; security and integrity in the legal immigration 

system; and investing in the USCIS workforce. When answered, these 

questions about programs, pilots, and policies will help USCIS learn 

how to achieve its strategic goals and objectives more efficiently and 

effectively, better manage enterprise risks, and ultimately fulfill its mission. 

USCIS is committed to evidence-based policymaking in alignment with the Foundations for EvidenceBased Policymaking Act of 2018 (“Evidence Act”) and Department of Homeland Security policy. Evidencebuilding is critical to bridging gaps in knowledge about the complex issues and challenges facing the 

agency, as well as to achieving the agency’s strategic goals and objectives. As such, we have developed 

this Learning Agenda to outline USCIS’ plan to use its evidence-building capabilities to ensure that the 

agency makes sound policy, budgetary, operational, and management decisions. 

Evidence-building in support of the Learning Agenda is already underway. The USCIS workforce has long 

used data and analytics, performance measures, and policy research to make decisions. Over the past 

two years, we have continued building on this success by developing the agency’s program evaluation 

capacity, allowing us to address questions of effectiveness and impact. In answering these questions, we 

will determine where additional evidence is needed so that we continue to answer emerging questions, 

make pressing decisions, and address high-priority functions. These evidence-building efforts will support 

decision-makers at all levels of the agency. 

We look forward to the work ahead to better serve our customers and to strengthen our capabilities by 

building and using evidence in service of our mission to uphold America’s promise as a nation of welcome 

and possibility with fairness, integrity, and respect for all we serve. 

In service, 

Brittany J. Borg

Chief Evaluation Officer
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INTRODUCTION

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for administering the nation’s lawful 

immigration system. USCIS has the responsibility to deliver decisions about immigration service requests 

to individuals while ensuring the security of our nation. The work of USCIS employees makes the 

possibility of the American dream a reality for immigrants, the communities and economies they join, and 

the nation as a whole.

The USCIS Learning Agenda is part of a broader effort across the federal government to incorporate 

evidence into decision-making per the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 

(Evidence Act). It is part of USCIS building a culture of evidence-based decision-making. The Learning 

Agenda will also help USCIS share insights and knowledge with stakeholders, including policymakers, 

researchers, and other government agencies, to advance the understanding of immigration programs and 

policies and inform future research.

The Learning Agenda 

A Learning Agenda is a roadmap that guides an organization’s learning and knowledge generation efforts. 

It is a set of questions that outlines the key knowledge gaps and research needs of an organization or 

program, and how these gaps will be addressed. It is a tool that helps organizations systematically plan 

and prioritize their research and evaluation efforts to support evidence-based decision-making. 

The standards for a Learning Agenda were established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 

M-19-23 and M-21-27 memos. According to these memos, a Learning Agenda should:

1. Be informed by strategic goals and priorities of the organization.

2. Identify priority questions. 

3. Clearly articulate the types of evidence needed to answer the questions.

4. Include specific plans for how evidence will be used to inform decisions.

5. Be updated periodically to reflect changes in the organization’s priorities and emerging 

research needs.
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A priority question, in the context of a Learning Agenda, is a question that is particularly important for the 

organization to answer in order to improve its programs or policies. Priority questions are identified based 

on the strategic goals and priorities of the organization, as well as input from stakeholders and experts. 

These questions are specific, answerable, and have the potential to generate new insights that will inform 

decision-making. By identifying and prioritizing these questions, the organization can focus its research 

and evaluation efforts to maximize their impact. 

For USCIS, the Learning Agenda serves as a strategic tool to help the agency achieve its mission of 

securing America’s promise as a nation of immigrants. The Learning Agenda will be used to identify gaps 

in knowledge and evidence that need to be addressed to improve program and policy outcomes and 

effectiveness. The document is focused on answering priority questions that align with the priorities and 

goals of USCIS published in the FYs 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. These questions can be investigated through 

a range of evidence-building activities such as program evaluations, performance measurement, policy 

analysis, economic analysis, and others.

The Learning Agenda is organized according to the strategic goals and objectives of the FYs 2023-2026 

Strategic Plan. The FYs 2023-2026 Strategic Plan lays out three goals:

1. Strengthen the U.S. Legal Immigration System: Ensure that immigration policies, regulations, 

strategies, processes, and communications support a strong legal immigration system with integrity 

that promotes integration, inclusion, and citizenship;

2. Invest in Our Workforce: Attract, recruit, train, and retain a diverse, flexible, and resilient workforce 

that drives high-quality organizational performance; and

3. Promote Effective and Efficient Management and Stewardship: Enhance organizational capability for 

efficient and effective use, management, and sharing of key resources entrusted to the agency, and 

to evaluate and balance competing demands and priorities to serve the agency’s mission.

The USCIS Learning Agenda directly supports Goal 3 ‘Promote Effective and Efficient Management and 

Stewardship’ by documenting the agency’s priority questions for FYs 2023-2026. Goals 1 and 2 provide the 

framework for USCIS’ priority questions. In the next section, the Learning Agenda priority questions are 

aligned with objectives of Goals 1 and 2. 

USCIS has developed this Learning Agenda to promote the use of evidence to inform policy and program 

decision-making and the effective delivery of the USCIS mission. USCIS will update the Learning Agenda 

annually with new evidence-building activities and new priority questions. Results will be published on the 

USCIS website, and findings will be used to inform policy and program decisions as well as long-term strategy.
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U S C I S L E A R N I N G A G E N D A 

PRIORITY QUESTIONS

A. Access to the Legal Immigration System

Access to the legal immigration system includes immigration policies, regulations, and guidance to 

support and expand legal immigration pathways, improving access to immigration benefits, strengthening 

the asylum system, and effectively supporting the resettlement of refugees. 

Filing

To help all people who need USCIS’ services 

obtain them, USCIS aims to reduce undue barriers 

to access to filing for benefits. USCIS employs 

strategies such as increasing access to e-filing 

while maintaining the availability of paper forms 

to bridge “the digital divide.” 

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities 

about online filing and other efforts aimed at 

reducing the complexity of the filing process and 

increasing access. Priority questions include but 

are not limited to the following:

1.1. Have strategies such as the move to e-filing 

reduced barrier to access for applicants?

1.2. What strategies work to encourage people to 

e-file?

1.3. What is the price sensitivity of potential filers 

to different types of immigration benefits?

1.4. How do fee waivers affect filing behaviors?

Customer Experience

To ensure USCIS is accessible and inclusive in 

the delivery of our services, USCIS will ensure 

that applicants have myriad channels for timely, 

respectful, and meaningful access to assistance. 

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence building activities 

about the USCIS customer experience. Priority 

questions include but are not limited to the 

following:

1.5. How do the drivers of experience 

across dimensions of simplicity, speed, 

transparency, and effectiveness affect 

customer satisfaction? 

1.6. What strategies are effective for improving 

the customer experience?
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Public Awareness 

To increase public awareness about how to apply 

for immigration benefits, USCIS is strengthening 

communication through additional community 

partnerships and communication channels. USCIS 

is also exploring pathways to strengthen and 

implement more consistent engagement with 

stakeholders to both distribute information and 

collect valuable insights and feedback.

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities to 

support increasing public awareness about how to 

apply for immigration benefits. Priority questions 

include but are not limited to the following:

1.7. What indicators, data, and methods can 

USCIS use to understand the effectiveness of 

communications and outreach?

1.8. What strategies are most effective to increase 

public awareness about how to apply for 

immigration benefits?

Humanitarian Programs

USCIS administers several humanitarian programs, 

domestically and abroad, to assist individuals 

seeking protection from persecution or torture, 

survivors of trafficking, domestic violence, or 

other serious crimes, individuals fleeing disasters, 

or other temporary and urgent circumstances. 

USCIS aims to administer these programs 

efficiently while ensuring equity, fairness, and 

integrity in adjudication.

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities 

to support humanitarian programs. Priority 

questions include but are not limited to the 

following:

1.9. How have changes in policy, statute, or 

regulation impacted adjudication process 

timelines for humanitarian programs?

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B. Fair, Efficient, and Humane Adjudication

Fair, efficient, and humane adjudication includes reducing the net pending caseload and processing times 

to a reasonable and sustainable level, improving the efficiency of casework processes, strengthening 

partnerships to inform process improvement and equity and fairness in adjudication, enhancing 

information delivery and the experience of those we serve, and providing sufficient resources for staffing, 

information technology (IT), and infrastructure for high quality performance.

Application Processing

USCIS aims to use all available regulatory, policy, 

and operational tools to reduce backlogs and 

processing times. Examples of this include the 

expansion of premium processing and providing 

timely access to employment authorization 

documents. Identifying and implementing greater 

efficiencies across processes will speed up 

adjudications while ensuring the integrity of the 

legal immigration system.

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities 

to help reduce the backlog and case processing 

times. Priority questions include but are not 

limited to the following:

2.1. What strategies are most effective to reduce 

the backlog and case processing times? 

2.2. What are the drivers of Requests for Evidence 

(RFEs) and what strategies are most effective 

to reduce them? 

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Technology

USCIS continues to strategically deploy technology 

to improve efficiencies and reduce the backlog. 

These improvements will increase the efficiency 

and thoroughness of assessments for eligibility, 

better detect and disrupt fraud, and further 

expand screening for national security risks. 

This will strengthen security, accountability, 

and improve efficiency of administrative tasks 

performed during the adjudicative process. 

Additionally, modernized communications 

equipment and capabilities provide USCIS greater 

flexibility in managing adjudication workflows. 

These improvements enable managers to direct 

resources where needed to conduct interviews 

and other office work that is necessary to 

adjudicate applications and petitions, while 

reducing the risk of human error in important 

integrity processes. USCIS expects that these 

strategies will result in a reduced pending 

caseload, greater efficiency in processing 

applications and petitions, and free-up officer 

capacity that can be re-allocated to where it is 

most needed.

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities 

about leveraging technology to improve 

efficiencies and reduce the backlog. Priority 

questions include but are not limited to the 

following:

2.3. How have recent initiatives to leverage 

technology including the move to e-filing, 

digitization of paper forms, and the use 

of video-facilitated interviews impacted 

processing times, the need for Requests for 

Evidence, decisional outcomes, identification 

of fraud or fraud referrals, and customer and 

employee experiences, when compared to 

traditional processes?
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C. Naturalization Promotion and Process Improvement

Naturalization promotion, and process improvement includes expanding citizenship education 

and promotion efforts through a whole-of-society approach that leverages federal, state, and local 

partnerships and collaboration; reducing undue barriers throughout the naturalization process through 

policy, operational, and other improvements; and ensuring equitable and timely access to naturalization 

by addressing net pending caseload and processing times. USCIS encourages naturalization through 

citizenship education and awareness, by building capacity and expanding partnerships, and by reducing 

undue barriers throughout the naturalization process.

Barriers and Facilitators to Naturalization

In order to develop the best strategies to promote 

naturalization, USCIS must first understand the 

existing barriers and facilitators to naturalization. 

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities to 

encourage naturalization and decrease barriers. 

Priority questions include but are not limited to 

the following:

3.1. What are the characteristics of people who 

naturalize?

3.2. What barriers to naturalization are identified 

in existing literature?

Strategies to Encourage Naturalization

USCIS deploys many strategies to encourage 

naturalization including but not limited to 

partnerships, education, awareness, and 

grantmaking.

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities 

to assess and improve the effectiveness of these 

strategies. Priority questions include but are not 

limited to the following:

3.3. What strategies work to encourage 

naturalization?

3.4. To what extent and in what ways do USCIS’ 

grant programs successfully prepare eligible 

populations for Naturalization?
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D. Security and Integrity in the Legal Immigration System

Security and integrity in the legal immigration system includes developing and enhancing processes and 

systems in the legal immigration system administered by USCIS that identify, resolve and prevent national 

security, public safety, and fraud concerns. USCIS’ work includes identifying and mitigating national 

security, public safety, and fraud concerns during the adjudication process. 

Risk-Based Strategies to Mitigate Fraud

By implementing a risk framework analysis model 

applicable to different form types to evaluate 

historical filings to identify significant trends, 

USCIS strengthens the agency’s capability to 

baseline and predict risk. This enables USCIS to 

focus mitigating measures on vulnerable form 

types where fraud is most frequently found. The 

expected result is strengthened risk management, 

improved data for use in adjudication processes 

and decision-making, and more efficient and 

effective allocation of fraud-prevention resources.

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities to 

assess the effectiveness of risk-based strategies to 

mitigate fraud. Priority questions include but are 

not limited to the following:

4.1. To what extent and in what ways have riskbased anti-fraud strategies achieved their 

desired effects?

Fraud and National Security 

Resolution Processes

Approaches to streamline the resolution process 

for adjudicative determinations will include 

establishing improved criteria, documentation, 

data access, and coordination in fraud and 

national security detection, referral, and 

resolution processes. They will also help ensure 

USCIS officers consider material and actionable 

findings of potential fraud, public safety, and 

national security concerns as they make decisions 

on immigration applications and petitions, with an 

objective to not unnecessarily delay adjudications 

through completion.

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities to 

help strengthen the fraud and national security 

resolution processes. Priority questions include 

but are not limited to the following:

4.2. To what extent and in what ways, have 

changes to filing processes (including 

documentation criteria, data access, and 

coordination) affected fraud and national 

security identification, referral, and 

resolution processes? 
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E. Investing in the USCIS Workforce

The abilities, expertise, and agility of USCIS’ workforce are the foundation of USCIS’ success. To meet the 

ever-growing complexity of today’s challenges and opportunities, USCIS aims to recruit and hire the best 

talent and provide employees the resources and workplace flexibilities they need to thrive and succeed.

Employee Engagement

USCIS aims to increase employee engagement 

by empowering employees to improve work 

processes, involving employees in decisions that 

affect their work, and increasing transparency 

through enhanced leadership communication. 

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities 

to help improve employee engagement. Priority 

questions include but are not limited to the 

following:

5.1. What indicators, data, and methods can 

USCIS use to understand what drives 

employee engagement?

5.2. What strategies are effective for improving 

engagement?

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, 

and Accessibility

USCIS aims to assess existing culture and develop 

and implement plans that embed inclusive 

diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) 

principles into agency decisions and daily mission 

activities.

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities to 

support DEIA strategies. Priority questions include 

but are not limited to the following:

5.3. What indicators, data, methods, tools, and 

frameworks can USCIS use to increase the 

diversity of its workforce and improve equity, 

inclusivity, and accessibility?

5.4. What are the barriers to advancing diversity, 

equity, inclusion, and accessibility at USCIS? 

5.5. What strategies are effective for advancing 

diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility 

at USCIS?
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Training and Development

USCIS is modernizing its training curriculums 

to develop a skilled employee cadre that 

understands our underlying immigration laws, 

policies, and procedures and that can successfully 

interact with the diverse set of customers 

we serve. Through established development 

pathways for leaders, managers, officers, and 

non-officers, USCIS will support its employees 

through continuous learning opportunities that 

will produce quality and consistency in all we do.

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities to 

help improve employee training and development. 

Priority questions include but are not limited to 

the following:

5.6. To what extent and in what ways has the 

transition to online training modalities 

achieved its intended effects or caused 

unintended effects?

Attrition

USCIS aims to reduce employee attrition rates in 

order to retain high-performing employees at all 

levels, while removing barriers to ensure equal 

employment opportunities. 

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities to 

help reduce attrition. Priority questions include 

but are not limited to the following:

5.7. What factors drive employee attrition? Does 

this vary by employee job type, functional 

area, or demographic?

5.8. What strategies are effective for reducing 

employee attrition?

Workplace and Work 

Schedule Flexibilities

Based on guiding principles of employee health 

and safety, mission accomplishment, and 

work-life balance, USCIS will maximize, update, 

and formalize work schedules and workplace 

flexibilities that fit operational needs, that support 

qualified employees at all levels, and that promote 

work life balance and wellness for all employees. 

Priority Questions

USCIS will conduct evidence-building activities to 

help reduce attrition. Priority questions include 

but are not limited to the following:

5.9. What effects has the adoption of maximum 

telework flexibilities had on the USCIS 

mission and support for the USCIS mission? 

What subgroups of the USCIS workforce 

benefit the most/least from telework 

flexibilities? 
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A P P E N D I X A . 

PLANNED EVIDENCE-BUILDING ACTIVITIES

Automation to predict adjudication actions*

Background

The eight million requests for immigration benefits received by USCIS annually arrive unevenly across the 

year, creating surges that challenge the inelasticity of USCIS workforce, facilities, and budgets. USCIS is 

working towards greater transparency in its operations, reductions in application backlogs, and revised 

methods of estimating completion times for all application types. Automating adjudication processes 

across the immigration benefits portfolio would allow USCIS to be more responsive to customer demand. 

These improvements would provide applicants, employers, and communities a much-needed sense 

of economic and social stability. Automation could result in reallocation of resources to more valuable 

workloads, or, for example, prevent need for increasing costs while simultaneously decreasing the length 

of time an applicant waits for their results, thus reducing barriers to immigration. 

USCIS will examine which factors, if any, in the immigration benefit life cycle can be used as the basis of a 

model for predicting case approvals, specifically. An assumption in this research is that denials should be 

handled by humans. The analysis will use only those data which affect the legal evaluation of a case. For 

example, individual characteristics such as country of birth are valid because they are required to know if 

a visa is available for entry, whereas data on race or eye color are not relevant. The evidence-building aims 

to test if currently available data and analytical systems are sufficient to perform the research; thus, no 

new data collection is anticipated.

Estimated Start & Duration: Study will begin in FY23 and last one year.

Strategic Plan:

Goal 1 Strengthen the U.S. Legal Immigration System 

Objective 1.2 Fair, Efficient, and Humane Adjudication 

Additional Information

Priority Question: 2.1 What strategies are most effective to reduce the backlog and case processing times?

Data Sources: Secondary data sources: USCIS administrative data, data including case factors (such as 

preference category or relationship to US sponsor) and contextual factors such as risk indicators (such as 

TECS /National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and other systems hits or known associations with fraud, 

national security, and public safety concerns). No new data collection is anticipated.

Methods/Approach: Foundational fact finding. Analytic approaches may include descriptive and 

inferential statistics, advanced data mining and analytics, and network analysis.

Anticipated Challenges and Limitations

None 

* This project has also been published in the DHS 2022-2026 Learning Agenda, or a DHS Annual Evaluation Plan, all 

available at evaluation.gov
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Citizenship and Integration Grant Program (CIGP): Citizenship Instruction and 

Naturalization Application Services (CINAS) Grant and Community and Regional 

Integration Network Grant (CARING) Program Evaluation*

Background

The goal of the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program (CIGP) is to expand the availability of high-quality 

citizenship preparation services for immigrants across the nation and to provide opportunities for immigrants 

to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate into the fabric of American society. The Citizenship 

Instruction and Naturalization Application Services (CINAS) grant is for public or nonprofit organizations that 

prepare immigrants for citizenship by offering both citizenship instruction and naturalization application 

services. The Community and Regional Integration Network Grant (CARING), (formerly known as the Refugee 

and Asylee Integration Services Program or RAIS) is for organizations that provide extended integration 

services to vulnerable immigrant populations who entered the United States through USCIS’ humanitarian 

programs or benefitted from those programs while already in the United States. These groups often 

experience unique challenges with civic, linguistic, economic, cultural, and institutional integration when 

resettling in the United States, which may impact their progress toward full civic integration.

USCIS plans to conduct a process/implementation evaluation to assess whether the CINAS and CARING 

Program are being implemented as intended, including deviations and root causes of deviations from the 

grant recipient implementation plan, toward identifying challenges with implementation.

Estimated Start & Duration: Study will begin in Q4 FY23 and end in FY25.

Strategic Plan:

Goal 1 Strengthen the U.S. Legal Immigration System 

Objective 1.3 Naturalization Promotion and Process Improvement 

Additional Information

Priority Question: 3.4 To what extent and in what ways do USCIS’ grant programs successfully prepare 

eligible populations for Naturalization?

Data Sources: Primary data sources: USCIS CINAS and CARING program staff, grant recipient staff, and 

CINAS and CARING program participants. 

Secondary data sources: grant recipient administrative/operational data reported to USCIS, which include 

data on grant recipients’ implemented activities, services provided, and individual participants; CINAS 

and CARING program administrative data, including original proposals and required progress reporting; 

and USCIS Electronic Immigration System, USCIS Computer Linked Application Information Management 

System, and Central Index System data, mainly collected in Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent 

Residence or Adjust Status), Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization), and Form G-28 (Notice of Entry of 

Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative).

Methods/Approach: Process/Implementation evaluation of an existing program.

Anticipated Challenges and Limitations

Gaps in data access or quality could be a challenge to conducting the evaluations, particularly surrounding 

the CARING program with a small volume of recipients and participants.
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Characteristics of people who naturalize*

Background

The U.S. immigration system must be responsive to the flow of demand from around the world while 

safeguarding security and prosperity of the Nation. USCIS provides customer-oriented immigration 

benefits and information services at home and abroad that promote rights, responsibilities, and 

importance of citizenship. A seven-agency Interagency Working Group is currently developing a 

comprehensive national strategy to promote naturalization for qualified noncitizens. The intended result 

is more noncitizens lawfully reaching their potential in the U.S. through naturalization. 

On a periodic basis, USCIS reports on characteristics of people who naturalized, describing demographic 

and socio-economic characteristics of lawful permanent residents (LPR) that naturalized in a particular 

timespan (typically, five years). USCIS also reports trends in naturalization rates describing naturalization 

for immigrants who obtained LPR status by immigrant cohort, region and country of birth, and class of 

admission. The statistics produced from this priority question will support future updates and provide 

new information for expanding these reports. 

USCIS plans to conduct statistical analysis to describe group characteristics of people who naturalize and 

a statistical comparison of characteristics and outcomes of different LPR cohorts. An analysis of time-toevent (event being naturalization) will estimate and describe the naturalization-eligible population and 

identify factors that increase probability to naturalize.

Estimated Start & Duration: Study will begin in FY22 and last one year.

Strategic Plan:

Goal 1 Strengthen the U.S. Legal Immigration System 

Objective 1.3 Naturalization Promotion and Process Improvement 

Additional Information

Priority Question: 3.1 What are the characteristics of people who naturalize?

Data Sources: Secondary data sources: USCIS administrative data, Data from the USCIS Electronic 

Immigration System, USCIS Computer Linked Application Information Management System, and Central 

Index System data, mainly collected in I-485 and N-400s forms, provide information on individual, 

socioeconomic, and case characteristics. Individual and socioeconomic characteristics include region 

and country of birth, age, gender, marital status, education attainment, and income. Case characteristics 

includes years in LPR status and class of admission. No new data collection is anticipated.

Methods/Approach: Foundational fact finding. Analytic approaches may include descriptive and 

inferential statistics.

Anticipated Challenges and Limitations

None
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Characteristics of people who online file compared to paper file for 

immigration benefits*

Background

The U.S. immigration system must be responsive to the flow of demand from around the world while 

safeguarding security and prosperity of the Nation. USCIS has established electronic filing procedures for 

a select number of application and petitions for immigration benefits that provides information needed to 

make immigration decisions to appropriate agencies electronically and in real-time, yet only 30-60 percent 

of those applications are filed online. Increasing the proportion of online filers improves public access 

to government information and services, and government efficiency in adjudication of applications and 

petitions for immigration benefits.

USCIS plans to conduct a study involving statistical analysis to describe group characteristics and 

statistical comparison of people who do and do not online file.

Estimated Start & Duration: Study will begin in FY23 and last one year.

Strategic Plan:

Goal 1 Strengthen the U.S. Legal Immigration System 

Objective 1.1 Access to the Legal Immigration System 

Additional Information

Priority Questions:

1.1 Have strategies such as the move to e-filing reduced barrier to access for applicants? 

1.2 What strategies work to encourage people to e-file?

Data Sources: Secondary data sources: USCIS administrative data, such as USCIS Electronic Immigration 

System, USCIS Computer Linked Application Information Management System, and Enterprise Citizenship 

and Immigration Services Centralized Operational Repository (eCISCOR). These existing administrative/ 

operational data contain information on individual and socioeconomic characteristics and application 

or petition type. Individual and socioeconomic characteristics include region and country of birth, age, 

gender, marital status, education, and income. No new data collection is anticipated.

Methods/Approach: Foundational fact finding. Analytic approaches may include descriptive and 

inferential statistics.

Anticipated Challenges and Limitations

None
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E-Verify NextGen Program Evaluation*

Background

E-Verify is a web-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the employment eligibility 

of newly hired employees by electronically matching information provided by employees on Form I-9, 

Employment Eligibility Verification, against records available to the Social Security Administration and the 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Employees and employers complete Form I-9 and employers retain Form I-9 for every person they 

hire. Currently, for employers who are enrolled in E-Verify, a case is created by the employer based on 

the information taken directly from the form. In the proposed enhancement to E-Verify referred to as 

‘NextGen,’ the employer initiates the case and then the employee receives an invitation to securely upload 

their personal data into the system. If the case receives a Tentative Non-Confirmation (mismatch), the 

system generates a notification to the employee, and the employee may choose to resolve the mismatch 

and respond through the secure system. 

These changes are intended to enhance the E-Verify process by allowing the employee to have control of 

their own information, with direct access to E-Verify, rather than relying on the employer to transmit that 

information. The intent is to provide easier, faster, and more accurate results requests for employment 

authorization verification and to improve employer and employee use of the E-Verify system. 

USCIS plans to conduct a formative evaluation of enhancements that will be made to E-Verify as part 

of the demonstration project pilot, to examine outcomes, such as Form I-9 burden, false mismatches, 

mismatch resolution times, and customer experience with and perceptions of the process.

Estimated Start & Duration: Study will begin in FY24 and last for 20 months.

Strategic Plan:

Goal 1 Strengthen the U.S. Legal Immigration System 

Objective 1.2 Fair, Efficient, and Humane Adjudication 

Additional Information

Priority Question: 1.6 What strategies are effective for improving the customer experience?

Data Sources: Primary data sources: employer and employee users. Secondary data sources: E-Verify 

system data.

Methods/Approach: Formative evaluation of a pilot.

Anticipated Challenges and Limitations

Although E-Verify NextGen system data is available and of a good quality, the primary data collection from 

employers and employees using the E-Verify NextGen system might represent some challenges.
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Naturalization Outreach Evaluation*

Background

USCIS estimates that there are 9.1 million people who may be eligible to naturalize that have not taken 

steps to become U.S. citizens. USCIS has not historically conducted outreach with individuals that may 

be eligible to naturalize. USCIS plans to conduct naturalization outreach to the population that may be 

eligible to naturalize and rigorously test the impact of the outreach on individuals filing for naturalization. 

With the outreach, USCIS hopes to increase the likelihood of lawful permanent residents (LPR) applying for 

naturalization and naturalizing.

USCIS plans to conduct a randomized control trial (RCT) (behaviorally informed intervention) to 

identify the effect of direct communication towards Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) on: (1) their 

likelihood of applying for naturalization (i.e., submitting the N-400 form) and (2) submitting an online 

N-400 submission. As a secondary and longer-term outcome, we may examine whether the direct 

communication increases the likelihood of successful naturalization. The primary approach will be to mail 

a letter to LPRs who are likely eligible for naturalization. This letter addresses various behavioral barriers 

by including: a fresh start motivator (framing moments in time as new beginnings), the benefits of US 

citizenship, a checklist of next steps and a social motivator (information on peer behavior).

Estimated Start & Duration: Study will begin in FY23 and last one year.

Strategic Plan:

Goal 1 Strengthen the U.S. Legal Immigration System 

Objective 1.3 Naturalization Promotion and Process Improvement 

Additional Information

Priority Question: 3.3 What strategies work to encourage naturalization?

Data Sources: Secondary data sources: USCIS administrative data such as gathered from USCIS Electronic 

Immigration System, USCIS Computer Linked Application Information Management System, and 

Enterprise Citizenship, Immigration Services Centralized Operational Repository (eCISCOR), and Form AR11 (Alien’s Change of Address Card). No new data collection is anticipated.

Methods/Approach: Experimental impact evaluation of a behaviorally informed intervention.

Anticipated Challenges and Limitations

The study may have implementation challenges associated with accurate address information and 

tracking successfully delivered mail. This could affect the interpretability of the results.
21

Encouraging the use of USCIS’ online services*

Background

The USCIS online account and filing options offer several benefits to customers, including the ability 

to track case status, view personalized processing times (for some forms) for various case milestones 

and overall completion, send a secure message to the USCIS Contact Center, and instantly receive and 

respond to Requests for Evidence online rather than waiting for mail correspondence. This results in faster 

processing times for Requests for Evidence to support a case decision. The use of online services also 

reduces costs and burdens on the agency.

A priority for USCIS is increasing the number of customers who use these online services. Customers may 

underutilize online tools for a variety of reasons, including a lack of awareness that they exist, a (mis)

belief that such tools are not secure, or a perception that online tools are complicated or cumbersome. For 

example, only around 60 percent of those who file to replace or renew their green card do so online.

The planned study is an impact evaluation of a behaviorally informed intervention to identify the effect of 

different messages on the likelihood of using online services.

Estimated Start & Duration: : Study will begin in FY23 and last one year.

Strategic Plan:

Goal 1 Strengthen the U.S. Legal Immigration System 

Objective 1.1 Access to the Legal Immigration System 

Additional Information

Priority Question: 1.2 What strategies work to encourage people to e-file? 

Data Sources: Secondary data sources: USCIS administrative data, such as gathered in Form I-485 

(Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) and Form I-90, and managed in USCIS 

Electronic Immigration System, USCIS Computer Linked Application Information Management System, 

and Enterprise Citizenship and Immigration Services Centralized Operational Repository. No new data 

collection is anticipated.

Methods/Approach: Experimental impact evaluation of a behaviorally informed intervention.

Anticipated Challenges and Limitations

The findings may have limited generalizability. The findings of the study cannot be applied or used to 

make decisions related to other USCIS programs, due to the narrow scope of the evaluation.
22

Variability in USCIS utilization and completion rates at USCIS field offices*

Background

USCIS adjudicates about eight million requests for immigration benefits a year, and variability exists 

across adjudicative staff, at USCIS field offices and Service Centers, and across workload streams. USCIS 

regularly assesses adjudication efficiency metrics such as the utilization rate (the percentage of officer 

work time devoted to adjudication) and completion rate (the time it takes to adjudicate each benefit 

type, on average). This information is critical for determining optimal agency staffing, staffing needed to 

address the backlog, and new or changing workloads.

USCIS plans to conduct statistical analysis of benefit adjudication to include a comparison of utilization 

and completion rates across adjudicative staff and field offices by application/petition form types. 

Adjudication milestones and workload effort will also be reviewed to understand variation in efficiency 

metrics and correlation with other operational factors that may affect these rates.

Estimated Start & Duration: Study will begin in FY23 and last one year.

Strategic Plan:

Goal 1 Strengthen the U.S. Legal Immigration System

Objective 1.2 Fair, Efficient, and Humane Adjudication 

Additional Information

Priority Question: 2.1 What strategies are most effective to reduce the backlog and case processing times?

Data Sources: Secondary data sources: USCIS administrative data, from the USCIS Electronic Immigration 

System, USCIS Computer Linked Application Information Management System, and eSTAT. Policy, 

guidance, and other information will be gathered and reviewed as needed to identify relevant operational 

factors, such as individual-level data entry practices or office-level management practices that may be 

needed to fully understand sources of variability. No new data collection is anticipated.

Methods/Approach: Foundational Fact Finding. Analytic approaches may include descriptive and 

inferential statistics and advanced data mining and analytics.

Anticipated Challenges and Limitations

Data collection and quality may be limited based on existing systems.