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Release Date 

08/01/2025

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual that will enhance the capability to screen and vet family-based immigrant visa petitions. This update explains requirements and adjudication of these petitions, including eligibility criteria, filing, interviews, and decisions.

Written testimony of USCIS Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Associate Director Joseph Langlois for a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security hearing titled “Border Security Oversight, Part III: Examining Asylum Requests” Release Date: July 17, 2013

2247 Rayburn House Office Building

This policy memorandum (PM) provides guidance for properly assigning priority dates in those instances where a petitioner requests that the priority date from a separate, previously filed petition, be applied to a later filed family-based second-preference “B” petition (F2B) or seeks adjustment of status in the F2B category, based upon an originally-filed family-based second-preference “A” petition (F2A) pursuant to Public Law 107-208, the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA).

What does Refugee, Asylum and International Operations (RAIO) do?

They are responsible for:

• Conducting protection screenings;
• Adjudicating asylum and refugee applications; and
• Adjudicating other immigration benefits both domestically and internationally.

RAIO is vigilant about fraud detection and national security, relying on careful vetting, innovative screening mechanisms, and sound adjudication.