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The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 has updated its phone-tree system. This summary of how to use the system draws on helpful practice tips from the Contact Center’s webpage and AILA Doc. No. 19101631 (Jan. 10, 2022) (subscription only).
Before calling the Contact Center, check for the availability of USCIS self-help tools at www.uscis.gov/tools or https://my.uscis.gov.
The USCIS Contact Center uses an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system that a caller must use before reaching live help.
Live help from a USCIS representative is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, except on federal holidays. Three will be a wait time on hold. Shortest wait times are earlier in the day and earlier in the week.
The live help you will reach is a “Tier 1” USCIS contractor. The contractor should tell you the “service item number,” which is like the tracking number for your inquiry. If they cannot help you immediately, they will determine the urgency of the inquiry and will escalate it as either “urgent” or “regular”.
If the Contact Center responds by email, the sender will be no-reply@uscis.dhs.gov.
Or USCIS may schedule a call-back. Urgent inquiries will receive a call-back or email from a “Tier 2” officer within 72 hours (Monday thru Friday), while regular inquiries will receive a call-back within 30 business days. You should receive a text message or email one or two days before the call. When an officer calls, the number that may appear in the caller ID is 202-838-2200, or “unknown.” If the caller ID is “unknown,” the USCIS officer will confirm the service item number issued to you at the time of initial contact with USCIS.
Call-backs will be made between 7:00 a.m. to 6:30pm (EST). If the first call is missed, the USCIS officer will attempt a second call. Unfortunately, if both return calls are missed, you may need to make a new inquiry to the USCIS Contact Center.
General Tips
- USCIS will speak only with the applicant, petitioner, or attorney of record.
- Overseas callers will need a U.S. telephone number where they can personally receive a callback from the officer. Officers cannot call overseas telephone numbers.
- Officers cannot call phone numbers with extensions.
- Add the above email address to your email contacts so that the officer’s email doesn’t go to a spam folder.
- Our law firm asks that clients coordinate with us regarding any contacts with USCIS. We can contact USCIS for you. Or, if you contact USCIS, please write a log of each call placed to the USCIS Contact Center and share your log with our firm. The log should include the phone number used when calling, the time (zone) of the call, name and agent ID number, and the service item #.
Tips for Requesting an InfoPass Appointment
An “Infopass” appointment is needed for (a) an emergency request for advance parole for travel; or (b) for a permanent resident with no evidence of their status to get an I-551 (ADIT) stamp in their passport to serve as evidence of such status.
Tips for Requesting an Expedite (Adjudication or Biometrics)
Tips for Rescheduling an Interview or Biometrics
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