§271 Establishment of Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services

Summary

Creates the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services inside the Department. The Bureau will be led by a Director who must report to the Deputy Secretary, have at least 5 years of management experience, and be paid at the same level as the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Border Security. The Director must set and run immigration services policies, watch over how they are carried out, warn the Deputy Secretary about policies that might affect the Bureau of Border Security, set national priorities, meet regularly with the Ombudsman to fix big service problems, and formally reply to the Ombudsman’s annual report within 3 months. Within 1 year after the law’s effective date, the Director must start a rotation program so supervisors at GS‑14 or higher gain experience in major bureau functions and work in at least one field office and one service center; the Secretary must report to Congress on that program within 2 years. The Director may run pilot projects (including adding or moving staff and cutting red tape) to clear and prevent backlogs in processing applications (under 8 U.S.C. 1573(a)). The law transfers from the old Immigration and Naturalization Service all adjudication work, staff, facilities, and funding for visa, naturalization, asylum/refugee, service‑center, and other INS adjudications that existed before the effective date. The Bureau must have a Chief of Policy and Strategy to research and recommend policy and coordinate with the Border Security policy chief; a principal legal advisor to give legal advice and represent the Bureau in visa petition appeals; a Budget Officer to prepare and run the Bureau’s budget and collect fees and fines; and a Chief of the Office of Citizenship to promote citizenship education and materials for people seeking naturalization.