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NAVADMIN 290/19

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MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/DEC//

SUBJ//UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES INTERNATIONAL OFFICE 
CLOSURES//

REF/A/WWW.USCIS.GOV/ABOUT-US/FIND-USCIS-OFFICE/INTERNATIONAL-
IMMIGRATION-OFFICES//
AMPN/REF A IS THE UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES
(USCIS) WEBSITE, WHICH CONTAINS UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION CONCERNING 
INTERNATIONAL IMMIGRATION OFFICE CLOSURES.//

RMKS/1.  This NAVADMIN announces the closure of multiple United States 
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) international offices as 
announced by the USCIS in September 2019.  These closures directly impact 
Sailors and their non-US citizen family members requiring USCIS assistance 
outside the continental U.S.

2.  USCIS has closed four offices and plans to close thirteen additional 
offices by 31 July 2020.  Reference (a) contains the most up-to-date 
information concerning USCIS international office closures.  Although many 
overseas USCIS offices will close, USCIS will continue to support the 
immigration and naturalization needs of Service Members and their eligible 
family members as detailed below.

3.  USCIS will issue current applicants with pending overseas applications, 
Form I-797C Notice of Action notifying them that their cases were transferred 
to USCIS offices in Washington, D.C. or Guam.  The Form I-797C will identify 
the case transfer location, date of transfer and other information about the 
status of pending applications, including notices of receipt, rejections, re-
openings, rescheduling and appointments for fingerprinting, biometrics 
capture and interviews.

4.  For Service Member immigration support, USCIS will conduct quarterly on-
site visits to meet with Service Members and their families at four overseas 
military installations:  Camp Humphreys, South Korea, United States Fleet 
Activities Yokosuka, Japan, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, Germany and Naval 
Support Activity Naples, Italy.  USCIS began its quarterly visits to Camp 
Humphreys and Yokosuka in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2020 (FY-20).  
USCIS plans to begin its quarterly visits to Stuttgart and Naples in the 
second quarter of FY-20.  Exact dates TBD.

5.  This issue impacts military readiness.  Commanders and commanding 
officers are directed to:
    a.  Provide Sailors and their family members the maximum command support 
practicable to ensure their presence at required in-person visits to USCIS 
designated on-site locations.
    b.  Encourage Sailors who gain a foreign national family member through 
marriage, birth or adoption during an overseas tour of duty to submit 
immigration applications before their overseas tour ends to help ensure their 
family member is eligible to legally enter the U.S.
    c.  Advise Sailors stationed overseas in receipt of orders for stateside 
assignments that, if they have not previously done so, they must obtain USCIS 
approval for their family member(s) to enter the U.S. as immigrants.  
Specifically, Sailors should be encouraged to file a Form I-130 Petition for 
Alien Relative concurrent with enrollment of a dependent into the Defense 
Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System.  Failure to do so may prevent a 
family member from accompanying the Sailor to the U.S. at the end of the 
overseas tour of duty.
    d.  Encourage non-citizen Sailors seeking U.S. citizenship to begin the 
naturalization process as soon as possible prior to leaving the U.S. for an 
overseas assignment or deployment.  Ensure Sailors stationed in the U.S. who 
are selected for overseas assignments are aware that non-citizen family 
members may not be able to accompany them or travel to overseas assignment 
locations if the family member(s) have not completed USCIS requirements prior 
to departure.
    e.  Advise Sailors with overseas orders or pending deployment to expedite 
the naturalization process by including a cover page with their application 
stating, I am deploying overseas.

6.  For more information regarding USCIS office closures and helpful steps to 
simplify USCIS processing, please visit
www.jag.navy.mil/organization/documents/immigration_advisory_3-

19.pdf.  Questions concerning USCIS international office closures should be 
directed to the nearest Region Legal Service Office (RLSO).  A RLSO locator 
is available at www.jag.navy.mil.
Additionally, applicants can obtain case-specific information by calling the 
USCIS Military Help Line at (877) CIS-4MIL (877) 247- 4645, TTY (800) 877-
8339, or via e-mail at miltaryinfo@uscis.dhs.gov.  E-mail is the 
recommended method of contact for ease of communications and applicant record 
keeping.

7.  Points of contact.  The Legal Assistance Division, Office of the Judge 
Advocate General (Code 16) retains oversight responsibility for the U.S. Navy 
Naturalization Program.  Advice and assistance regarding naturalization laws, 
regulations and procedures are available at (202) 685-4639/DSN 325 or via e-
mail at kathlene.somerville@navy.mil.

8.  This NAVADMIN will remain in effect until superseded or canceled, or 
whichever occurs first.

9.  Released by Vice Admiral John B. Nowell, Jr, N1.//

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