SUPPORTING STATEMENT
The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
(CIS Ombudsman)
Request for Case Assistance Form
(DHS Form 7001)
OMB No. 1601-0004
Justification:
The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) was created under section 452 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) to: (1) assist individuals and employers in resolving problems with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); (2) to identify areas in which individuals and employers have problems in dealing with USCIS; and (3) to the extent possible, propose changes in the administrative practices of USCIS to mitigate problems. This form is used by individuals and employers who are experiencing problems with USCIS during the processing of immigration benefits.
The information collected on this form will allow the CIS Ombudsman to identify the problem problems encountered by individuals seeking immigration benefits, such as: (1) a case problem which is a request for information about a case that was filed with USCIS (“case problem”); or (2) the identification of a systemic issue that may or may not pertain to an individual case which the individual, attorney or employer is seeking to bring to the attention of the CIS Ombudsman (“trend”). For case problems, the CIS Ombudsman will refer case specific issues to the Customer Assistance Office for USCIS for further research, and review. For trends received, the CIS Ombudsman notes the systemic issue identified in the correspondence which may or may not be incorporated into future recommendations submitted to the Director of USCIS pursuant to section 452(d)(4) of Public Law 107-296.
The CIS Ombudsman collects and processes requests for case assistance electronically through the website at http://www.dhs.gov/case-assistance.
A review of the DHS Forms Inventory Report revealed no duplication of effort, and there is no other similar information currently available that can be used for this purpose.
This information collection does not have an impact on small businesses or other small entities.
If this information is not collected, the CIS Ombudsman will not be able to assist individuals and employers experiencing problems during the processing of an immigration benefit with USCIS.
The special circumstances contained in item 7 of the supporting statement are not applicable to this information collection.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register on December 16, 2021 at 90FR 12171 and a 30-day notice on March 4, 2022 at 90 FR 46231 requesting comments from the public.
The CIS Ombudsman does not provide payments or gifts to respondents in exchange for a benefit sought, nor does it charge a fee for providing case assistance services.
The CIS Ombudsman follows fundamental ombudsman principles, such as confidentiality, neutrality, and independence while undertaking its statutory mission.
Form 7001 and the related CAADI System are covered by the following privacy compliance documentation:
Privacy Impact Assessment: DHS/CISOMB/PIA-001 – Ombudsman Case Assistance Analytic Data Integration System
System of Records Notice: DHS/CISOMB-001 Case Assistance Analytics and Data Integration (CAADI) System, November 26, 2021,86 FR 59408.
There are no questions of a sensitive nature.
Annual Reporting Burden:
a. Number of Respondents 18,000
b. Number of Responses 1
c. Total Annual Responses 18,000
d. Hours per Response 1
e. Total Annual Reporting Burden 18,000
The projected hours per response for this collection of information were derived by first breaking the process into three basic components:
Learning about the law and the form: 20 Minutes
Completing the form: 30 Minutes
Assembling and filing the form: 10 Minutes
Total Hours per Response 1 Hour
Total annual reporting burden of 18,000 hours was derived by averaging the total number of forms received during Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021. Case assistance requests fluctuate from year to year due to various reasons and are difficult to predict.
There are no capital or start-up costs associated with this information collection. Any cost burden to respondents as a result of this collection are identified in question 14.
Annualized Cost Analysis:
Printing Cost $ 0
Collecting and Processing $1,231,200
Total Cost to Program $1,231,200
Fee Charge $ 0
Total Annual Cost to Government $ 1,231,200
Government cost: This figure is calculated by multiplying the estimated number of respondents 18,000 x 1-hour (1.0) (time required to collect and process information) x $68.40 (suggested average hourly rate for clerical, officer, and supervisory time with benefits is based on GS-7 median hourly pay rate from the 2021 OPM Federal GS Salary Table https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/21Tables/html/GS_h.aspx of $48.86 ($20.76 per hour and $28.10 for clerical, officer, and supervisory time). The government pay rates are not fully loaded for benefits and overhead. Benefits for a fully loaded wage rate = $68.40 [$48.86 (median hourly rate) x 1.4 benefit multiplier = $68.40/hour]. This multiplier was derived from the May 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (bls.gov). Note: the estimated overhead cost for printing, stocking, and distributing the form which was $2,500 is now $0 as respondents can now download the PDF form for free or use the online system to submit their information.
Reasons for changes or adjustments in burden.
There are no changes being proposed to the information being collected. There is no change to the burden associated with this collection.
CIS Ombudsman does not intend to employ the use of statistics or the publication thereof for this collection of information.
CIS Ombudsman will display the expiration date for OMB approval of this information collection.
CIS Ombudsman does not request an exception to the certification of this information collection.
This ICR does not contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | PRA Supplemental Information |
| Subject | DHS Form 7001 |
| Author | rgm |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-10-01 |