CIGP Outcome Evaluation Grant Recipient Staff Web Survey

Outcome Evaluation: Grant Recipient Staff Web Survey

Introduction

The purpose of this survey is to learn more about U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Citizenship and Integration Grant Program (CIGP): [Citizenship Instruction and Naturalization Application Services (CINAS) the Refugee and Asylee Assimilation Program (RAAP), and the Refugee and Asylee Immigration Services (RAIS)]. Our records indicate that your organization received a [CINAS, RAAP, or RAIS] grant. Your site is included in this program evaluation. We will ask you questions about your experiences for grants awarded in fiscal years (FY) 2018 to 2021. For consistency of data collection, please focus on the experiences during those grant periods only, even if you participated before or are currently a CIGP grant recipient. We would appreciate your thoughtful and candid responses to this important survey. Your participation is voluntary, and your responses will have no impact on any pending interactions your organization has with USCIS. USCIS and Optimal Solutions Group, LLC will maintain the confidentiality of your responses, as applicable by law. No individual or organization responses will be identified in the final report.

The Office of Management and Budget Control authorized this survey under OMB Survey control number 1615-NEW, which expires [MM-DD-YYYY]. For more details on OMB authorization, please visit the following website.

DHS Privacy Notice

AUTHORITIES: USCIS is collecting the information requested on this survey, and the associated evidence, under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) sections 8 U.S.C. § 1443(h) (section 332(h)), Section 538 of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2016 (Pub. L. No. 114-113), Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (‘Evidence Act’), (Pub. L. No. 115-435, 132 Stat.5529), Program Management Improvement Accountability Act of 2016 (PMIAA), (Pub. L. No. 114-264, 130 Stat. 1371), Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), (Pub. L. No. 103-62, 107 Stat. 285), and Government Performance and Results Act Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA), (Pub. L. No. 111-352, 124 Stat. 3866).

PURPOSE: The primary purpose for providing the requested information on this survey is to assess the degree to which USCIS programs are meeting their overall goal of integrating immigrants and refugees into American society. The study encompasses data collection of program participants (refugees and lawful permanent residents who enrolled in a program offered by one of the grantees between FY 2018 and FY 2021) using two mechanisms: surveys and virtual interviews of program participants and consists of two evaluations: implementation of the grant programs and outcomes from the grant programs. The implementation evaluation will seek to examine the overall structure, offerings, and suitability of the programs for meeting their stated goals of citizenship and English language instruction, naturalization eligibility screenings, and integration. The outcome evaluation will seek to assess the degree to which the grant programs facilitated participants’ ability to integrate into society and obtain citizenship.

ROUTINE USES: DHS may, where allowable under relevant confidentiality provisions, share the information you provide on this survey and any additional requested evidence with other Federal, state, local, and foreign government agencies and authorized organizations. DHS follows approved routine uses described in the associated published system of records notices [DHS/ALL-002 DHS Mailing and Other Lists System and DHS/USCIS/ICE/CBP-001 - Alien File, Index, and National File Tracking System] and the published privacy impact assessments [DHS/USCIS/PIA-056 USCIS Electronic Immigration System, DHS/USCIS/PIA-066 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program, DHS/ALL/PIA-069 DHS Surveys, Interviews, and Focus Groups, and DHS/USCIS/PIA-089 USCIS Outreach and Engagement Program ] which you can find at www.dhs.gov/privacy. DHS may also share this information, as appropriate, for law enforcement purposes or in the interest of national security.

DISCLOSURE: The information you provide is voluntary. However, failure to provide the requested information, and any requested evidence, may prevent USCIS from assessing the degree to which these programs are meeting their overall goal of integrating immigrants and refugees into American society.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

An agency may not conduct or sponsor an information collection and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at 20 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, completing, and submitting the form.  Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Evaluation Branch, 5900 Capital Gateway Drive, Mail Stop # 2130, Camp Springs, MD 20588-0009. OMB No. 1615-NEW.  Do not return the completed form to this address.

1. Please confirm whether your organization was a recipient of a [CINAS, RAAP, or RAIS] grant awarded in FY 2018-2021.

• YES

• NO (skip out of the survey)

CIGP Program Outcomes

2. How effective do you think the activities and services provided by your organization were in helping program participants achieve the following outcomes?

	Ineffective	Somewhat effective	Very effective	NA Not Conducted
Increase participant motivation to become a U.S. citizen
Increase participant English language proficiency
Increase participant civics knowledge
Increase participant knowledge of the naturalization process
Participants complete the naturalization application process
Participants pass the naturalization test
Participants were provided access to additional assistance services
Participants become naturalized citizens
Participants become more engaged in U.S. society and culture
Other activities and services, please specify _____________

3. For conducting or scheduling program activities, what impact, if any, did the following activities have on participant outcomes?

	No Impact	Minor Impact	Major Impact	Not applicable
Ensured that services are in (or close to) the neighborhoods where people being reached by your organization reside
Ensured that services are easily accessible by public transportation
Ensured that services are available during evenings and weekends
Ensured that services are available virtually
Provided accommodation for people with disabilities

4. Thinking about activities that your organization did to ensure that your services were reaching the intended populations, what impact, if any, did the following activities have on participant outcomes?

	No Impact	Minor Impact	Major Impact	Not applicable
Adapting to the shifting demographic composition of the program’s service area (race, ethnicity, primary language spoken, gender, etc.)
Hiring staff reflective of the changing needs of your service area (ethnicity, race, language capabilities, etc.)
Considering clients’ culture, race, ethnicity, language, and other factors in developing and implementing outreach and support services
Monitoring client service satisfaction
Engaging at various levels of the community (for example, residents, leaders, organizations) to develop and implement outreach and assistance services
Other activities, please specify ___________

5. In your opinion, what were the most important factors impacting naturalization outcomes for program participants at your organization? Choose the three most important factors.

• Conducting English language assessment (including pre- and post- testing tests at the beginning to ensure participants are ready)

• Flexible scheduling of programming

• Staff cultural awareness/competency

• Staff foreign language capacity

• Participant English language capacity

• Proximity of instruction services to target community

• Well-trained staff

• Family/community support for participants

• USCIS scheduling (for example, naturalization interview occurred before class completion)

• Participant motivation and willingness to complete the naturalization process

• Other factors, please specify _________________

6. What impact, if any, did support provided by USCIS for [CINAS, RAAP, or RAIS] services have on participant naturalization?

Grantee supports	No impact	Minor impact	Major Impact	Not applicable
Communication with USCIS program officer
USCIS program officer provided technical assistance (including webinars and training)
USCIS program officer provided materials
Other support provided by USCIS, please specify _________________

7. What recommendations do you have for improving [CINAS, RAAP, or RAIS] services and activities to increase participants’ naturalization outcomes?