Department of Homeland Security Privacy Impact Assessement Update: Customer Relationship Interface System

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Privacy Impact Assessment Update
for the

Customer Relationship Interface System
(CRIS)
DHS/USCIS/PIA-019(b)
August 15, 2013
Contact Point
Donald K. Hawkins
Privacy Officer
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
(202) 272-8000
Reviewing Official
Jonathan R. Cantor
Acting Chief Privacy Officer
Department of Homeland Security
(202) 343-1717

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USCIS, CRIS Update
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Abstract
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) United States Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) is updating the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the Customer Relationship
Interface System (CRIS). 1 CRIS provides USCIS customers access to the status of their applications and
petitions for immigration benefits and processing time information. The purpose of this update is to
provide notice regarding e-Request, a new service that allows customers to create a service request via
www.uscis.gov, and to update the description of Case Status Service Online (CSSO). USCIS is
publishing this update because these modifications affect the collection, use, and storage of personally
identifiable information (PII).

Introduction
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) United States Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) administers online services to provide greater accessibility to immigration-related
information in an effort to improve the overall experience of its customers and promote transparency.
USCIS offers a variety of services designed to expand customer access to pending case status
information. Customers who wish to check on the status of a pending benefit are able to access this
information over the Internet. USCIS implemented Customer Relationship Interface System (CRIS) to
provide customers with accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information about their pending cases.
CRIS is a web-based application that provides specific information to USCIS staff internally
through the Intranet and to customers through the Internet. There are four components to CRIS:
Customer Interface
1. Case Status Service Online (CSSO) provides status updates on pending immigration benefits
applications and petitions to USCIS customers and their representatives.
2. Change of Address Online (CoA) allows a customer to meet the federally-mandated
requirement that non-US citizens notify USCIS of any change of address by electronically
submitting their Form AR-11, Alien's Change of Address Card.
USCIS Personnel Interface
3. Customer Service Gateway displays the appropriate scripts for answering a customer’s question
on the customer service representative’s screen. These scripts assist call center support staff in
explaining laws, regulations, and information about USCIS forms in response to customer
questions.
4. Service Request Management Tool (SRMT) allows USCIS Customer Service staff to create
service requests and direct them to Service Centers, local Field Offices, and Asylum Offices
where the customer's application or petition is in process. Previous service requests could only be
called into the USCIS National Customer Service Center (NCSC) and documented in SRMT by
1

The DHS/USCIS/PIA-019 CRIS PIA, December 4, 2008, and DHS/USCIS/PIA-019(a) – CRIS Update, September
22, 2009, are available at www.dhs.gov/privacy.

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USCIS call center personnel. DHS USCIS is updating the existing DHS/USCIS/PIA-019 CRIS
PIA, first published on December 4, 2008, to describe e-Request, a new online inquiry tool that
allows customers to create an electronic service request about pending cases via www.uscis.gov,
and an additional collection of tracking information in CSSO.

Reason for the PIA Update
The purpose of this update is to describe e-Request, a new customer module, and to update the description
of CSSO to include the process of tracking information in order to provide greater case accessibility.
e-Request Enhancement
CRIS added e-Request, an Internet interface open to the public for use in SRMT that allows
customers to initiate service requests online for certain applications and petitions. Service requests were
previously called into the USCIS NCSC and documented in SRMT by USCIS call center personnel. eRequest allows a customer to place an electronic service request with USCIS to: (1) inquire about the
status of his or her application or petition, if it is outside of the normal processing time; or (2) notify
USCIS about an administrative error in a notice or document that he or she received from USCIS.
Customers may inquire about any form that has surpassed posted processing times 2, or when an
anticipated Application Support Center (ASC) appointment notice or other notice is pending. 3 Customers
may also submit a service request for a notice received from a Service Center with a typographical error.
Customer Interface
Customers are able to submit an online service request on a specific issue directly to USCIS
through e-Request. Service requests are inquires made by customers that cannot be immediately
answered and require resolution by a USCIS service center or local office.
Typical issues include typographical errors on his or her immigration benefit documents, the
non-receipt of information, change of beneficiary information, and cases not processed within USCIS
stated processing times. 4 Customers may use this tool to request the status of a pending benefit rather
than calling the toll-free number or making an InfoPass appointment with the local office to obtain the
same information. 5 These requests generate high call volumes for relatively simple issues. e-Request
reduces call volumes by allowing the customer to report an issue online and allows USCIS to more
efficiently allocate its resources to address customer issues.

2

USCIS has very specific processing goals for each type of application or petition. Processing times are an estimate
of how long it will take to process a case from start to finish. Average processing times for all applications are
posted at www.uscis.gov.
3
Application Support Centers, often called ASCs, offer fingerprinting services, usually after filing.
ASCs provide fingerprinting services to support an application for an immigration benefit based on an appointment.
Customers are notified about an ASC appointment by mail and should wait to receive the notice.
4 Examples of typographical errors may include misspelled or incorrect name, address, date of birth, country of
birth, and A-Number.
5
InfoPass is an appointment system that allows the public to schedule in-person meetings with U.S. immigration
officers at USCIS offices nationwide. Please see DHS/USCIS/PIA-046 Customer Scheduling and Services for more
information, available at http://www.dhs.gov/privacy.

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e-Request is available to customers through www.uscis.gov. To file an online service request,
USCIS requires the customer to provide the following case information: receipt number 6, form number,
form type, date filed, and mailing zip code. e-Request validates the initial information provided by the
customer against the data present in the customer’s current database file in CRIS to determine if the
customer’s case is within or outside the normal processing times. Eligible customers then enter limited
biographic, case filing, and contact information to complete the service request. e-Request collects the
individual’s name, date of birth, country of birth, country of citizenship, Alien Number (A-Number),
filing date, the zip code, and customer contact information, such as email address, mailing address, or
phone number to complete the service request. e-Request then generates a confirmation notice containing
a system-generated confirmation number and message indicating that USCIS intends to respond within 30
days of the request filing date.7 If the customer already placed an online service request with USCIS, the
system advises the customer to wait 30 days to contact USCIS to create another inquiry. Generally,
USCIS responds to all requests within 30 days.

USCIS Personnel Interface
e-Requests then electronically forwards and assigns the online service request to the appropriate
USCIS local office within SRMT. 8 SRMT provides USCIS the ability to send the service request to the
appropriate USCIS location for resolution and then to record the resolution of the issue by response letter,
email, or telephone correspondence to the customer who reported the issue. Supervisory Immigration
Information Officers (SIIO), who oversee staff within a specific office, use SRMT to identify all
unassigned service requests associated with a specific office and assign them to an Immigration
Information Officers (IIO). IIOs access the SRMT tool to respond to assigned service requests. SIIOs
can reassign a service request to another IIO/SIIO or redirect the service request to another Field Office or
Service Center. 9
IIOs research each service request to identify the issue for resolution. Based on the outcome of
his or her finding, the IIO creates a response letter to inform the customer of how his or her service
request was resolved. All the responses between USCIS and the customer are stored in SRMT.
Case Status Service Online (CSSO) Update
USCIS uses the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation service to
ensure the secure and timely delivery of Permanent Residency Cards (PRC), Travel Documents,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD), and other immigration documents. 10 The USCIS Secure
6

USCIS assigns a receipt number for each application upon receipt according to when and where the application
was received, form number, form type, date of filing, and mailing zip code.
7
Customers may resubmit a Service Request if USCIS does not meet the 30 day deadline.
8
SRMT tracks and handles customer service requests received through its 800 number, letters, online service
request, and inquiries received at local offices from inception to completion.
9
There are times when a service request may be served better by another office or person. USCIS may reassign a
service request for the following reasons: staff change, office location alignment, customer with disabilities, and
office bandwidth.
10
Please contact the USPS Privacy Office for more information on the Delivery Confirmation Certification service.

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Mail Initiative (SMI) system interfaces with USPS Delivery Confirmation Service to collect the location
and delivery of immigration documents. USCIS is updating CRIS CSSO to collect tracking information
for mailed documentation from the USCIS SMI system.
CSSO provides status updates on immigration benefit applications and petitions to USCIS
customers and their representatives. Customers and their representatives may access CSSO via the
Internet and enter their receipt number, which they received when they filed the application or petition.
The receipt number is a unique confirmation number that USCIS provides the customer upon receipt of an
application or petition for immigration benefits. After the user submits the receipt number, CSSO
displays the status of the case – including USPS tracking information. With the USPS tracking
information, USCIS customers can easily stay up-to-date on the delivery status of their documents and
USCIS can confirm that these essential documents are delivered to the proper address.
CRIS interfaces directly with SMI. For changes in delivery status, SMI updates a record in the
CRIS for subsequent display of the latest delivery status information in USCIS Case Status Online. The
CSSO service queries the SMI database for those cases that have been updated with scan events from
USPS since the last process time. The interface between SMI and CRIS is a one-way interface with SMI
sending updates to CRIS.

Privacy Impact Analysis
In each of the below sections consider how the system has changed and what impact it has on the below fair
information principles. In some cases there may be no changes and indicate as such.

The System and the Information Collected and Stored within the System
e-Request Enhancement
The information collected and stored has not changed with the e-Request enhancement. The
information captured in SRMT during telephonic service requests is identical to the information captured
in e-Request. With the e-Request enhancement, CRIS continues to collect application information, such
as receipt number, form number, form sub type, date filed, limited customer biographic information, and
contact information to create an online service request. The type of application or petition filed along
with the type of issue the customer is reporting determines the information collected. e-Request only
collects the minimum amount of information necessary to validate the person reporting the issue,
uniquely identify the pending application or petition, generate a service request, and respond to the
customer and his or her representative.
CSSO Update
SMI updates CRIS with the latest delivery status information of secure identity documents for
display in CSSO. CSSO collects and stores USPS delivery status updates via predefined scan events in
USPS Extract Files downloaded each day by SMI from a USPS server. Key information retained for each
scan event is the USPS tracking number, scan event code, scan event date/time, and scan event location.
The scan event code identifies USPS events -“picked up by USPS,” “processed at a USPS facility,”
“delivered to addressee,” and “returned to sender.”

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Uses of the System and the Information
e-Request Enhancement
There is no change in the use of data with this update. e-Request allows for the creation,
fulfillment, routing, and tracking of service requests for pending applications and petitions through
SRMT. This system provides customers and their representatives an additional method to submit service
requests. Customers are able to create a service request online to report an issue, in addition to calling the
NCSC. The information collected by e-Request is the minimum amount of information required for
USCIS personnel to research the reported issue.
CSSO Update
There is no change in the use of data with this update. CSSO continues to provide status updates
on immigration benefits applications, petitions, and identity documents to USCIS customers and their
representatives. With this update, CSSO allows the user to check the delivery status of recently mailed
items.

Retention
The approved National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) retention schedule [N1566-08-09] has not changed with this update.

Internal Sharing and Disclosure
The internal sharing and disclosure of information has not changed with this update. USCIS will
continue to share information with agencies internal to DHS as outlined in the DHS/USCIS/PIA-019
CRIS PIA and its corresponding updates.

External Sharing and Disclosure
The external sharing and disclosure of information has not changed with this update. USCIS will
continue to share information with agencies external to DHS as outlined in the DHS/USCIS/PIA-019
CRIS PIA and its corresponding updates.

Notice
This PIA Update provides individuals notice of changes associated with CRIS. The DHS-USCIS007- Benefits Information System (BIS) System of Records Notice (SORN), September 29, 2008, 73 FR
56596, continues to cover the collection, use, and disclosure of data. Additionally, USCIS provides
Privacy Act Statements, as required by Section (e)(3) of the Privacy Act, prior to the collection of
information. The Privacy Act Statement details the authority to collect the information, purpose for
which the information collected, how the information is going to be used outside of the agency, and
whether providing the information is mandatory.

Individual Access, Redress, and Correction
There are privacy enhancing changes to the access, redress, and record correction procedures
because of this PIA Update. The enhancements allow individuals to directly engage with USCIS to
amend an error in their application or check the status of their submission. If a FOIA or Privacy Act (PA)

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concern arises, customers maintain the right to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and/or Privacy
Act (PA) request to gain access to or amend their USCIS records. Any individual seeking to access
information maintained in CRIS should direct his or her request to USCIS National Records Center
(NRC), P.O. Box 648010, Lee's Summit, MO 64064-8010. This update creates no increased privacy
impact.

Technical Access and Security
The technical access and security controls for CRIS have not changed with this update.

Technology
e-Request Enhancement
USCIS updated CRIS with a limited Internet interface to the SRMT called e-Request to automate
the collection and processing of customer service requests. e-Request allows customers to initiate a
service request online via www.uscis.gov. Service requests were previously called into the USCIS NCSC
and documented in SRMT by USCIS call center personnel. All data communications associated with
CRIS, including e-Request, are protected through multi-layer encryption technologies to ensure that only
those authorized to view the data may do so and that the data has not been compromised while in transit.
CSSO Update
CRIS interfaces with SMI to collect the tracking and delivery status of identity documents. This
exchange of information is conducted via an encrypted connection.

Responsible Official
Donald K. Hawkins,
Privacy Officer
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security

Approval Signature

Original signed and on file at the DHS Privacy Office.
________________________________
Jonathan R. Cantor
Acting Chief Privacy Officer
Department of Homeland Security