UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 121332Z DEC 19 MID510000800830U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 290/19 PASS TO OFFICE CODES: FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// 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(at)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(at)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.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//