WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced the upcoming opening of international field offices in Doha, Qatar, and Ankara, Turkey, to increase capacity for refugee processing, strengthen strategic partnerships, and facilitate interagency cooperation.
“Opening these field offices establishes a USCIS presence and expertise in critical locations in the Middle East and is part of our commitment to the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to facilitate safe, lawful, and orderly migration and family reunification,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. “Our presence in Qatar and Turkey expands USCIS’ footprint outside the United States, supports our humanitarian mission, and strengthens the integrity of the U.S. immigration system.”
The Biden-Harris administration set the refugee admissions ceiling for fiscal year 2024 at 125,000 refugees. Establishing USCIS field offices in Qatar and Turkey will support the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program’s infrastructure in the region. It also will directly support long-established and increasing USCIS refugee processing circuit rides.
Qatar is a critical location and a regional refugee processing hub. Refugee coordinators from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), as well as a suboffice for the Resettlement Support Center for the Middle East and North Africa, are already in Qatar. USCIS’ Doha Field Office will be located in the U.S. embassy facility at Camp As Sayliyah, and staff will also periodically meet with the public for scheduled appointments at the U.S. Embassy in Qatar.
Turkey is also a critical location and regional refugee processing hub. The headquarters office for the Resettlement Support Center for Turkey and the Middle East is in Turkey, as are PRM refugee coordinators and a regional office for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. USCIS’ Ankara Field Office will be located in the U.S. Embassy Ankara.
USCIS staff will assume responsibility for processing Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, from State Department consular staff, assist with certain fraud detection-related activities, and provide other limited services. Services at both locations will be available only by appointment. USCIS will update the International Immigration Offices webpage to include information about the field offices, services and appointments.
With the opening of the Doha Field Office on May 7, 2024, and the Ankara Field Office on May 9, 2024, USCIS will have 11 international field offices. Other international field offices include Beijing; Guangzhou, China; Guatemala City; Havana; Mexico City; Nairobi, Kenya; New Delhi; San Salvador, El Salvador; and Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
