Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate (RAIO)
What We Do
We are responsible for:
- Conducting protection screenings;
- Adjudicating asylum and refugee applications; and
- Adjudicating other immigration benefits both domestically and internationally.
We are vigilant about fraud detection and national security, relying on careful vetting, innovative screening mechanisms, and sound adjudication.
We also maintain effective intergovernmental partnerships, consult with other countries to build the capacity of their protection systems, implement bilateral information-sharing agreements for identity management and confidentiality, and help advance the U.S. government’s strategic priorities in the international and refugee protection arenas.
How We Help
Who is a refugee?
Who is an asylum seeker?
What is Humanitarian Parole?
Empowering Humanity: Explore Careers with RAIO
RAIO Careers
Asylum Careers
Refugee Officer Careers
What motivates me to get up and do my job? Well, I enjoy interviewing. I know that I will be talking to people that have had challenging life experiences. By talking to them, I get a different perspective on my own life. Plus, I get to see parts of the world that I would not ordinarily get to see on my own.
Leila, Refugee Officer
Map of Domestic Operations
Asylum Office
Arlington
Boston
Chicago
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
Newark
New Orleans
New York
San Francisco
Tampa
Boston Office Legend
John W. McCormack Federal Building
5 Post Office Square, 14th Floor
Boston, MA 02109
Newark Office Legend
Newark Asylum Office Manhattan Branch
201 Varick Street, Sixth Floor, Suite 629
New York, NY 10014
Gateway 3, 100 Mulberry Street, Suite 199
Newark, NJ 07102
San Francisco Office Legend
75 Hawthorne Street, 7th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
Map of International Operations
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS Beijing has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in Beijing, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Liaoning, Shanghai, Shanxi, Tianjin, and Mongolia.
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS Guangzhou has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in Anhui, Chongqing, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Zhejiang.
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS Havana has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in Cuba.
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS Quito has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in Ecuador.
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS San Salvador has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in El Salvador
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS Guatemala City has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in Guatemala.
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS Tegucigalpa has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in Honduras.
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS New Delhi has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in India.
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS Nairobi has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in Kenya.
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS Mexico City has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in Mexico
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS Doha has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in Qatar.
- Geographic Jurisdiction
- USCIS Ankara has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in Turkey (Türkiye).