Avideh Moussavian, Chief, Office of Policy & Strategy

Avideh Moussavian was selected as the chief of the Office of Policy and Strategy on March 13, 2023. Prior to this position, Moussavian was a senior advisor in the Office of the Director since March 2022.

Experience and Achievements

Since joining USCIS, she has worked on a range of issues in furtherance of USCIS’ humanitarian mission and in support of expanding lawful pathways. This includes supporting the launch and implementation of Uniting for Ukraine, the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, and process enhancements for deferred action requests related to labor agency investigations, as well as representing the agency in stakeholder engagements and Congressional briefings.

Prior to joining USCIS, Moussavian was the director of federal advocacy for the National Immigration Law Center (NILC). In this role, she was responsible for developing and implementing NILC’s overall strategy for congressional advocacy and administrative advocacy across federal agencies to advance immigrant-inclusive legislation and policies. Moussavian has previously worked as the director of immigration policy and advocacy at the New York Immigration Coalition and directly represented immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, including people in detention, as a senior staff attorney at Sanctuary for Families in New York City.

Education

She holds a juris doctor from Boston University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University. She is the daughter of Iranian immigrants.