14.6 Other USCIS and Governmental Publications.

There are a number of other publications available from the government which can be valuable in conducting research. The following list, while far from being all-inclusive, can be a useful starting point:

· General Counsel Opinions – As an adjudications officer, it is your duty to understand and apply the immigration laws to countless sets of individual facts or cases. These facts sometimes raise legal issues that may be difficult and unfamiliar. The Office of General Counsel (OGC) addresses some of these questions and advises USCIS officers on their proper response to them. Each year, OGC collects and publishes the General Counsel Opinions that its office issues to other components of USCIS and DHS. (I-LINK contains General Counsel Opinions from 1989 –1999.) OGC encourages every officer who has a legal question to consult with local USCIS counsel.

· USCIS Uniform Subject Filing System (USFS) and Subject File Index – All policy memoranda, correspondence and other similar materials (but not material pertaining solely to an individual alien) prepared by USCIS must be housed chronologically in subject files organized in accordance with the subject file index. The USFS was established as of October 1, 1995, for all covered records created on or after that date.

· Yearbook of Immigration Statistics – Published annually, each edition of the Yearbook provides immigration data for a particular fiscal year along with related historical information. The major topics covered (which may vary from edition-to-edition) generally include such areas as: immigrants admitted for legal permanent residence; refugees approved and admitted; nonimmigrant admissions; aliens naturalized; and aliens apprehended and removed.

· USCIS Fact Book (M-338) – Published by the USCIS Statistical Division (but necessarily annually) this pocket-sized booklet provides a summary of recent immigration data along with other useful information such as organizational charts, addresses of DHS offices, a glossary of terms, and a chronology of immigration legislation.

· DOS Foreign Affairs Manual – Published by the Department of State, this mult- volume manual is commonly known as the FAM and provides extensive guidance to consular officers. Volume 9 of the FAM is of particular value to USCIS officers and key portions of volume 9 ( 9 FAM 40 , 41 , 42 , 45 along with the visa office directory and a compendium of consular forms ) are incorporated into I-LINK .

· DOL Occupational Outlook Handbook and Dictionary of Occupational Titles – These two publications of the Department of Labor are extremely useful in the adjudication of employment-based petitions. For each occupation listed, they provide information on such matters as the duties, training, and educational requirements involved.

· GPO Style Manual – Published by the Government Printing Office, this volume sets forth government-wide standards on such matters as capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and much more. It is most valuable for anyone involved in writing memoranda, decisions, letters and other material for the government.