15.9 Videotaping Interviews.

(a) Quality Assurance Initiative .

Videotape equipment was introduced into the district adjudications environment as part of USCIS's district office quality review program. The program is designed to ensure a systematic review of all decisions in district offices, and to guarantee quality improvements, based on the results of the review. This is a system of continuous improvement, and is consistent with USCIS's quality management goals. Before the initiation of the videotape program, Adjudications had no USCIS -wide quality review system with respect to decisions rendered on casework involving the interview process. Generally, offices reviewed denials, but not approvals or cases returned to applicants for further documentation. This lack of a formal review system created the potential for incorrect and inconsistent decisions and for internal and external fraud.

The use of videotape to capture interviews provides an opportunity for managers to critique their officers. Conversely, the presence of a video record serves to protect adjudications officer from allegations of misconduct by aliens and their attorneys.

(b) Anti-Fraud Tool .

In addition to being a quality improvement tool, the videotape program has played an important role in combating immigration fraud. Videotaped interviews are regularly used as evidence in fraud cases. Perhaps even more importantly, the mere presence of the camera is an excellent fraud deterrent.

See also Chapter 11.2 of this manual for a discussion of retention requirements for videotaped evidence.

15.10 NSEERS Interviews.

[Removed]