Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate

Leadership

Joseph E. Langlois is the Acting Associate Director of Refugee, Asylum and International Operations (RAIO).

What we Do

We provide immigration, protection and humanitarian services for people who are:

• Fleeing oppression, persecution or torture;
• Facing urgent humanitarian situations; and,
• Best served in our international offices, such as military members who are serving overseas and permanent residents who need replacement documents to return to the U.S. 

We protect national security, combat fraud, and prevent ineligible individuals from immigrating to the U.S. through careful screening, vigilant reviews and sound adjudications. 

Locations

Our global presence includes:

• Offices in Washington, D.C., including headquarters components and the refugee corps;

• Two domestic offices that adjudicate overseas applications not requiring interviews;

• Twenty-six international offices;

• Eight domestic asylum offices; and,

• An office in Miami that provides resettlement and orientation benefits to Cuban and Haitian parolees. 

Our officers travel abroad to assist refugees and domestically to adjudicate asylum benefits. 

Organization

RAIO is made up of three divisions:

The Refugee Affairs Division provides resettlement benefits to people who are outside their countries and cannot or are unwilling to return to their homes because they fear serious harm.  

The Asylum Division manages the U.S. affirmative asylum process, which allows individuals who are already in the U.S. (or at a port of entry), to remain here because they have been persecuted or fear persecution.   The individual must not be in removal proceedings to apply under affirmative asylum procedures. 

The International Operations Division, with offices around the world, is the face of USCIS overseas.  These offices assist with adoptions, consider humanitarian parole requests, adjudicate petitions and applications, and issue travel documents.