Volume 4 - Refugees and Asylees

This technical update makes minor changes to the Policy Manual to remove an obsolete alert box and to conform with changes to the USCIS website.

This technical update replaces all instances of the term “noncitizen” with “alien” or other appropriate terms throughout the Policy Manual where possible, as used to refer to a person who meets the definition provided in INA 101(a)(3) [“any person not a citizen or national of the United States”], and makes other technical and conforming changes.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to address the eligibility, filing, and adjudication requirements for the Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition (Form I-730).

In accordance with Section 4(m) of Executive Order 14013 of February 4, 2021, Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration, 86 FR 8839 (Feb. 9, 2021), and considering necessary safeguards for program integrity, USCIS published several current policies and procedures related to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program on the Refugee Adjudications: Policy and Procedures webpage. This technical update adds an alert box with a link to this webpage in the Policy Manual.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating and incorporating relevant Adjudicator’s Field Manual (AFM) content into the USCIS Policy Manual. As that process is ongoing, USCIS has moved any remaining AFM content to its corresponding USCIS Policy Manual Part, in PDF format, until relevant AFM content has been properly incorporated into the USCIS Policy Manual. To the extent that a provision in the USCIS Policy Manual conflicts with remaining AFM content or Policy Memoranda, the updated information in the USCIS Policy Manual prevails. To find remaining AFM content, see the crosswalk between the AFM and the Policy Manual.