USCIS Expands Digital FOIA System

On June 25, 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the expansion of its digital Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) System (FIRST) [PDF version].

Beginning on June 25, 2019, FOIA requestors may use their USCIS account to submit online requests for their own USCIS records. In the near future, USCIS will expand FIRST to allow requestors to submit online requests for non-A-File materials. The USCIS added that later this year, FIRST will be expanded to allow USCIS online account holders to make FOIA requests on behalf of another person.

USCIS began rolling out FIRST in May 2018, which we covered here on site [see blog]. USCIS touts FIRST as “the only system in the U.S. government that allows users to submit and track FOIA requests and receive documents digitally.” Users with USCIS accounts may make use of FIRST at first.uscis.gov