The Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations (RAIO) Directorate will hold a stakeholders meeting on March 2, 2011 at 2:00 PM (EST) in Washington, DC.  The purpose of the meeting is

to discuss changes to the organizational structure of the Directorate. RAIO aims to strengthen cohesion between its three divisions by developing directorate-level functions that will allow for more integrated planning, guidance, and management of knowledge assets. During the session, USCIS will provide an overview of the organizational changes and plans for the transition as well as address questions and concerns from stakeholders.

RAIO is the office responsible for overseeing, planning, and implementing policies and activities related to asylum and refugee issues as well as immigration services overseas.  It is made up of three divisions: (1) The Refugee Affairs Division, which is a principal partner in the United States Refugee Admissions Program, and is responsible for providing the humanitarian benefit of refugee resettlement to applicants in need of protection throughout the world while diligently protecting the U.S. homeland; (2) The Asylum Division, which manages the U.S. affirmative asylum process; and (3) The International Operations Division, which has 29 international field offices around the world and serves as the face of USCIS overseas.  The international offices play a critical role in extending immigration benefits to eligible individuals and exercising vigilance in matters of fraud detection and national security.

For more information or to sign up to attend the meeting (in person or by phone), click here.