Inside the USCIS Adjudication Process: Insights from a Former USCIS Officer
What makes a strong immigration petition? What causes an officer to issue a Request for Evidence? And what do USCIS officers actually look for when reviewing a case?
Immigration attorney Angel Valverde sat down with Marta Nichols, a former USCIS officer and field office director with 17 years of experience at the agency, for an in-depth conversation about what happens behind the scenes during the immigration adjudication process.
During the conversation, Marta shares practical insights for immigration attorneys, applicants, and petitioners—from preparing stronger filings to responding to RFEs and getting ready for USCIS interviews.
Quality Matters More Than Quantity
One of the biggest misconceptions in immigration filings is that submitting more evidence automatically makes a case stronger.
According to Marta, the opposite can sometimes be true.
A petition containing hundreds or thousands of pages can bury the most important evidence and make it harder for an adjudicating officer to understand the case. What matters is not simply the amount of documentation submitted, but how clearly that evidence supports the immigration benefit being requested.
The goal should be to guide the officer through the case.
Evidence should not simply appear as an exhibit. The petition should explain what the evidence demonstrates, why it matters, and how it supports the applicable eligibility criteria.
This is particularly important in employment-based cases involving highly technical fields. An adjudicating officer may not be a scientist, engineer, technology expert, or specialist in the beneficiary's profession. Technical evidence therefore needs to be presented in a way that allows someone outside the field to understand its significance.
Small Inconsistencies Can Create Big Problems
Attention to detail is another recurring theme throughout the conversation.
Something as seemingly minor as an inconsistent employment date can cause an officer to stop and take a closer look at a filing.
For example, dates listed on a résumé should be consistent with employment verification letters, prior immigration applications, and other documents submitted throughout the applicant's immigration history.
USCIS officers may have access to documentation from earlier stages of an individual's immigration journey, which means information provided years earlier can become relevant again during a later adjudication.
For applicants and attorneys alike, consistency across forms and supporting documentation is critical.
What Makes a Strong Immigration Case?
A strong case tells a clear story.
Rather than expecting an adjudicator to piece together dozens of exhibits and determine how they relate to one another, the filing should make that connection explicit.
The officer should be able to understand:
Who the applicant or beneficiary is
What immigration benefit is being requested
What evidence establishes eligibility
Why each significant piece of evidence matters
How the evidence satisfies the applicable requirements
The question Marta encourages practitioners to consider is simple: If an officer only has a limited amount of time to review the case, will the officer clearly understand the applicant's story?
That does not guarantee approval, but it gives the adjudicator a clear and organized record on which to make a decision.
Responding to a Request for Evidence
Marta's advice for responding to a Request for Evidence, or RFE, is equally straightforward:
Answer what USCIS is asking for.
Sending the entire petition again—or overwhelming the response with unrelated evidence—may make the adjudication more difficult rather than easier.
A better approach is to carefully review the RFE, identify each specific issue raised by USCIS, and respond directly to those issues with the appropriate explanation and supporting evidence.
The response should remain focused on resolving the questions the officer has identified.
Filing Online Can Make the Process Easier
The transition from paper files to electronic records has significantly changed how USCIS processes cases.
Marta strongly encourages applicants and practitioners to use online filing when USCIS makes it available.
Electronic filing can provide several advantages, including easier access to case documents and notices, greater control over the quality of uploaded evidence, and faster access to certain USCIS communications.
It can also eliminate some of the practical problems associated with large paper filings, including scanning issues, physical organization, and mailed correspondence.
Preparing for a USCIS Interview
Preparation is one of the most important steps before attending a USCIS interview.
Applicants should review the forms that were submitted on their behalf before the interview and make sure they understand the information contained in them.
An attorney or paralegal may assist with preparing an application, but the applicant ultimately needs to be familiar with what was submitted under their name.
During an interview, officers generally look for truthful, credible, and reasonably consistent answers.
Applicants do not need to memorize every detail of their lives. They should, however, understand their immigration history and the information contained in their filings.
Does Having an Attorney Change the Interview?
Marta explained that the presence of an attorney should not change the way an officer conducts an immigration interview.
The applicant still needs to answer the questions and establish eligibility for the benefit being requested.
An attorney can be present to represent and protect the interests of the client, but the underlying adjudication should remain based on the applicable requirements and the facts of the case.
Are USCIS Officers Using Artificial Intelligence?
The conversation also addresses one of the questions increasingly discussed within the immigration community: whether artificial intelligence is being used in USCIS adjudications.
Marta notes that standardized or “boilerplate” language in RFEs and decisions is not new and has existed for many years.
She believes technology and AI may eventually assist officers with administrative or analytical functions—for example, identifying inconsistencies among dates appearing throughout an immigration record.
However, discretionary immigration decisions still require human judgment.
Technology may assist an adjudicator, but it is not a substitute for the officer responsible for making the decision.
Understanding the USCIS Officer's Perspective
Perhaps the most useful takeaway from the conversation is the importance of understanding the person reviewing the case.
USCIS officers manage significant workloads. A well-organized petition that clearly identifies the relevant evidence makes the adjudication process easier.
A confusing filing, on the other hand, may require additional review, an RFE, or further investigation.
For immigration practitioners, that means strong advocacy is not simply about collecting evidence. It is about presenting that evidence in a way that allows the adjudicator to quickly understand the client's qualifications and immigration story.
Final Takeaway
Whether preparing an employment-based petition, responding to an RFE, or attending an immigration interview, clarity and preparation matter.
The strongest filings do not necessarily contain the most pages. They contain the right evidence, presented clearly and consistently, with an explanation of why that evidence matters.
For applicants, attorneys, and other immigration professionals, understanding how an adjudicator approaches a case can provide valuable perspective throughout the immigration process.
Watch the full conversation above for additional insights from Angel Valverde and former USCIS officer Marta Nichols.
This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.