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USCIS · Systems and processing · Request IRW-013

The internal office for VIP cases

This request asks for records on the office coded "VCO" in FIRST (the system USCIS uses to track records requests), which is designated for VIP cases. It asks how the office is set up, how cases are assigned to it, who has access, and its procedures. It also asks whether its cases are counted in reporting for Nightingale v. USCIS (a federal lawsuit over USCIS delays in releasing immigration files) and in the annual FOIA reports from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), 2024 to the present.

Why it matters
If some cases are left out of reports, the published numbers would not show the full picture.
ProcessingExtension invoked 27 business days since filing (39 calendar days)

Figures as of Oct 17, 2026. Check after Nov 16, 2026: if you are reading later than that, these figures may be out of date.

These figures are more than 30 days old. They may not reflect what has happened since Oct 17, 2026.

Extension invoked
USCIS told the requester it would invoke the 10-working-day "unusual circumstances" extension the law allows (5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6)(B)). What an extension means

Timeline

  1. FiledSep 8, 2026
  2. Acknowledged by USCISSep 14, 2026
  3. Final responseNot yet received

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Template T-08
Records concerning the FIRST office designated 'VCO' (VIP cases), including its configuration, case-assignment criteria, access roster or permission list, standard operating procedures, and records sufficient to show whether VCO case volumes are included in Nightingale compliance reporting and in DHS annual FOIA report figures, 2024 to present.
How to file it