VERIFIED NEWS · USCIS OVERSEAS OPERATIONS
USCIS opens an international field office in Addis Ababa
The agency says the Ethiopia office begins work today. Its announced functions center on verification and investigations; the notice does not transfer visa issuance from the State Department or announce a new immigration benefit.
Color photograph produced by the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia, captured May 8 and published May 9, 2024. U.S. and Ethiopian officials open a bilateral-relations photo exhibition in Addis Ababa. This official State Department image illustrates the federal presence in the city; it does not depict the new USCIS office, its staff, an appointment, document review, investigation, or DNA collection. Original embassy media record ↗
Three functions are named in the federal notice
USCIS says staff in Addis Ababa will verify the authenticity of foreign documents, investigate suspected fraud, and collect DNA to confirm family relationships. Those are the functions expressly identified in the announcement. The notice does not say that every case connected to Ethiopia will require all three.
USCIS is taking on work previously supported through State
The agency says the same workloads historically were supported through coordination with the State Department. A dedicated USCIS presence changes which agency has personnel performing that work locally, but it does not make the USCIS office an embassy visa section.
Access is by appointment
USCIS says services at the office will be available only by appointment and that its international-office directory will provide additional information. The September 3 notice does not publish a case timetable, processing target, walk-in service, or a guarantee that any individual matter will be handled there.
What the announcement does not establish
This is an agency operational announcement, not a statute, regulation, court ruling, visa-availability change, arrest operation, or nationwide dataset. It does not report how many cases the office will handle, how long work will take, or the outcome of any application or petition.
Primary federal sources
Corrections: No corrections have been made. Later changes to services or office details will be verified against a new USCIS record and dated separately.