Clarification on USCIS General Inquiry Mailbox

I blogged back in February about my experience trying to get answers through the USCIS General Inquiry Mailbox set up for Canadians to ask “general immigration questions”. I talked about my frustration with the response, which was basically “Contact CBP”.

A recent article posted by Lane Powell over at Lexology.com offers some insight and clarification on what the new email address is really for. From the article:

Not all inquiries can be handled through Canada@dhs.gov. For Canadians, many immigration issues and matters are processed at the U.S.-Canada border through a separate Homeland Security agency, Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”). For example, petitions for intracompany transfers from a foreign company to a related U.S. entity, and Trade NAFTA (“TN”) applications can be processed on a while-you-wait basis at U.S ports of entry. Because CBP is a separate agency from USCIS, port of entry-related questions likely cannot be answered through Canada@dhs.gov.

So really, the email response I received was the correct one; they couldn’t answer my questions because they’re not the right department to be forwarding those questions to.

Ah the tangled web that is the multiple departments within DHS.