U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency of the

United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-ter ...

(DHS) that administers the country's

naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

and

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...

system. It is a successor to the

Immigration and Naturalization Service The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor from 1933 to 1940 and the U.S. Department of Justice from 1940 to 2003. Referred to by some as former INS and by others as legacy INS ...

(INS), which was dissolved by the

Homeland Security Act of 2002 The Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002, () was introduced in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and subsequent mailings of anthrax spores. The HSA was cosponsored by 118 members of Congress. The act passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of ...

and replaced by three components within the DHS: USCIS,

Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...

(ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). USCIS performs many of the duties of the former INS, namely processing and adjudicating various immigration matters, including applications for work visas, asylum, and citizenship. Additionally, the agency is officially tasked with safeguarding national security, maintaining

case backlogs, and improving efficiency.

Ur Jaddou Ur Mendoza Jaddou (born 1974) is an American attorney who is the current director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security. Early life and education Jaddou was born and raised in Chula Vista, ...

has been the director of USCIS since August 3, 2021.

Functions

USCIS processes immigrant visa petitions,

applications, asylum applications, applications for adjustment of status (green cards), and

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

applications. It also makes

adjudicative Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation, including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants, to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between the pa ...

decisions performed at the service centers, and manages all other immigration benefits functions (i.e., not immigration enforcement) performed by the former INS. The USCIS's other responsibilities include: * Administration of immigration services and benefits * Issuing employment authorization documents (EAD) * Adjudicating petitions for non-immigrant temporary workers (

H-1B The H-1B is a visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H) that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. A specialty occupation requires the application of ...

O-1 O1 or O-1 may refer to: Aircraft *O-1 Bird Dog, an observation aircraft manufactured by Cessna *O-1 Curtiss Falcon, an observation aircraft manufactured by the Curtiss Aircraft Company * O-1 Airship, an Italian manufactured semi-rigid airship op ...

, etc.) While core immigration benefits functions remain the same as under the INS, a new goal is to process immigrants' applications more efficiently. Improvement efforts have included attempts to reduce the applicant backlog and providing customer service through different channels, including the USCIS Contact Center with information in English and Spanish, Application Support Centers (ASCs), the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

, and other channels. Enforcement of immigration laws remains under Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and

(ICE). USCIS focuses on two key points on the immigrant's path to civic integration: when they first become permanent residents and when they are ready to begin the formal

process. A lawful permanent resident is eligible to become a U.S. citizen after holding the Permanent Resident Card for at least five continuous years, with no trips out of the country of 180 days or more. If the lawful permanent resident marries a U.S. citizen, eligibility for U.S. citizenship is shortened to three years so long as the resident has been living with their spouse continuously for at least three years and the spouse has been a resident for at least three years.

Forms

USCIS handles all forms and processing materials related to immigration and naturalization. This is evident from USCIS' predecessor, the

INS INS or Ins or ''variant'', may refer to: Places * Ins, Switzerland, a municipality * Creech Air Force Base (IATA airport code INS) * Indonesia, ITF and UNDP code INS Biology *'' Ins'', a New World genus of bee flies * INS, the gene for the insulin ...

, (

) which is defunct as of March 1, 2003. USCIS currently handles two kinds of forms: those relating to immigration, and those related to naturalization. Forms are designated by a specific name, and an alphanumeric sequence consisting of one letter, followed by two or three digits. Forms related to immigration are designated with an I (for example, I-551, Permanent Resident Card) and forms related to

are designated by an N (for example,

N-400 N400 or N-400 may refer to: * N400 (neuroscience), an event-related potential component elicited by meaningful stimuli (words, pictures, etc.) * N-400 road (Spain), a highway connecting Toledo to Cuenca * Honda N400, a car similar to the Honda N3 ...

, Application for Naturalization).

List of directors of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Ken Cuccinelli served from July 8, 2019 to December 31, 2019 as ''de facto'' Acting Director. His tenure as Acting Director was ruled unlawful. He remained Principal Deputy Director at USCIS for the remainder of his tenure.

Immigration courts and judges

The United States immigration courts and immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals which hears appeals from them, are part of the

Executive Office for Immigration Review The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) is a sub-agency of the United States Department of Justice whose chief function is to conduct removal proceedings in immigration courts and adjudicate appeals arising from the proceedings. These a ...

(EOIR) within the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

. (USCIS is part of the Department of Homeland Security.)

Operations

Internet presence

USCIS' official website was redesigned in 2009 and unveiled on September 22, 2009. The last major redesign before 2009 was in October 2006. The USCIS website now includes a virtual assistant, Emma, who answers questions in English and Spanish.

Inquiry and issue resolution

USCIS's website contains self-service tools, including a case status checker and address change request form. Applicants, petitioners, and their authorized representatives can also submit case inquiries and service requests on USCIS's website. The inquiries and requests are routed to the relevant USCIS center or office to process. Case inquiries may involve asking about a case that is outside of normal expected USCIS processing times for the form. Inquiries and service requests may also concern not receiving a notice, card, or document by mail, correcting typographical errors, and requesting disability accommodations. If the self-service tools on USCIS's website cannot help resolve an issue, the applicant, petitioner, or authorized representative can contact the USCIS Contact Center. If the Contact Center cannot assist the inquirer directly, the issue will be forwarded to the relevant USCIS center or office for review. Some applicants and petitioners, primarily those who are currently outside of the United States, may also schedule appointments on USCIS's website

Funding

Unlike most other federal agencies, USCIS is funded almost entirely by user fees, most of it via the Immigration Examinations Fee Account (IEFA). USCIS is authorized to collect fees for its immigration case adjudication and naturalization services by the

Immigration and Nationality Act The U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act may refer to one of several acts including: * Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 * Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 * Immigration Act of 1990 See also * List of United States immigration legis ...

. In fiscal year 2020, USCIS had a budget of ; of the budget was funded through fees and through congressional appropriations.

Staffing

USCIS consists of approximately 19,000 federal employees and contractors working at 223 offices around the world.

Mission statement

USCIS's mission statement was changed on February 9, 2022. USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou announced the new mission statement. In 2021, USCIS leadership empowered employees to submit words that they felt best illustrated the agency's work. The new mission statement reflects this feedback from the workforce, the priorities of the Biden administration, and Jaddou's vision for an inclusive and accessible agency. The mission statement now reads:

References

External links

*
Homeland Security Act of 2002USCIS
in the

Federal Register The ''Federal Register'' (FR or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every weekday, except on fede ...

what is USCIS by Cacfti

site:www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/foia/
—

Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...

documents - USCIS {{Authority control __FORCETOC__ United States Department of Homeland Security agencies Immigration to the United States Immigration services History of immigration to the United States Government agencies established in 2003 2003 establishments in Washington, D.C. Organizations based in Washington, D.C.