United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

Not to be confused with Center for Immigration Studies.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

USCIS Logo
Agency overview
Formed	March 1, 2003 (2003-03-01)
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	5900 Capital Gateway Drive Camp Springs, MD, U.S.
Employees	21,253 (2021)
Annual budget	$4.235 billion (2021)
Agency executive	Ur Jaddou, Director
Parent agency	United States Department of Homeland Security
Key documents	USCIS Policy Manual Adjudicator's Field Manual
Website	www.uscis.gov

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that administers the country's naturalization and immigration system. It is a successor to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), which was dissolved by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and replaced by three components within the DHS: USCIS, which supervises the naturalization of new American citizens and lawful immigration to the United States, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which enforces laws pertaining to border control, customs, trade and immigration. Finally, we have Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which denies immigration to terrorists and individuals in with weapons, drugs or any other inadmissible possessions.

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 immigration case backlogs, and improving efficiency. USCIS is currently headed by Ur Jaddou, director, since August 3, 2021.

Functions

USCIS Office in Atlanta, Georgia

USCIS processes immigrant visa petitions, naturalization applications, asylum applications, applications for adjustment of status (green cards) for documented and undocumented immigrants, and refugee applications. It also makes adjudicative decisions performed at the service centers, and manages all other immigration benefits functions (i.e., not immigration enforcement) performed by the former INS. Other responsibilities of the USCIS include:

• Administration of immigration services and benefits
• Issuing employment authorization documents (EAD)
• Adjudicating petitions for non-immigrant temporary workers (H-1B, O-1, etc.)Moreover, undocumented immigrants are eligible for residency on unique parameters. For an undocumented immigrant to be granted permanent residency (green card) they must abide by the registry provision to acquire this status. The registry provision date was first developed in 1929 with the intention to regulate immigration at a federal level. This provision allows non-citizens who are either undocumented or on a temporary immigration status to apply for Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status. To qualify, individuals must have entered the country on or before a specific date which is the registry date. Other parameters include continued stay since entering the country and good moral character. After being created in 1929, congress advanced the registry date a total of four times. First set to only grant residency to individuals who entered the country before or on June 3 1921, the date was then moved to July 1 1924, further to to July 1 1940, once more to June 30 1948 and finally January 1 1972. The last advancement date comprised the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) along with other regularization provisions which included penalizing institutions that knowingly employed undocumented non-citizens. This was done through a set of congressional amendments that culminated in 1958 where the the requirement for non-citizens to be eligible only if they are not subject to deportation was removed. Now the provision only excludes non-citizens that are inadmissible to the United States on criminal or national-security grounds. The updated and current eligibility requirements for registry are as follows:

• You entered the United States prior to Jan. 1, 1972
• You have resided in the United States continuously since you entered
• You are a person of good moral character
• You are not ineligible for naturalization (citizenship)
• You are not removable (deportable) under Section 237(a)(4)(B) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). You are not inadmissible under Section 212(a)(3)(E) of the INA or as a criminal, procurer, other immoral person, subversive, violator of the narcotics laws or noncitizen smuggle.

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, as well as providing customer service through different channels, including the USCIS Contact Center with information in English and Spanish, Application Support Centers (ASCs), the Internet and other channels. The enforcement of immigration laws remains under Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The founding of the USCIS was influenced by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. These events brought urgency into INS' mission of providing immigration services while upholding homeland security and prompted a remarkable change in the United States' immigration laws. The main role of American immigration policy became to reinforce border security and remove criminal aliens that could threaten the security of the country. Simultaneously, the United States remained committed to welcoming lawful immigrants and fostering their assimilation to American civic culture.

USCIS focuses on two key points on the immigrant's journey towards civic integration: when they first become permanent residents and when they are ready to begin the formal naturalization process. A lawful permanent resident is eligible to become a citizen of the United States after holding the Permanent Resident Card for at least five continuous years, with no trips out of the United States lasting 180 days or more. If, however, 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 the spouse continuously for at least three years and the spouse has been a resident for at least three years.

Forms

Further information: USCIS immigration forms

USCIS handles all forms and processing materials related to immigration and naturalization. This is evident from USCIS' predecessor, the INS, (Immigration and Naturalization Service) 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 naturalization are designated by an N (for example, N-400, Application for Naturalization).

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

No.	Portrait	Director	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Party	President
1		Aguirre, EduardoEduardo Aguirre (born 1946)	August 15, 2003	June 16, 2005	1 year, 305 days	Republican	Bush, GeorgeGeorge W. Bush (R)
-		Petrucelli, MichaelMichael Petrucelli Acting	June 17, 2005	July 25, 2005	38 days	?	Bush, GeorgeGeorge W. Bush (R)
2		Gonzalez, EmilioEmilio T. Gonzalez	December 21, 2005	April 18, 2008	2 years, 119 days	Republican	Bush, GeorgeGeorge W. Bush (R)
-		Scharfen, JonathanJonathan "Jock" Scharfen Acting	April 21, 2008	December 2, 2008	225 days	?	Bush, GeorgeGeorge W. Bush (R)
3		Mayorkas, AlejandroAlejandro Mayorkas (born 1959)	August 12, 2009	December 23, 2013	4 years, 133 days	Democratic	Obama, BarackBarack Obama (D)
-		Scialabba, LoriLori Scialabba Acting	December 23, 2013	July 9, 2014	198 days	?	Obama, BarackBarack Obama (D)
4		Winkowski, ThomasLeón Rodríguez	July 9, 2014	January 20, 2017	2 years, 195 days	Democratic	Obama, BarackBarack Obama (D)
-		Scialabba, LoriLori Scialabba Acting	January 20, 2017	March 31, 2017	70 days	?	Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)
-		McCament, JamesJames W. McCament Acting	March 31, 2017	October 8, 2017	191 days	?	Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)
5		Cissna, LeeL. Francis Cissna (born 1966)	October 8, 2017	June 1, 2019	1 year, 236 days	Independent	Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)
-		CuccinelliKen Cuccinelli[1] (born 1968) Acting	June 20, 2019	November 18, 2019	151 days	Republican	Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)
-		Koumas, MarkMark Koumans Acting	November 18, 2019	February 20, 2020	94 days	Independent	Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)
-		Edlow, JosephJoseph Edlow Acting	February 20, 2020	January 20, 2021	335 days	Independent	Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)
-		Renaud, TraceyTracy Renaud Acting	January 20, 2021	August 3, 2021	195 days	Independent	Biden, JoeJoe Biden (D)
6		Mendoza, UrUr Mendoza Jaddou (born 1974)	August 3, 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 132 days	Independent	Biden, JoeJoe Biden (D)

¹ 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 (EOIR) within the United States Department of Justice. (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. In fiscal year 2020, USCIS had a budget of US$4.85 billion; 97.3% of the budget was funded through fees and 2.7% 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 23, 2018. Among other changes, the phrase "America's promise as a nation of immigrants" was eliminated, a move that drew criticism from immigration rights advocates and praise from those in favor of tighter restrictions on immigration.

The mission statement now reads:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.

See also

• Visa policy of the United States
  • H-1B Visa
  • Permanent residence (United States) ("Green card")
  • Visa Waiver Program
• The other two major U.S. immigration-related agencies:
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Comparable international agencies

• UK Visas and Immigration
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service
• Directorate General of Immigration (Indonesia)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

External links

• Official website
• Homeland Security Act of 2002
• USCIS in the Federal Register
• what is USCIS by Cacfti
• site:www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/foia/ — Freedom of Information Act documents - USCIS