United States 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.
 USCIS logo | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 1, 2003 |
| Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
| Headquarters | 5900 Capital Gateway Drive Camp Springs, Maryland, U.S. |
| Employees | 24,200+ (2025)[1] |
| Annual budget | $6.81 billion (2025)[1] |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent agency | United States Department of Homeland Security |
| Key document | |
| Website | uscis.gov |
History
editThe USCIS 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, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Expansion of enforcement authority
editIn September 2025, the Department of Homeland Security expanded U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' law enforcement authority by creating a class of special agent officers who have more militarized freedom to investigate, arrest, and bring to prosecution migrants they believe violate U.S. immigration laws.[2]
Screening requirements
editIn 2025, a policy alert was given for new guidelines that would be enforced immediately for USCIS: immigrant candidates would be assessed for views considered anti-American or antisemitic. The policy was criticized on the grounds that its vagueness could discourage people from applying out of fear of violating the policy.[3]
Functions
edit
USCIS processes immigrant visa petitions, naturalization applications, asylum applications, applications for adjustment of status (green cards), 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.
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, O-1, etc.)
While core immigration benefits functions remain the same as under the INS, a new goal is to process immigrants' applications more efficiently.
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.[4]
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.[5]
Forms
editUSCIS handles all forms and processing materials related to immigration and naturalization. This is evident from USCIS's predecessor, the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), which is defunct as of March 1, 2003.[6][circular reference]
USCIS handles two kinds of forms: those related to immigration, and those related to naturalization. Forms are designated by a specific name, and an alphanumeric sequence consisting of a 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).
Directors
edit| No. | Portrait | Director | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | President |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eduardo Aguirre (born 1946) | August 15, 2003 | June 16, 2005 | 1 year, 305 days | Republican | George W. Bush (R) | |
| – | Michael Petrucelli Acting | June 17, 2005 | July 25, 2005 | 38 days | ? | George W. Bush (R) | |
| 2 | Emilio T. Gonzalez (born 1956) | December 21, 2005 | April 18, 2008 | 2 years, 119 days | Republican | George W. Bush (R) | |
| – | Jonathan "Jock" Scharfen Acting | April 21, 2008 | December 2, 2008 | 225 days | ? | George W. Bush (R) | |
| 3 | Alejandro Mayorkas (born 1959) | August 12, 2009 | December 23, 2013 | 4 years, 133 days | Democratic | Barack Obama (D) | |
| – | Lori Scialabba Acting | December 23, 2013 | July 9, 2014 | 198 days | ? | Barack Obama (D) | |
| 4 | León Rodríguez (born 1962) | July 9, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | 2 years, 195 days | Democratic | Barack Obama (D) | |
| – | Lori Scialabba Acting | January 20, 2017 | March 31, 2017 | 70 days | ? | Donald Trump (R) | |
| – | James W. McCament Acting | March 31, 2017 | October 8, 2017 | 191 days | ? | Donald Trump (R) | |
| 5 | L. Francis Cissna (born 1966) | October 8, 2017 | June 1, 2019 | 1 year, 236 days | Independent | Donald Trump (R) | |
| – | Mark Koumans Acting | June 1, 2019 | June 10, 2019 | 9 days | Independent | Donald Trump (R) | |
| – | Ken Cuccinelli[1] (born 1968) Acting | June 10, 2019 | November 18, 2019 | 161 days | Republican | Donald Trump (R) | |
| – | Mark Koumans Acting | November 18, 2019 | February 20, 2020 | 94 days | Independent | Donald Trump (R) | |
| – | Joseph Edlow (born 1981) Acting | February 20, 2020 | January 20, 2021 | 335 days | Independent | Donald Trump (R) | |
| – | Tracy Renaud Acting | January 20, 2021 | August 3, 2021 | 195 days | Independent | Joe Biden (D) | |
| 6 | Ur Mendoza Jaddou (born 1974) | August 3, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | 3 years, 170 days | Independent | Joe Biden (D) | |
| – | Jennifer B. Higgins Acting | January 20, 2025 | February 9, 2025 | 20 days | ? | Donald Trump (R) | |
| – | Kika Scott Acting | February 9, 2025 | May 25, 2025 | 105 days | ? | Donald Trump (R) | |
| – | Angelica Alfonso-Royals Acting | May 25, 2025 | July 18, 2025 | 54 days | ? | Donald Trump (R) | |
| 7 | Joseph Edlow (born 1981) | July 18, 2025 | Incumbent | 153 days | Independent | Donald Trump (R) |
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1 Ken Cuccinelli served from July 8 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
editThe United States immigration courts, 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.)[7]
Operations
editInternet presence
editUSCIS's official website was redesigned in 2009 and unveiled on September 22, 2009.[8] The last major redesign before 2009 was in October 2006. The website now includes a virtual assistant, Emma, who answers questions in English and Spanish.[9]
Inquiry and issue resolution
editUSCIS'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.[10]
If the self-service tools on USCIS's website cannot 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 outside of the U.S., may also schedule appointments on USCIS's website.
Funding
editUnlike most other federal agencies, USCIS is funded almost entirely by user fees, most of it via the Immigration Examinations Fee Account (IEFA).[11]
The Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes USCIS to collect fees for its immigration case adjudication and naturalization services.[12]
In fiscal year 2020, USCIS had a budget of US$4.85 billion; 97.3% of it was funded by fees and 2.7% by congressional appropriations.[13]
Staffing
editUSCIS consists of approximately 19,000 federal employees and contractors working at 223 offices around the world.[14]
Offices
editA field USCIS office provides interviews for all non-asylum cases; naturalization ceremonies; appointments for information; and applicant services.[15]
USCIS Asylum offices schedule interviews only for asylum and suspension of deportation and special rule cancellation of removal under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA).
Asylum offices do not provide information services. Applications are not filed at asylum offices.[16]
International offices provide services to U.S. citizens, permanent U.S. residents, and certain other people who are visiting or residing outside the U.S. International offices are in the following cities[17]
| City | Country |
|---|---|
| Ankara | Turkey |
| Beijing | China |
| Guangzhou | |
| Havana | Cuba |
| San Salvador | El Salvador |
| Guatemala City | Guatemala |
| Tegucigalpa | Honduras |
| New Delhi | India |
| Nairobi | Kenya |
| Mexico City | Mexico |
See also
edit
- 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:
Comparable international agencies
edit- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
- Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service
- Bureau of Immigration (India)
- Directorate General of Immigration (Indonesia)
- UK Visas and Immigration
References
editThis article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of Homeland Security.
- ^ a b "Budget-in-Brief: Fiscal Year 2022" (PDF). U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ "USCIS to Add Special Agents with New Law Enforcement Authorities | USCIS". www.uscis.gov. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. September 4, 2025. Archived from the original on September 5, 2025.
- ^ Jeong, Andrew (August 8, 2025). "Trump administration to vet immigrants for 'anti-American' views". Archived from the original on August 20, 2025.
- ^ "Chapter 3 - Continuous Residence | USCIS". www.uscis.gov. May 25, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ "Chapter 3 - Spouses of U.S. Citizens Residing in the United States | USCIS". www.uscis.gov. January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ Immigration and Naturalization Service
- ^ "The Citizenship Surge". The New York Times. November 27, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ "Secretary Napolitano and USCIS Director Mayorkas Launch Redesigned USCIS Website" (Press release). United States Department of Homeland Security. September 22, 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
- ^ "Meet Emma, Our Virtual Assistant | USCIS". April 13, 2018.
- ^ "E-Request".
- ^ Khatri, Prakash (January 11, 2007). "Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman's 2007 Annual Report" (PDF). United States Department of Homeland Security: 46–47. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ^ Federal User Fees: Additional Analyses and Timely Reviews Could Improve Immigration and Naturalization User Fee Design and USCIS Operations (PDF) (Report). United States Government Accountability Office. January 2009. p. 7. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Department of Homeland Security United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Budget Overview: Fiscal Year 2021 Congressional Justification (PDF) (Report). United States Department of Homeland Security. February 12, 2020. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "About Us". January 28, 2020.
- ^ Field Offices
- ^ Asylum Office Locator
- ^ "International Immigration Offices | USCIS". www.uscis.gov. December 10, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
External links
edit
- Official website
- Homeland Security Act of 2002
- USCIS in the Federal Register
- site:www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/foia/ — Freedom of Information Act documents - USCIS
- https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/field-offices
- https://egov.uscis.gov/office-locator/#/asy
- https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/international-immigration-offices
- https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office
- https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/our-history