USCIS- The Door Keepers To The World's Immigration Magnet

USCIS: the Door Keepers to the World's Immigration Magnet

The USCIS is not only a huge self-dependent federal government department but also the well-guarded entrance door to the world's most popular immigration destination.

The department under Home Land Security, responsible to supervise immigration to the U.S. is now the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Created in 2002, the USCIS has close to 18,000 employees working from 250 local offices situated in the US as well as field offices worldwide.

The unique thing about the USCIS is that it is self-dependent for operating funds. The funds collected from applications and petitions as processing fee caters to the financial requirements of this huge department.

Another exclusive service operated by USCIS is <"a href="https://www.usaimmigrationsupport.com/">INFOPASS. This is a special facility, which schedules appointments online. Using this particular service, you can meet the USCIS officials in person to sort out all your queries. The new website, with such customer centric facilities is in use since September 2009.

The mission statement of the USCIS states that it aims at promoting national security, better customer services, fast processing of documents and generating solutions to immigration related problems, which anyone may bring to its notice.

The key focus area fro USCIS is on two major issues:
1. The Civic integration process of any immigrant at the point of becoming permanent residents of the US
2. The time, the process of naturalization begins.

The remaining core functions of this vital department include:

oEligibility determination, applications processing and arrangement post approval of citizenship application ceremonies for Oath of Allegiance.
oOversee the process, to allow citizens and permanent residents, to bring into the US, their family members, to live and work.
o Manage the process for granting Green Cards (permanent residence) or temporary work opportunities and the verification of legal rights of a person to work in the U.S.
oProvide protection, both inside as well as outside the U.S. to people who have to leave their country due to reasons like famine, war or civil/political unrest, under various humanitarian projects.
oWhen U.S. citizens adopt children from other countries, the USCIS manages this process too.
oAmong other things, this department also promotes training, and instruction on civil integration of the immigrants, their civil rights and their responsibilities as U.S. citizens.

In fact, the USCIS performs all the duties previously performed by the INS, which it replaced formerly on 1 March 2003 when its permanent dismantling took place.

Immigration enforcement is one of the duties not performed by the USCIS, as it is the domain of the USICE instead.