USCIS
Immigration News USCIS, or the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, is an official government agency responsible for overseeing lawful immigration to the United States. Their mission statement is “to secure America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system. With this mission statement, USCIS aims to:
* Strengthen the security and integrity of the immigration system
* Provide effective immigration services
* Promote flexible and reliable immigration policies and programs
* Strengthen the infrastructure supporting their mission
* Supporting the integration of immigrants into American culture
With 18,000 employees working at 250 offices around the world, USCIS utilizes its values of integrity, respect, ingenuity, and vigilance in providing immigration services to immigrants and immigration lawyers around the country. USCIS stands as the end-all for immigration services, including immigration services such as:
Citizenship
One of the most prominent immigration services that the USCIS provides is pertaining to U.S. citizenship. Specifically, USCIS accept applications by individuals seeking U.S. citizenship through naturalization. USCIS then determines the eligibility of applications, as well as process the application and schedule the applicant for the Oath of Allegiance. They also determine eligibility and offer documentation for immigrants obtaining a citizenship through family members.
Working the United States
USCIS manages the process allowing immigrants from other countries to work in the United States. This particular immigration service is important for the many immigrants seeking occupation and economic opportunity in the United States. While some opportunities are temporary, some may lead to a green card, allowing the immigrant to obtain lawful permanent residency status.
E-verify
The e-verify system allows employers to electronically verify employment eligibility of new employees. This allows employers to avoid employing illegal immigrants, and to provide documentation of the legality of their employees.
Humanitarian Programs
USCIS also offers humanitarian programs offering protection to individuals who are displaced by war, famine, political unrest, or refugees escaping persecution and risk of death. Some of these benefits include refugee status of asylum, humanitarian parole, temporary protected status,and battered spouse benefits. Each of these humanitarian immigration services offer protection to immigrants that fit the criteria.
Adoptions
USCIS manages the first step for Americans to adopt children from countries outside of the United States. They manage around 20,000 of these adoptions every year.
Civic Integration
USCIS fulfills their mission to assist immigrants integrating into society. They also offer instruction on citizenship rights and responsibilities, offering immigrants the tools they need to properly integrate into American culture.
In addition to the immigration services listed above, USCIS also offers forms for immigration related issues such as green card, naturalization, citizenship. They also provide information and resources for all issues pertaining to immigration, including visiting the U.S., working the United States, and a Genealogy program that offers researchers immigration and naturalization records. USCIS is the governing agency that makes the immigration system of the United States run, as a virtual “one stop shop” for immigration services and information, an individual seeking help with immigration can do much worse than to visit their website for more information.