U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the immigration agency that secures the country’s promise as a land of immigrants. The agency provides information on immigration and citizenship to its customers.
There are 250 USCIS offices located across the globe and the agency consists of 18,000 employees and contractors from those offices. By efficiently adjudicating benefits, detecting fraud and by providing enhanced customer service, USCIS strengthens the immigration system’s security and integrity. Immigration policies promoted by USCIS are flexible and also helps immigrants participate in the civic culture.
Following are the functions performed by USCIS. USCIS:
- conducts naturalization ceremonies to swear in the new citizens of the country and on an average day, the agency naturalizes around 3,000 new U.S. citizens.
- grants permanent resident status to 3,400 people and issues 7,300 green cards, approximately in a day.
- conducts background checks prior to making a final decision on applications from people looking to immigrate to the U.S. or to work here. Reports show that on an average day, around 135,000 national security background checks are being conducted by USCIS.
- collects biometrics information from 11,000 applicants at the agency’s 120 Application Support Centers in a day.
- helps American parents adopt foreign-born orphans. Approximately, 125 orphans are being adopted every day.
- provides nationwide assistance to its customers by telephone. In a day, the agency answers around 41,000 phone calls. It also provided assistance to customers visiting the field offices and around 12,000 beneficiaries are being served at USCIS field offices, every day.
- checks the employment eligibility of new hires. USCIS, in a day ensures employment eligibility of more than 80,000 new employees.
- completes the processing of 200 refugee applications and grant asylum to 40 people, every day.