Privacy, Security, and General Notice

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Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services

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Thank you for visiting our Website and reviewing our privacy and security notice and legal disclaimers. We remind you that if you link to a site outside of the Department of Homeland Security, you are subject to the policies of the new site.

Privacy

Here is how we handle information about your visit to our Website:

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

The name of the Internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you are connecting from a university's domain) and the IP address (a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you are using the Internet) from which you access our site;
The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
The date and time you access our site;
The Internet address of the Website from which you linked directly to our site; and
The pages you visit and the information you request.

If You Send Us Personal Information

If you choose to provide us with personal information, such as by sending an e-mail or by filling out a form and submitting it through our Website, we will use that information to respond to your message or to fulfill the stated purpose of the communication. Remember that e-mail is not necessarily secure against interception. If you communication is sensitive or includes personal information you may prefer to send it by postal mail instead.

We may share the information you give us with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency. In other limited circumstances, such as responses to requests from Congress and private individuals, we may be required by law to disclose information you submit. Before you submit personal information, such as on an online form, you may be given more specific guidance as to how your personal information may be used.

Electronically submitted information is maintained and destroyed according to the principles of the Federal Records Act and the regulations and records schedules of the National Archives and Records Administration, and in some cases may be covered by the Privacy Act and subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Cookies

"Cookies" are small bits of text that are either used for the duration of a session ("session cookies"), or saved on a user's hard drive in order to identify that user, or information about that user, the next time the user logs on to a Website ("persistent cookies"). This Website does not use persistent cookies, but does use session cookies to provide streamlined navigation throughout the site. These session cookies are deleted from the server soon after your session ends and are not collected or saved.

Security

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this Government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable by law, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996.

Terms of Use and Other Policies

This World Wide Web (WWW) site is provided as a public service. Every effort is made to provide complete and accurate information. However, with the volume of documents available, often uploaded with short deadlines, we cannot guarantee there will be no errors. We will do our best to correct errors brought to our attention. With respect to documents and information on this Website, neither the U.S. Government, the Department of Homeland Security, nor their employees and contractors make any warranty, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, or warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, and freedom from computer virus.
Information presented on this WWW site is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested.
Websites listed on the links page are not under the control of DHS. Therefore, we make no representation concerning the content of these sites, nor can the fact that we provided this listing serve as an endorsement by DHS of any of these sites. We are providing this list as a convenience only.

Last Modified 02/13/2003