The mission of the Immigration Services and Benefits Program is to provide accurate and timely information and adjudicate immigration benefit applications for our customers in a professional and courteous manner.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sees applicants and petitioners through the process beginning at the point of initial contact when an application or petition is filed. This contact continues to the point of a decision, the production of a final document or oath ceremony, and concludes with the retirement of case records.

While part of USCIS' staff of employees and contractors are located in Washington, DC, most are in local offices or service centers with jurisdiction covering all 50 states, the U.S. territories, and U.S. embassies around the world. The annual budget necessary to fund the services we provide exceeds three-quarters of a billion dollars.

Over the last several years, we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of benefits applications received. USCIS has taken action on many fronts to accommodate this influx, including: hiring additional staff; analyzing and reengineering our processes; and implementing a variety of new programs designed to increase production and improve customer service while increasing quality.