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.