The USCIS Office:
Get to Know Your Administrator

The USCIS office is one of the most important government agencies of the United States for you to know about as you petition for a green card by marriage. This is the office that is ultimately responsible for all immigration and residency approvals.

What Is the USCIS?

USCIS stands for United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. It is governed by its parent body, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The USCIS was formerly known by another name — the USINS, or United States Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The INS became a part of the newly created Department of Homeland Security in 2003, and transitioned into the CIS. It (the USCIS) is now charged with all aspects of immigration, residency permissions, and naturalization (citizenship).

Why Do I Need the USCIS?

In regards to obtaining a green card by marriage, you need the USCIS for all applications and filings, and for interviewing, decisioning, and granting of your visa (and citizenship if you should choose to pursue that, too).

They are also a good resource for reference, immigration information, laws and policies. This is, in fact, the body that writes residency and immigration policies, and administers all aspects of it. Their functions include all processing, evaluations, and decisions in regards to . . .

• Immigrant visa petitions
• Citizenship or naturalization petitions
• Granting asylum and refugee application
• Consular (National Visa Center, or NVC) processing
• Other governmental functions not directly related to residence and naturalization approvals

Working with the USCIS & Its Agents

There will come a time in your journey towards legal US residence and/or citizenship when you will have to utilize the USCIS, its forms, systems, applications, and procedures. There will also come a time when you will deal with their agents, most commonly during consular processing through the NVC.

Before that time, though, you will want to learn as much as possible about the USCIS and the green card application process.

The USCIS, for all its best intentions and purposes, is difficult to navigate on your own. By utilizing outside resources, such as those you'll find on the pages of this website, you will find that the process is more understandable and thus, faster and easier overall.

This is what this site is here for — to help you get to know the USCIS office, so that your bid for legal residence will be quick and successful.

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