The US is a land which has largely evolved out of immigrants. Since the mid-19th Century however there began to evolve institutionalized laws and legal bodies to control the relentless flow of immigrants into the US and regulate and systematize the issues of immigration and citizenship in USA.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had replaced the former Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) [Please refer to Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) , Index 1 Topic 3 ] and performs functions relevant to immigration and citizenship in the US.
The USCIS, created in March 2003 from the Immigration Services Division (ISD) of the INS, is a part of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [Please refer to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) , Index 1 Topic 4 ].
The body processes immigrant visa and naturalization petitions, besides asylum and refugee applications. It also performs immigration benefits functions apart from providing citizenship, granting legal permanent resident status, and others.
For further information, please explore the following links:
Customs and Immigration USA
Immigration Statistics USA
Immigration From Canada to USA
History of Chinese Immigration To USA
