If you are planning to immigrate to the United States , then you should know more about the bureau citizenship and immigration services in the US that handles immigration-related issues. More specifically, it is called the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). Being informed about the bureau citizenship and immigration services will help you a lot to realize your immigration plans. This is because they are the US government organization that makes decisions on the majority of immigration cases. Your understanding about how the bureau citizenship and immigration functions will help your immigration to America, your chances of obtaining a Green Card, and even your likelihood of becoming a US citizen.
The bureau citizenship and immigration services in the US officially started operations in March 1, 2003 . The US INS (Immigration and Nationalization Service) transitioned their benefit and service functions to the DHS (Department of Homeland Security). The bureau citizenship and immigration services was created as a result of the transition and it is now commonly known as the USCIS. The USCIS is the organization that makes the decision on cases where the person immigrates to America based on investment, profession, or a family petition.
The US " bureau citizenship and immigration services" is an agency in the government that covers a wide range of immigration concerns as well as citizenship matters. Because of the broad nature of the bureau's tasks, the USCIS has 15,000 contractors and federal employees working for it. The bureau citizenship and immigration services also has headquarters along with field offices scattered throughout the world. In fact, the total number of USCIS field offices and headquarters is more than 250. This is really a good thing for everybody because you know that if you plan to immigrate to the US , you can get in touch with them in your own country. However, the USCIS still lacks manpower for dealing with all the applications it receives on a daily basis and this has resulted in a dramatic increase in the backlog.
The bureau Citizenship and Immigration Services currently has plenty of backlogs. By the end of fiscal year 2003, it was estimated that the US bureau Citizenship and Immigration Services had a backlog of 6.1 million pending applications. Recent efforts to deal with the backlog have reduced it to 4.1 million pending applications at the close of fiscal year 2004. (Source: www. migrationinformation.org) The bureau citizenship and immigration is in the process of formulating major policy changes aimed at reducing a ballooning immigration backlog, some of which are standardizing the test criteria, granting permanent residency to tens of thousands of applicants, whose fingerprints have cleared the FBI database of criminal convictions and arrests but before the FBI had completed a required background check.
However, there is always a gap between formulation and execution of policies. The goal of the bureau citizenship and immigration services is to decrease the backlog may take some time before it is implemented and it is obvious that during this period the number of backlog will increase considerably. Under these circumstances it is only natural to expect that your petitions for immigration and citizenship processes will take a few months. This is why it is so important to do things right from the very beginning to avoid requests for further evidence and documentation from the USCIS or worse yet, being denied the visa or Green Card and having to start all over again.
In view of the current reforms that are expected to be implemented, it is advisable to contact an immigration attorney in regards to your immigration and citizenship concerns. An immigration attorney has the necessary knowledge and expertise and will be able to guide you in the proper direction. They will be able to tell you what exactly needs to be done and when it needs to be done. It will help smoothen your immigration and citizenship application process and save you time, money and some serious headaches in dealing with the intricate and constantly changing laws of bureau citizenship and immigration .
Sonia M. Munoz, as President of the Law Firm International Legal Counsel, LLC, gives legal guidance to foreign business owners on the most efficient immigration strategies to enter and work in the U.S. Visit the Firm's site now to read the most frequently asked questions on how to obtain a US Green Card through employment at http://www.ilclawfirm.com/ 10questions-greencardthroughemployment.aspx
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