USCIS
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is the federal agency within the Department of Homeland Security responsible for processing immigration petitions and applications. USCIS operates over 200 offices and handles approximately 8 million cases per year. Key forms include I-129 (nonimmigrant worker), I-140 (immigrant worker), I-485 (adjustment of status), I-130 (family petition), and N-400 (naturalization). USCIS funding comes primarily from application fees, not taxpayer dollars. Processing times vary significantly — from 2 weeks (premium processing) to several years.
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