At a Glance

Fact Sheet 

Summary: 

• Description 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) 

makes certain that the right applicant receives the 

right benefit in the right amount of time, while 

preventing the wrong individuals from accessing 

our benefits. USCIS is a component of the 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that 

facilitates legal immigration for people seeking to 

enter, reside, or work in the United States. 

• Responsibilities 

USCIS possesses the authority to grant or deny 

February 2, 2004 

Contact: USCIS, Public Affairs 

202-353-8472 

At a Glance 

Senior Leadership:

Director Eduardo Aguirre Jr.

Established: 2003

Major Programs: Immigrant;

Nonimmigrant; Citizenship;

Asylum/Refugee; Backlog Initiative

FY 2005 Budget Request: $1,711M 

Discretionary $ 140 M 

Mandatory $1,571M 

Employees (FTE): 9,937 

immigration benefits – approving millions of immigration benefit applications each year. 

• Service to the Public 

Through a network of 250 local offices, Application Support Centers, Service Centers, 

Asylum offices, National Customer Service Call (NCSC) Centers, Forms Centers, and the 

Internet, USCIS is responsible for processing benefits which range from work authorization 

documents, to asylum and refugee applications, to petitions for immediate relatives to 

immigrate to the United States. 

- more – 
FY 2005 Budget ($M) 

FY 2004 FY 2005 +/- Change 

Immigrant Services 773 765 - 8 

Nonimmigrant Services 403 400 - 3 

Citizenship Services 244 247 + 3 

Asylum/Refugee Services 133 139 + 6 

Backlog Initiative 100 160 + 60 

Total 1,653 1,711 + 58 

Includes both appropriated and fee-funded resources. 

FY 2004 Accomplishments in Progress: 

• Reducing the backlog – USCIS will achieve the President’s six-month processing time goal 

by FY 2006. 

• Improving customer service – USCIS is streamlining the process for Child Citizenship 

Certificates; expanding electronic filing to additional form types; and establishing the new 

Office of Citizenship as required by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. 

• Ensuring the security and integrity of the immigration system – USCIS continues its efforts 

to make travel documents more secure and establishing a new refugee corps. 

FY 2005 Initiatives: 

• Backlog Reduction Initiative ..................................................................................$160-million 

To support the President’s plan to attain a six-month processing time standard for all 

immigration benefit applications by FY 2006, the FY 2005 budget request includes a total of 

$140-million in appropriated resources that will support backlog reduction efforts and further 

application processing improvements. In addition, and as with past years, at least $20-

million collected from premium processing fees will also support the backlog reduction 

effort. 

– USCIS – 

On March 1, 2003, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services became one of three legacy INS components to join the U.S. Department of 

Homeland Security. USCIS is charged with fundamentally transforming and improving the delivery of immigration and citizenship services, 

while enhancing our nation's security.