United States

• USCIS Launches Agency-Wide Policy Review

15 April 2010 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has launched a new, comprehensive effort to review all Agency policies with the engaged [more...]

• USCIS Announces Citizenship and Integration Grant Opportunities

25 February 2010 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today the availability of two different grants totalling $7 million designed [more...]

• USCIS and Los Angeles Announce Immigrant Integration Partnership

28 January 2010 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced today a new [more...]

USCIS Launches Agency-Wide Policy Review

15 April 2010 -

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has launched a new, comprehensive effort to review all Agency policies with the engaged participation of both its workforce and the public.  To get underway, USCIS is inviting outside stakeholders to identify their highest priorities for the Policy Review through a two-week survey launched today.

"At USCIS, we are responsible for ensuring that our policies serve our mission and reflect our core values of consistency, integrity, transparency, and efficiency," said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas. "We have therefore initiated a careful review and consideration of those policies in collaboration with the public we serve.  The public's views will help define our Agency’s future."

Through a survey distributed earlier this month, USCIS has already asked its workforce to put forward priorities.  Now, USCIS’s outside stakeholders have an opportunity to offer input by participating in the same survey.  The public survey is available on www.uscis.gov from today through April 29.  USCIS will publish a summary of the results later this spring.

Throughout the Policy Review, USCIS will continue to seek feedback from its workforce and external stakeholders to ensure that the resulting policies are informed, responsive, and effective. 

USCIS Announces Citizenship and Integration Grant Opportunities

Funding will expand local capacity to prepare legal residents for citizenship

25 February 2010 -

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today the availability of two different grants totalling $7 million designed to promote citizenship education and immigrant integration in communities across the country. "Each aspiring citizen represents a personal story of sacrifice and triumph," said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas."This funding will increase opportunities for English language instruction, promote the rights and responsibilities that define our nation, and provide much-needed support for individuals on the path to citizenship."

The first grant will strengthen locally-based citizenship preparation programs. The second grant will increase the capacity of members or affiliates of national, regional, or state-wide organizations to offer citizenship services in underserved communities. USCIS expects to announce an estimated 50 award recipients in September 2010.

During fiscal year (FY) 2009, USCIS awarded $1.2 million in grants to 13 immigrant-serving organizations across the country. These awards are currently expanding services and outreach on U.S. citizenship, educational opportunities, and available resources to nearly 70,000 LPRs in 11 states.

Source: US Citizenship & Immigration Services, http://www.uscis.gov

USCIS and Los Angeles Announce Immigrant Integration Partnership

28 January 2010 -

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced today a new partnership to strengthen immigrant integration efforts in Los Angeles through proactive citizenship awareness, education, and outreach activities. The initiative kicks off with a free citizenship information session and naturalization workshop on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, at Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Center in Northeast Los Angeles. USCIS Los Angeles District Director Jane Arellano will be on hand to answer questions.

'Citizenship creates opportunities, strengthens communities, and allows immigrants to become fully vested members of this great nation," said Mayorkas. "In serving the public, it is our duty to provide aspiring citizens with the tools they need to pursue the path to citizenship. We are proud to partner with Mayor Villaraigosa and the City of Los Angeles on this important initiative."

Saturday's event is the first in a series of planned citizenship information sessions for Los Angeles residents. Other activities under the agreement include the dissemination of USCIS educational materials highlighting U.S. citizenship and the naturalization process at city facilities along with targeted outreach to increase awareness of citizenship rights, responsibilities, and the naturalization process among eligible residents. As the second largest, and one of the most diverse cities in the country, Los Angeles is home to immigrants coming from more than 140 countries and speaking 224 languages. California is home to nearly 3.5 million legal permanent residents, 2.5 million of whom are eligible to naturalize. 

"By partnering with USCIS to educate and encourage Angelenos to become American citizens, the City of Los Angeles is helping to open the doors of greater economic opportunity for thousands of hard-working immigrants and their families," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "This outreach campaign is a model of cooperation and civic empowerment that will help enrich America's continued success as a nation of immigrants."

Los Angeles is the first city to enter into an agreement with USCIS to strengthen and enhance local immigant integration efforts. USCIS will regularly evaluate the program's effectiveness to determine whether a similar agreement may be replicated in other locations. Launched as a pilot, the partnership between USCIS and Los Angeles will remain in effect for two years.

Source: US Citizenship & Immigration Services, http://www.uscis.gov