How the Immigration System Works
The U.S. immigration system operates under an intricate set of rules that outline who can enter, reside in, and become a citizen of the United States. It includes various pathways like family-based immigration, employment visas, and refugee and asylum status, each with its own criteria and application processes. Several federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department, oversee the system and enforce immigration laws and policies, handle applications, and manage border control. Learn more by exploring the resources below.
How the United States Immigration System Works
- How the Immigration System Works
- June 24, 2024
U.S. immigration law is very complex, and there is much confusion as to how it works. This fact sheet provides basic information…
Read More
Employment-Based Visa Categories in the United States: An Overview
Current U.S. immigration law provides several paths for foreign workers to enter the United States for employment purposes on a temporary or permanent basis. This fact sheet provides basic information about how the employment-based U.S. immigration system works. Read More
Council and Just Futures Law File FOIA Request Seeking Information on USCIS’ Implementation of “Anti-Americanism” in Adjudicating Benefit Applications
Following the issuance of two executive orders in the early days of the second Trump administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 9, 2025 that it would begin considering “anti-Semitic activity” on social media as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests. Shortly thereafter, USCIS claimed also to… Read More
More Sunshine Is Needed on Immigration Agencies
Legal filings recently revealed that the federal agency that runs immigration courts has just two attorneys responsible for processing complex public records requests. Two lawyers to handle requests for information about a system that decides the fate of hundreds of thousands of immigrants every year. This revelation should come… Read More
Whistleblower Report Reveals USCIS Is Circumventing Court Order on Immigrants’ Access to their Records
A whistleblower report published today in Government Executive shows how U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is circumventing a court order that requires the agency to provide immigrants with their immigration records within the legal timelines. The revelations state that USCIS has adopted certain practices leading the agency… Read More
2025 Impact Snapshot
Our 2025 Impact Snapshot captures the human stories and national-scale impact of a year defined by profound challenges for immigrant communities. Inside, you’ll find examples of families reunited, youth protected from harmful detention practices, and Detroit neighborhoods building bridges across race and culture through our belonging initiatives. Paired with data… Read More
What Are Third-Country Removals? Understanding Their Use In U.S. Immigration Policy
Third-country deportation and third-country removal are terms used to refer to any case in which the government sends someone to a country that is not the country in which they lived prior to arriving in the United States, nor to a country of which they are a citizen or national. Read More
Can Undocumented Immigrants Get SNAP or Medicaid? The Truth About Federal Benefits
Amid widespread misinformation about immigrants, SNAP, Medicaid, and government benefits, it’s critical to know the facts. Who qualifies for specific federal public benefits can be complicated, relying on a sweeping checklist of eligibility criteria. The recent passage of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has further… Read More
What a Government Shutdown Means for the Immigration System
With weeks of failed negotiations, Congress has less than 12 hours to avert a possible government shutdown. Should government funding lapse on October 1 without a deal, the impact will be felt differently across the government agencies that play a role in the immigration system. Democratic members of the Senate… Read More
Why Is It So Hard to Become a US Citizen?
“Why don’t they just get in line?” It’s a question often directed toward undocumented immigrants living in the United States, a pointed challenge on why someone didn’t come to the country “the right way.” The short answer: there is no “line” available for most immigrants. The pathway to American… Read More
Detention under INA § 235(b): The Statutory Scheme and Strategies for Release
Immigration authorities have long invoked § 235(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to justify the detention of noncitizens entering the United States. The number of noncitizens detained under INA § 235(b), rather than the general detention provision, INA § 236(a), has increased exponentially in recent years. The reach… Read More
