Overview of Agency History
USCIS benefits from a legacy of more than 100 years of federal immigration and naturalization administration. This section of our website provides basic historical information about USCIS, INS, and their predecessors.
Overview of Agency History
- Early American Immigration Policies
- Origins of the Federal Immigration Service
- Origins of the Federal Naturalization Service
- Mass Immigration and WWI
- Era of Restriction
- World War II
- Post-War Years
- Late Twentieth Century
- Post-9/11
- Overview of INS History to 1998
Last Reviewed/Updated: