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Simple English definitions for legal terms

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

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A quick definition of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS):

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is a government agency that helps people with their immigration applications in the United States. They decide if someone is eligible for citizenship, permanent residency, visas, and humanitarian aid. They also help with asylum and work visas. USCIS is part of the Department of Homeland Security, but they work with other agencies too. Sometimes it takes a long time for USCIS to make a decision, which can be frustrating for people waiting for their immigration status.

A more thorough explanation:

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is a government agency that processes immigration applications in the United States. It is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

USCIS evaluates a person’s eligibility for:

  • Citizenship
  • Naturalization
  • Immigration based on familial status
  • Permanent residency status
  • Visa extensions
  • Humanitarian aid

USCIS also plays a major role in evaluating eligibility for asylum and work visas that involves other agencies and immigration courts.

For example, USCIS, the Department of Labor, and the Bureau of Consular Affairs all play a role in granting H-1B visas.

However, USCIS is known for having a backlog of applications and cases, which means that a person may have to wait a year or longer before having determinations on their immigration status for certain kinds of applications.

Compare with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Example: John is a citizen of Canada who wants to move to the United States to work. He applies for an H-1B visa through USCIS, which evaluates his eligibility based on his qualifications and the needs of his potential employer. If USCIS approves his application, John can then apply for a work visa and move to the United States.

Example: Maria is a refugee from El Salvador who is seeking asylum in the United States. She applies for asylum through USCIS, which evaluates her eligibility based on the persecution she faced in her home country. If USCIS approves her application, Maria can then apply for a work permit and begin rebuilding her life in the United States.

These examples illustrate how USCIS evaluates eligibility for different types of immigration applications and plays a crucial role in determining a person's immigration status in the United States.

United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) | United States Code

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16:14
Justice as Fairness!
16:14
also wow I didn’t consider that about immigration policy. hmmm
16:17
@Law-Guy: you get it
16:19
@baddestbunny: oh yeah definitly. Idk how any system of government would work if you can't distribute social goods to everyone.
MildChiller
16:33
does anyone know if the Yale webinars are cameras on?
1a2b3c4d26z
16:35
Justice as deez!
17:49
Quentin Tarantino is interested in watching somebody’s ear getting cut off; David Lynch is interested in the ear.
18:03
Quentin Tarantino can't resist putting a gay scene with a black guy participating in the gay act in his movies.
18:05
David Lynch is just gay.
18:18
Lynch is more in touch with his unconscious/dream state than the average person
18:42
Probably. I just dont know. All I know is he did a good job with Dune.
18:45
You should watch Blue Velvet
18:46
How’s your LSAT studying been going?
18:49
It is good. I have about two more weeks and I broke the 90 level on LSAT Demon which is good last night. My goal is 95 so I can probably get it before I test. It is scaled our of 100. This is for LR. My RC is below that but I know the more I get better at MBT questions the better my RC becomes.
18:50
I watched the trailer for that movie. The run time is 2 hours. May watch it on 2x the speed. Just watched se7en and thats like as graphic as I get so I kinda need a break from weird bodyhorror stuff. The sloth guy in that movie scared me.
18:51
I do like psychological horror though.
18:53
Oh jesus don’t watch the movie at all if you’re gonna watch it on 2x speed
18:54
I have never used lsat demon; how do their levels relate to actual lsat scoring?
18:56
kinda go in 20 point intervals. 20 points if you have mastered lvl 1 difficulty questions, 100 points if you have mastered lvl 5.
18:56
Getting 100 points is incredibly difficult though. anything baout 95 is pushing the 175-180 range. 90-95 is like 170-174 or so. etc.
18:56
yeah but if you’re getting a 95 on all sections what LSAT score is that? how is that calculated?
18:56
oh okay
18:57
so 100 would be a 180?
18:57
Yeah, 100 is like you would get a 180 and there's nothing more to teach you. I have only seen someone with a 100 like 2/3 times.
18:57
are you taking practice tests that are being scored though?
18:57
or just drills
18:57
Yep, they get factored into it.
18:58
I do drilling essentially every day. A timed section every 3, and a test every 2 weeks.
1a2b3c4d26z
20:06
re: WashU's URM lsat differential - fair to chalk that up to LSAT redaction weirdness messing w the scale or are they generally starved for URMs
1a2b3c4d26z
20:07
And an (albeit negligible) inverse URM GPA differential
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