The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a federal agency, is a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S.), that monitors and administers lawful naturalization and immigration to the United States.
USCIS provides services in various domains: Citizenship (Includes the Related Naturalization Process), Working in the United States, Immigration of Family Members, Verifying an Individual’s Legal Right to Work in the United States (E-Verify), Humanitarian Programs, Adoptions, Civic Integration, and Genealogy.
There are more than 200 local offices worldwide, including a local office in Cleveland, Ohio. As USCIS Field offices across the United States, local USCIS office in Cleveland also provides:
- Interviews for all the cases that are non-asylum
- Naturalization ceremonies
- Informative appointments
Local Office in Cleveland
Local office in Cleveland is located in A.J.C. Federal Building, 1240 East 9th Street, Room 501.
Areas that are served by Cleveland USCIS office are:
- Allen
- Ashland
- Ashtabula
- Auglaize
- Carroll
- Columbiana
- Crawford
- Cuyahoga
- Defiance
- Erie
- Fulton
- Geauga
- Hancock
- Hardin
- Henry
- Holmes
- Huron
- Lake
- Lorain
- Lucas
- Mahoning
- Marion
- Medina
- Mercer
- Ottawa
- Paulding
- Portage
- Putnam
- Richland
- Ross
- Sandusky
- Seneca
- Stark
- Summit
- Trumbull
- Tuscarawas
- Union
- Van Wert
- Wayne
- Williams
- Wood
- Wyandot
In order to visit the office, it is necessary to make an appointment. USCIS makes appointments, or people can schedule appointments on their own through InfoPass, an online scheduling appointment service on the USCIS website.
The InfoPass appointments are a free service that allows you to ask questions about immigration directly to the USCIS immigration officer. Online scheduling appointments via InfoPass is not available for people inside the United States, for domestic offices. The office is handicapped accessible. Yet, it is closed on Wednesday.
Case Processing Times in Cleveland
Case processing times for different forms can be checked here. This option allows you to see how long USCIS local office will take to process your case, from the date they have received it. The estimated time range is based on collected data for two previous months.
The processing times in Cleveland for some of the most searched forms are:
I–485 form
Application to register permanent residence or adjust status – 8 to 29 months.
This form is used by applicants who are in the United States on an immigration visa, in order to get a green card (permanent residence). Eligibility for a green card can be based on:
- Employer or family member sponsorship
- Asylee or refugee status for one year or more
N–400 form
Application for Naturalization – 12.5 to 36 months.
This form represents a Citizenship application which is used for naturalization. It is necessary to support the form with photos and the following documents, as stated in filling instructions.
Two types of fees are usually arising from filing this application:
- USCIS filing fee: $640
- Biometrics fee: $85
Eligibility requirements for U.S. citizenship are:
- To be at least 18 years old
- To have a green card for at least five years (three years if you are married to U.S. citizen, or no green card requirement if you have served U.S. military)
- To continuously reside in the United States for five years at least (three years if you are married to U.S. citizen)
- Physical presence for at least two and a half years (one and a half if you are married to U.S. citizen)
- Living in a state where you have applied the N – 400 form for at least three months
- Good English reading, writing and listening skill
- Knowing U.S. history and politics
- Moral qualities and respect for U.S. constitutional principles
N–600 form
Application for Certificate of Citizenship – 5 to 13 months.
This form is used by an individual, who was born outside the United States, but who claims that it already has U.S. citizenship because of the birth to a U.S. citizen parent. Those who meet all the requirements will automatically become U.S. citizens, and the Certificate of Citizenship is the evidence of citizenship.
In total, the local office in Cleveland has efficient service, with the highest backlogs completion, short wait times, and easily accessible location for the citizenship interview. This has brought them to the top of the list, the “Best (Worst) Field Offices to Become a U.S. Citizen.”, and gave them the title of one of the best USCIS local offices in the United States.
Contact your immigration lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio should you have any questions and read more information about immigration in Cleveland now.
