Which government agency is responsible for processing immigration and naturalization applications?

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the agency specifically tasked with processing immigration and naturalization applications. This includes handling petitions for various immigration benefits, such as family-based and employment-based visas, asylum applications, and naturalization applications for those seeking to become U.S. citizens.

USCIS operates under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and plays a central role in managing the country’s immigration system, ensuring that applications are assessed according to the law, which includes background checks and eligibility determinations.

While other agencies like the Department of State and the Department of Justice have important functions regarding immigration, such as consular processing and immigration enforcement, respectively, they do not handle the processing of applications directly as USCIS does. The Department of Labor oversees labor-related issues and employment matters but is not involved in immigration application processing. Therefore, USCIS is the correct answer when it comes to who processes immigration and naturalization applications.