The official US immigration authorities

Department of State (DOS) — Bureau of Consular Affairs: visas abroad

The State Department, through its Bureau of Consular Affairs, is the authority for visas issued outside the United States. Its consular officers at US embassies and consulates adjudicate visa applications, conduct interviews, and issue (or refuse) both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas. State also runs the online application platforms and publishes the monthly Visa Bulletin.

• Nonimmigrant (temporary) applicants complete Form DS-160; immigrant (green-card) applicants complete Form DS-260.
• The visa application (MRV) fee is $185 for most non-petition nonimmigrant categories (including B, F, M and J), $205 for petition-based categories (H, L, O, P, Q, R) and $315 for E treaty traders/investors. Country-specific reciprocity or issuance fees may apply on top and vary by nationality.
• A common refusal ground for visitor and other temporary visas is section 214(b) — failure to demonstrate strong ties abroad and nonimmigrant intent.
• State publishes the monthly Visa Bulletin, which controls priority dates for numerically capped family- and employment-based immigrant categories.
• Fees change; confirm the current amount on travel.state.gov before paying.

USCIS — petitions and immigration benefits inside the US

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a DHS agency, oversees lawful immigration from within the country. It adjudicates the petitions and benefit applications that most people file after entry, and is largely funded by the filing fees applicants pay.

USCIS revised its fee schedule effective 1 April 2024, with several forms cheaper when filed online.

• I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative): $675 by paper, $625 online.
• I-485 (Adjustment of Status / apply for a green card from inside the US): $1,440.
• N-400 (Application for Naturalization): $760 by paper, $710 online.
• I-129 (Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker) fees vary by classification; H-1B cap registration is $215 per beneficiary, with an annual cap of 65,000 plus 20,000 reserved for US master's-degree holders.
• Other common USCIS forms include I-539 (change or extend nonimmigrant status), I-765 (Employment Authorization / EAD) and I-864 (Affidavit of Support, which uses the annual HHS Poverty Guidelines).
• USCIS forms and online accounts are free to create; confirm current fees on uscis.gov, as they are updated periodically.

CBP — admission at the border, the I-94, and ESTA

Customs and Border Protection, also part of DHS, controls entry at air, sea and land ports. A CBP officer makes the final admission decision even if you hold a valid visa, and records your admission on Form I-94 — the electronic arrival/departure record that shows your admission class and the date your authorized stay ends. The I-94 (not the visa) governs how long you may lawfully remain.

• The I-94 is now generated electronically at air and sea ports; retrieve yours at the official CBP I-94 website, which also shows up to five years of travel history.
• Under the Visa Waiver Program, eligible nationals obtain travel authorization through ESTA before boarding — apply only at the official esta.cbp.dhs.gov.
• The ESTA fee is $40.27: the base charge rose from $21 to $40 on 30 September 2025 under the 2025 budget law, with the $40.27 total (after an inflation adjustment) effective from 1 January 2026.
• Avoid third-party ESTA sites that add surcharges; the government fee is paid directly on the official CBP portal.
• Always check your I-94 admit-until date after each entry, as it may differ from your visa's validity.

DHS and DOL — the umbrella and the labor gatekeeper

The Department of Homeland Security is the parent department: USCIS and CBP are both DHS components (as is Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, which handles interior enforcement and removals). When people refer to "DHS" in an immigration context they usually mean one of these operating agencies.

The Department of Labor plays a distinct, earlier role in many employment-based cases. Through its Office of Foreign Labor Certification, DOL certifies that hiring a foreign worker will not harm the job opportunities, wages or working conditions of US workers.

• Many permanent employment-based green cards begin with a PERM labor certification from DOL before an I-140 petition can be filed with USCIS.
• DOL also issues prevailing-wage determinations and certifies Labor Condition Applications used in H-1B and similar cases.
• EB-5 immigrant investors face minimums of $800,000 in a targeted employment area or $1,050,000 otherwise, set by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 15 March 2022 and due to be adjusted after January 2027.
• F, M and J students and exchange visitors also pay a separate SEVIS I-901 fee (distinct from the visa fee) tied to their program record.

Which agency do I contact?

A quick map of who owns each stage of the process:

• Applying for a visa from outside the US, or checking the Visa Bulletin: Department of State (travel.state.gov).
• Filing a petition or benefit inside the US — family petition, adjustment of status, work authorization, naturalization: USCIS (uscis.gov).
• Entry decisions, your I-94 record, and ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program: CBP (cbp.gov).
• Labor certification and prevailing wages for employment cases: Department of Labor (dol.gov).
• Poverty Guidelines used for the Affidavit of Support: Department of Health and Human Services (hhs.gov).