Resident aliens

Question

How can I find records of resident aliens. I remember my grandmother filling out the papers. She arrived around 1913 
 
 thanks!

A1 Reference Branch · Answer

Maryellen Glackin 
 Thank you for posting your question on History Hub! The National Archives has immigration records for arrivals to the United States from foreign ports between approximately 1820 and December 1982 (with gaps). The records are arranged by port or airport of arrival. Discover more about Immigrant Records at the National Archives by visiting our webpage: https://www.archives.gov/research/immigration Passenger arrival and departure records dated post 1957 were filmed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the original paper records were not retained. The accessioned microfilm reels now in the custody of the National Archives are the record copies of the original paper records which no longer exist. Unfortunately, due to the fragile nature of the original camera negative film, access to the microfilm is limited until it can be transferred to a more suitable format. The National Archives is in the process of transferring the microfilm to a digital format, and all digitized copies will eventually be available online. Arrival records are restricted due to personally identifiable information for 50 years, and must be requested through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ( https://www.archives.gov/foia ) request during the restricted period. Please note: All requests for passenger arrival records dated post 1957 must include the full name of the passenger; exact day/month/year of arrival; port or airport of arrival; vessel or airline name; and for airport arrivals, the flight number. Records older than 50 years are publicly available, and many have been digitized by National Archives partners including Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. Manifests for arrivals December 1982 and after are held by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Additionally, all immigrants admitted since May 1, 1951 should be entirely documented in an Alien File (A-File). The USCIS manifest arrivals and A-Files are available through the USCIS Freedom of Information Act Program (FOIA): https://www.uscis.gov/g-639 . The form must be submitted to the USCIS address listed under the &ldquo;Where to File&rdquo; tab. We invite you to continue the conversation with community members on History Hub, but should you have follow-up questions for the staff at Archives 1, please email us at archives1reference@nara.gov so that we can assist you further. We hope this assists you with your research! Sincerely, Archives 1 Reference Branch (RR1R) 
 RR1R-24-38219-RH