What is an Immigration and Naturalization Record?
While often lumped together, an immigration record and a naturalization record are actually two separate records. However, the two types of records are often considered collectively because they provide information about two events that are quite related to each other: an individual’s immigration to the United States and his or her eventual gaining citizenship. An immigration record is the official record of an immigrant’s admission into the United States. Over the years, these records have taken different forms. During the greater part of the nineteenth century, passenger or ship lists served as immigration records. In the later part of that century, records were made of immigrants who entered the U.S. across the Northern and Southern Borders. In 1924, visas became the official records and twenty years later, Alien Registration records and files also became recognized as official immigration records. While Immigration records document a person’s entry into the country, naturalization
