July 02, 2004

The nation's immigration service announced Thursday that it was renewing efforts to reduce the backlog of applications for citizenship, green cards and other benefits.

Eduardo Aguirre, the director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, told Congress his bureau expects to reach its goal of processing almost all applications in six months or less by the end of 2006.

To do that, he expects that the FBI, customs and other law-enforcement agencies will speed up the background checks that often hold up many immigration applications.

"We do depend on them, but we are already getting a faster turn-around time from the FBI," Aguirre said before he testified to the House Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee.

Bill Yates, the associate director for operations, said FBI checks that took months in the 1990s now took only a couple of days.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, law-enforcement officers have spent more time checking watch lists and other databases to research the records of people seeking citizenship or permanent residency.

That's added to delays in even the most routine applications, but Aguirre said his bureau in recent months had reduced the backlog of 3.7 million applications still pending after six months by more than 212,000.

The new immigration service, created in March 2003, is improving its performance in several areas to reduce the backlog, Aguirre said:

A special task force of experienced staffers will process applications more rapidly in the areas of greatest need.

Staffers will "identify low-risk cases primed for fast-track processing," and eliminate redundancy. Some applicants have been frustrated by having to supply the same paperwork several times.

More online filing will speed up the process. InfoPass, a program that began in Miami, allows a customer to make an appointment online instead of waiting in line. It will be available nationwide by Oct. 1.

Immigration officers will eliminate the practice of "unnecessarily requesting additional evidence" from applicants in some cases.

Aguirre admitted that his bureau faces a formidable challenge. One of his charts on backlogs showed that in Miami, the naturalization process takes 10 to 15 months and green card processing often takes more than 15 months, one of the longest waits in the nation.

"We are dealing with the most complex set of laws in the nation. It beats the tax code," Aguirre said. "I liken this task to climbing Mount Everest, not because it's impossible, but because it's doable."

Source - http://www.zimobserver.com/