Citizenship Applications Backlog Reduction

In an effort to focus on customer service issues and provide more expedient service to citizenship applicants, the INS, in addition to various technological and process improvements, is taking a number of critical steps to reduce the backlog of pending citizenship applications.

INS is now developing individualized backlog reduction plans for each of its district offices. The implementation which is expected to be completed by December 31, 1997, involves analyzing critical problems and redirecting resources as needed to resolve those problems. The new legislation also provides funds to INS to hire additional staff to help address the backlog.

According to the INS , it has completed more than 700,000 naturalization cases in fiscal year 1997, a larger number than in any previous year except 1996. INS database indicates that it has received more than 1.6 million citizenship applications in the fiscal year ended September 30, 1997, an increase of 34 percent over 1996.