IBIS Checks Now Valid for 90 Days
Posted Jul 09, 2004
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Under the standard operating procedure that began in July 2002, the USCIS was required to conduct a new Interagency Border Inspection Systems (IBIS) records check whenever an applicant's last IBIS check had not occurred within the past 35 days. The validity period of the IBIS check has now increased significantly. This will result in substantial savings to the government in financial costs as well as in time, since they will no longer have to confirm repeatedly that an applicant for an immigration benefit is free of criminal issues and poses no security threat to the U.S.
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William Yates, Associate Director of Operations, USCIS, issued a memo on January 20, 2004 changing the 35-day requirement to a 90-day requirement. This Jan 20, 2004 Memo was released to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) on June 30, 2004.
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The USCIS conducted a study to determine whether the validity period of IBIS checks could be extended to 60 days, 90 days, 6 months, or 9 months. The study revealed that, at present, 90 days is the viable timeframe. The policy outlined in the Memo should reduce the backlog by preventing the need for a second or subsequent IBIS check in a number of cases pending at the USCIS service centers and district offices.
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We at The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C., appreciate the USCIS's ongoing efforts to reduce backlogs while maintaining security.