USCIS Goal for Improved Citizenship Processing Times
Posted Apr 18, 2008
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The USCIS recently announced that significant steps are being taken to improve the processing time for naturalization (citizenship) cases. This appears to be in response to public criticism directed toward the USCIS following a projection of naturalization processing times ranging from 16-18 months. The significant naturalization delays were reported to MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers in our February 22, 2008 article, USCIS Expects Significant Processing Delays for Citizenship Applications. The revised estimate is between 13 and 15 months.
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Reasons for Increased Citizenship Filings Causing Backlogs
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In the summer of 2007, the USCIS received an enormous volume of filings, generated by two separate but simultaneous events. The first event, which is familiar to many MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers, is the series of incidents known as VisaGate, which unexpectedly permitted many green card applicants to file their I-485s, Adjustments of Status to Permanent Resident.
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While these cases were being filed at the end of July 2007, the filing fees for many types of cases increased by amounts that were generally two to three times the previous fees. Also affected were the fees for naturalization cases, so many who were eligible for naturalization chose to apply before the fee increase went into effect. The USCIS, therefore, also received an influx of 1.4 million naturalization cases in FY2007, with 460,000 of those filed in July. According to the USCIS, this reaction to the announced increases in fees surpassed any previous response to fee increases or any other situation that might prompt those eligible to file for naturalization. (There is often a marked surge in naturalization filings prior to presidential elections or during times of immigration controversy, such as followed 9/11.)
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USCIS Plans to Improve Processing Times
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To improve the processing of N-400 (citizenship applications), the USCIS has undertaken the following:
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Additional Staff, Reallocation, and Overtime
The USCIS has added approximately 3,000 new employees to assist with case processing. They also are shifting personnel to offices where they are most needed and have quadrupled funding for overtime. They have expanded their staff for naturalization interviews, and their available space for those interviews will include the asylum offices. This is important since naturalization applicants must have in-person interviews.
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Addressing FBI Name-Check Clearances Faster
Separately, the USCIS and FBI are each addressing the delays caused by the FBI name-check process and each of them has established a timeframe for resolution, based upon how long a case has been pending at USCIS. They expect to clear the backlogs and bring processing times for 98 percent of the cases to 30 days or less by June 2009, as explained in a recent USCIS press release on the topic of citizenship processing.
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Saturday, Sunday, and After-Hours Appointments
As yet another strategy to accommodate the need for naturalization interviews, the USCIS is expanding its hours for those interviews. The USCIS website carries an advisement that naturalization interviews will be scheduled on Saturdays, Sundays, and after normal business hours. Thus, anyone receiving such a notice should appear for the interview at the appointed time, rather than assume there is an error in the notice. An individual using the services of an attorney for a naturalization case should discuss the attorney's availability and policies with regard to weekend or after-hours interviews.
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Conclusion
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Even with these efforts, naturalization cases are taking longer than in the recent past. Applicants should plan for the likelihood that their cases will take approximately 13 to 15 months, as predicted by the USCIS at the current time. We at the Murthy Law Firm appreciate the efforts the USCIS is making to address this situation and process an unprecedented volume of naturalization cases, as well as their attempts to solve the logistical problems caused by the need to interview so many applicants for citizenship.
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