I do not like the idea of shortcuts being taken to push through thousands of visa’s and citizenship requests.
If you’re pushing them through that means you’re not doing proper background checks that we should be doing in every case.
If the requests for applicants had “doubled” as you say; then it is only logical that the wait time would also double in order to process such applications. DON’T TAKE ANY SHORTCUTS.
February 12, 2008 5:00 PM
Anonymous said...
I do not think it is wise to let foreign applicants roam free through our country while you have not even finished all the background checks that are needed to make sure they are not mental defectives; criminals or terrorists. It is not fair to put American lives at risk by doing that.
Just tell these foreign applicants they have to WAIT.
SEAL OUR BORDERS; SEND THE NO-MATCH LETTERS, ENFORCE OUR CURRENT IMMIGRATION LAWS and don't let anymore of these potential criminals in!
February 14, 2008 1:53 PM
Anonymous said...
It is clear to me that while potiential criminals are sure to knock on America's door, shortcuts are not being made.
If processing times are your concern talk to the FBI and tell them to revamp their background check policy and allow USCIS to do their jobs.
The vast majority of immigrants legal and illegal to this country are outsatinding people with stories of life that most natural born American's could never imagine having endured and taken for granted most of their free lives. I refuse to turn my head to those who are here by choice and pledge alligience to the United States of America for a bunch of political and bueracratic, "Red Tape!"
February 15, 2008 10:49 AM
Anonymous said...
Our great country, the US is big and beautiful and we need to keep the borders tight and be very strict on immigration laws.
However, good, innocent and legal immigrants should not be punished for no reason (person I know 6 yrs)
He is an Israeli citizen and a US LPR - Legal Permanent Resident married to a born US citizen for 6 years+, obeys all laws, pays taxes on time each year and he together with his wife decided in June 2005 to apply for N-400 to become a US citizen for 3 very good reasons:
1) To bring his 2 single daughters who are under age 21 to the US as in Israel there are many cases of suicide bombers and he worries.
2) He wants to be like everyone else (to have a right to vote for the President Elections).
3) He wants to find a good job as many jobs have demands to be a US Citizen so, he gets denied.
On October 2005, he had an interview at the Immigration office and passed all 10 questions.
To his shock, the officer decided not to give him the "OATH Ceremony" and he is on hold till now (2.5 years)
He was told later that his file is on "FBI NameCheck".
He is not a criminal, spy or terrorist. Actually, he's Veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces
What is funny is that he is "Notary Public" in our state and he notarizes documents for students, immigrants, residents of the state but sadly, he is not good enough to be a US Citizen.
To: Secretary of DHS, Mr. Michael Chertoff and Director of USCIS, Dr. Emilio T. Gonzalez please do justice and make this man a proud US citizen as he loves the US and is more patriotic than born US citizens (the case is in CLE, OH)
February 23, 2008 9:21 PM
Anonymous said...
My concern is that priority is given to those who aren't citizens yet. What about processing petitions from those who are already citizens. I fail to understand this logic that citizens have to wait in the back of the line. Is that because new citizens will vote this November? Why isn't my I I-130 getting first priority or the same attention?
The way immigration works is not fair, they are discriminating against those who are not a US Citizens. THe priority for I130 is given to Citizens, what about the Green Card Holders?? Green card holder can have better job thatn a US Citizen, better education, clean background, yet the priority will be given to US Citizen. That is not fair you should overlook this processes and make it faster at lease for those who already made to this county.
March 28, 2008 3:32 AM
[Photo] As the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and an American by choice, I find it satisfying that so many people want to become a part of the American fabric. The significant increase in the number of immigration applications and petitions filed is clearly welcome news as applicants demonstrate a deep desire to participate fully in our country’s civic life. I understand well that processing delays are not abstract numbers. Each case affects an individual’s or family’s dreams and aspirations. At USCIS, we are committed to providing immigration services and benefits to eligible applicants as expeditiously as possible.
In July and August, we received almost 2.4 million applications and petitions for immigration benefits, double the normal volume. During fiscal year 2007, the agency received approximately 1.4 million naturalization applications. That is more than the total naturalization applications filed in 2005 and 2006 combined. For the months of June and July of 2007, it represented an increase of nearly 350% compared to the same period in 2006.
This surge in filings initially resulted in receipting delays for many naturalization applicants. We have addressed this situation, and have returned to normal timeframes for issuing naturalization application receipt notices. USCIS projects this filing surge will impact overall processing times for naturalization applications received after June 1, 2007. USCIS is projecting that under current conditions, the average processing time for these applications is expected to be up to 18 months. It is likely, however, that some applicants in jurisdictions less heavily impacted by the filing surge will be processed sooner.
We are finalizing a plan to specifically address the application increase. It will detail how we expect to improve this situation by enhancing our information systems, realigning our internal processes, and expanding our workforce capabilities. In the interim, we are taking some immediate steps. Our new fee schedule (pdf) has provided the resources to expand our workforce by about 1,500 employees and invest in information technology, facilities, training and other areas to improve service. We now have more than 690 new staff members onboard, including more than 400 adjudicators, who have a direct effect on this workload. Many more will be arriving in USCIS offices this summer.
Our goal is to continue these efforts and accelerate them where possible to better meet demands. We will not shortcut our procedures or processes to the detriment of immigration integrity or national security. Processing applications fairly without sacrificing national security and public safety is our core mission, and the American people deserve our utmost dedication and commitment. USCIS remains committed to fulfilling its promise of maintaining the integrity of our immigration system while also providing world-class customer service.
6 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formI do not like the idea of shortcuts being taken to push through thousands of visa’s and citizenship requests.
If you’re pushing them through that means you’re not doing proper background checks that we should be doing in every case.
If the requests for applicants had “doubled” as you say; then it is only logical that the wait time would also double in order to process such applications.
DON’T TAKE ANY SHORTCUTS.
February 12, 2008 5:00 PM
I do not think it is wise to let foreign applicants roam free through our country while you have not even finished all the background checks that are needed to make sure they are not mental defectives; criminals or terrorists.
It is not fair to put American lives at risk by doing that.
Just tell these foreign applicants they have to WAIT.
SEAL OUR BORDERS; SEND THE NO-MATCH LETTERS, ENFORCE OUR CURRENT IMMIGRATION LAWS and don't let anymore of these potential criminals in!
February 14, 2008 1:53 PM
It is clear to me that while potiential criminals are sure to knock on America's door, shortcuts are not being made.
If processing times are your concern talk to the FBI and tell them to revamp their background check policy and allow USCIS to do their jobs.
The vast majority of immigrants legal and illegal to this country are outsatinding people with stories of life that most natural born American's could never imagine having endured and taken for granted most of their free lives. I refuse to turn my head to those who are here by choice and pledge alligience to the United States of America for a bunch of political and bueracratic, "Red Tape!"
February 15, 2008 10:49 AM
Our great country, the US is big and beautiful and we need to keep the borders tight and be very strict on immigration laws.
However, good, innocent and legal immigrants should not be punished for no reason (person I know 6 yrs)
He is an Israeli citizen and a US LPR - Legal Permanent Resident married to a born US citizen for 6 years+, obeys all laws, pays taxes on time each year and he together with his wife decided in June 2005 to apply for N-400 to become a US citizen for 3 very good reasons:
1) To bring his 2 single daughters who are under age 21 to the US as in Israel there are many cases of suicide bombers and he worries.
2) He wants to be like everyone else (to have a right to vote for the President Elections).
3) He wants to find a good job as many jobs have demands to be a US Citizen so, he gets denied.
On October 2005, he had an interview at the Immigration office and passed all 10 questions.
To his shock, the officer decided not to give him the "OATH Ceremony" and he is on hold till now (2.5 years)
He was told later that his file is on "FBI NameCheck".
He is not a criminal, spy or terrorist. Actually, he's Veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces
What is funny is that he is "Notary Public" in our state and he notarizes documents for students, immigrants, residents of the state but sadly, he is not good enough to be a US Citizen.
To: Secretary of DHS, Mr. Michael Chertoff and Director of USCIS, Dr. Emilio T. Gonzalez please do justice and make this man a proud US citizen as he loves the US and is more patriotic than born US citizens (the case is in CLE, OH)
February 23, 2008 9:21 PM
My concern is that priority is given to those who aren't citizens yet. What about processing petitions from those who are already citizens. I fail to understand this logic that citizens have to wait in the back of the line. Is that because new citizens will vote this November?
Why isn't my I I-130 getting first priority or the same attention?
March 21, 2008 3:16 PM
The way immigration works is not fair, they are discriminating against those who are not a US Citizens. THe priority for I130 is given to Citizens, what about the Green Card Holders?? Green card holder can have better job thatn a US Citizen, better education, clean background, yet the priority will be given to US Citizen. That is not fair you should overlook this processes and make it faster at lease for those who already made to this county.
March 28, 2008 3:32 AM