News Update - December 10, 2008
By Alan Lee, Esq.†‡
USCIS Reports on Its 2008 Accomplishments
USCIS gave a recent report on its progress on several fronts during
2008, according to the agency, more than one million immigrants
became U.S. citizens. During fiscal year 2008, USCIS completed more
than 1.17 million naturalization applications, reducing the naturalization
application processing time to 9-10 months from 16-18 months in
fiscal year 2007. More than 100,000 refugee applicants were interviewed
and more than 47,000 asylum applications were completed. USCIS also
hired 1,600 new adjudications officers and collaborated with the
FBI to reduce the number of cases waiting for name checks from almost
350,000 at the end of last year to less than 37,000. Use of the
E-Verify system, USCIS’s employment eligibility verification
system increased by 206 percent over last year resulting in the
verification of more than 10 percent of new employees.
USCIS’s major goal for 2009 is a 20 percent reduction in
processing times for most applications. The agency aims to complete
naturalization application processing in five months and adjustment
of status application and petition for alien workers processing
in four months.
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