(Citizenship) Application Logjam May Take Years To Unblock

Source: WaPo

Friday, January 18, 2008; Page A17

The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said yesterday that it will take the federal government three years to clear a huge surge of citizenship applications filed last summer and return processing times to a six-month standard.

USCIS received 3 million applications for naturalization, green cards and other immigration benefits last summer, compared with 1.8 million in 2006. Officials attributed the influx to immigrants seeking to apply before a well-publicized fee increase took effect July 30, concern over the harsh tone of the nation's debate over illegal immigration and interest in the 2008 elections.

As a result, USCIS announced it will take 18 months to process applications filed after June 1, 2007, up from about seven months.

Testifying to a House Judiciary Committee subcommittee, USCIS Director Emilio T. Gonzalez said that the agency has detailed 84 workers to regional service centers, and beefed up its contract staff. It has hired 274 of a projected 723 new adjudicators using new revenue from fee increases and identified 469 retired adjudicators that the Office of Personnel Management has given USCIS permission to rehire.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/17/AR2008011702944.html?nav=hcmoduletmv

and we've got clients screaming at us as if it were our fault... Needless to say, we printed out the USCIS memo and put copies at our reception desk, but still people complain.

New citizens may be more likely to vote Democratic. As much as I hate to think so, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the plan.