This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A security check instituted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has led to a backlog of naturalization applications, prompting lawsuits in Utah and elsewhere against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS).
A report by CIS Ombudsman Prakash Khatri states that as of May, there were a "staggering" 329,160 FBI "name checks" pending nationwide. Approximately 64 percent of them had been awaiting completion more than 90 days and the other 32 percent more than a year. Of the total, 93,358 had been pending for more than 33 months.
Khatri questioned the value of the name checks - often conducted by going through paper files - and said problems can be revealed more efficiently through automated searches. He pointed out that citizenship applicants continue to live and work in the United States while they wait for a decision.
"In this sense, the current CIS name check policy may increase the risk to national security by extending the time a potential criminal or terrorist remains in the country," the ombudsman wrote.
To speed up the process, CIS will bump up application fees by an average of 66 percent beginning Monday. The new fees are $675 for naturalization, up from $400; lawful permanent resident status, going to $1,010 from $395; renewal or replacement of permanent resident card, $370 from a previous $260; and petition for immigrant worker, $475 from $195.
The increased funding is expected to eventually reduce processing times by 20 percent for these four major application types, which represent one-third of all filings.
Among additional suggestions, Khatri said the government should review whether other Department of Homeland Security entities could perform the name checks.
- Pamela Manson