Naturalization Update from INS
Posted Mar 18, 1999

INS has announced that it is making great strides in improving naturalization processing. The agency reports an almost 100 percent increase in the number of naturalization applications completed per quarter, an increase in the number of people fingerprinted, and a decline in the fingerprint rejection rate. All of this appears to be very good news.

The Law Office of Sheela Murthy has still not observed any decrease in processing times; in fact, it appears that processing times continue to be very slow. INS is hopeful that processing times for naturalization, which in many places can be as much as two years, will be reduced to one year by October 1999, and to six months by October 2000. And indeed, INS has received additional resources that are earmarked for naturalization improvements, including hiring more Examiners and establishing a telephone customer service center. The fee for naturalization applications, as our readers know, has also increased, supposedly to "recoup the actual cost of processing." However, it is still unclear if that money will actually be channeled into service improvements for persons paying those higher fees, or whether it will go to pay for other priorities, such as enforcement or border patrol.

In its announcement, INS proudly stated that it was improving integrity by implementing the new fingerprinting procedure, by which applicants are fingerprinted at an INS facility. It is odd that INS takes credit for this change, when it was actually Congress, in a Justice Department Appropriations Bill, that ended the use of private fingerprinting agencies and prompted the opening of the new INS fingerprinting facilities. The INS statement also acknowledges certain problems, including high staff turnover, as well as systems and software problems.

A positive development of the INS that the Law Office of Sheela Murthy would like to comment on is the new "Guide to Naturalization," which can be obtained by visiting your local INS office, calling the INS Forms Line at 1-800-870-FORM (3676), or checking out the INS website (www.ins.usdoj.gov). This guide provides information on naturalization criteria and procedures, along with a helpful work sheet to help determine one's eligibility to apply. The Guide also includes a checklist of documents, as well as naturalization test questions.