New Naturalization Process and Fingerprint Policies
Prior to May 1998

INS Announces New Naturalization Process and Fingerprint Policy to Ensure Integrity and Improve Customer Service

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) announced that it should soon receive funding necessary to make critical improvements to the naturalization process. According to Doris Meissner, the Commissioner of INS, these improvements will help guarantee the integrity of the citizenship program, improve customer service, and ultimately reduce the backlog of pending cases. One of the most important components of the improved process is a new fingerprint policy.

Under the new system, naturalization applicants will be required to be fingerprinted by INS after they have filed their applications, instead of submitting fingerprints at the time they file. Under the existing system, INS accepts fingerprints taken by Designated Fingerprint Service (DFS) entities and by law enforcement agencies.

Under the new policy, fingerprints for citizenship applications will now be taken at INS fingerprinting centers, known as Application Support Centers (ASCs). The first ASCs are scheduled to open in the coming in the six major metropolitan areas Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, N.J., New York and San Francisco that account for approximately 70 percent of citizenship applications. Over the course of the next several months, INS plans to open more than 80 offices nationwide. It will choose sites by taking into account the density of immigrant populations; availability of public transportation, highways and parking; and accessibility for people with disabilities. INS is now working with state and local governments and community-based organizations to identify appropriate locations. The Application Support Centers will be staffed by contractors whose function initially will be solely to take fingerprints. They will be hired and trained by INS, cleared by the FBI, and overseen by INS personnel.

INS aims to ensure that accessibility to fingerprint services is not significantly diminished by the new fingerprint policy. It is establishing a fleet of vans that will serve as mobile fingerprinting centers, in addition to the permanent sites. The vans will make regularly scheduled visits to areas not served by the Application Support Centers. INS plans to work with local communities to arrange stops for homebound applicants, those in nursing homes, and other with special needs. INS is also prepared to fill gaps in coverage by supplementing mobile services with support from existing INS facilities and law enforcement agencies.

According to the INS, the new fingerprinting process will not increase the waiting time because the background check will be completed during the time the applicant would normally wait for an interview to be scheduled; and also the new procedures for processing fingerprints should also reduce the turnaround period for completing FBI background checks.