AILA 2002 Conference Report : Texas Service Center Update
Posted Jun 28, 2002

The INS Service Center updates session of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) June 2002 annual conference provided insight into a number of important matters and significant correction and retraction regarding the previously announced "zero tolerance" policy. This Report should provide MurthyBulletin and MurthyDotCom readers with some clarity on many Service Center issues, including the question which is always on everyone's mind - why is my case taking so long?

New Building

The Texas Service Center (TSC) has submitted a plan for a new building. The TSC is presently housed in two separate buildings, 18 miles apart. The mail and filings are transported from one location to the other for processing by an examiner. Problems caused by this situation are obvious.

Processing Times

I-140s

The improved I-140 processing times are expected to continue. TSC has moved more experienced officers to I-140s, in anticipation of premium processing.

I-485s

I-485s are backlogged to August 2000. TSC is working to clear out the backlog by doing a sweep for older cases. They have 20 officers working on these cases; some are processing cases beyond the backlog date. Since May 1, 2002, they have put an automated scheduling system into place that may prove to help with the process.

Telephone Lines

TSC has 13 telephone lines for outside inquiries, all of which are staffed. They are planning to put in "overflow" phone lines. Currently, when all the lines are busy, callers have to keep trying for several hours for a line to ring and must then wait a long time before an Immigration Information Officer or IIO answers the call of an employer or attorney.