ISD Teleconference : July 11, 2002
Posted Jul 26, 2002

The Information Services Division (ISD) of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) provides periodic updates to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) on current procedural and policy issues. We publish the information most useful to our readers as it becomes available. The most recent ISD-AILA teleconference was held on July 11, 2002 at INS Headquarters.

Blanket Ls

ISD confirmed that premium processing is available for blanket L petitions. Premium processing, as regular MurthyBulletin and MurthyDotCom readers are aware, is an expedited processing service available for employment-based, nonimmigrant petitions with an additional INS fee of $1,000.

IBIS Checks

ISD explained that INS does not routinely run "IBIS" background checks on corporate petitioners. They do regularly run IBIS checks on individual petitioners. For companies, INS has the discretion to run checks.

Timeframes

The IBIS checks, as we have reported in earlier MurthyBulletin articles (See our May 17, 2002 article, Mandatory Security Checks Cause INS Backlogs, available on MurthyDotCom.), have caused delays in processing times. ISD says it is unlikely that the times will revert to pre-IBIS timeframes. INS has put some improvements into place to address the delays and expects the processing times on I-129 petitions (the form used for H1Bs and a number of other petitions) to reduce from 120 days to closer to 90 days by the end of the year, as a result. They do not expect to reduce the processing to fewer than 90 days, unless there is an increase in staffing.

I-I40 Premium Processing & Concurrent Filings Delayed

Implementation of the I-140 premium-processing program has been delayed. INS could not provide any estimate as to when it might begin. According to ISD, it is necessary first to evaluate the impact of IBIS and any possible repercussion of allowing concurrent I-140/I-485 filings.