Biden Administration Outlines New Measures to Reduce Massive Immigration Backlog

The Biden administration introduced Tuesday new measures to lower the massive backlog of immigration programs that has hamstrung the U.S. agency tasked with processing them.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Products and services (USCIS) explained in a assertion that it prepared to established new ambitions to decrease hold out moments, develop quality processing to additional varieties, and streamline the method for individuals waiting for work allow renewals.

The federal agency has wrestled with a burgeoning backlog for decades, exacerbated by restrictive immigration policies underneath former President Trump and the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to a international suspension of immigration expert services.

In current many years, total software processing situations have elevated by 25%. As of February, the backlog had reached 9.5 million purposes, up from 5.7 million at the end of Fiscal Yr 2019.

The delays have still left hundreds of thousands of would-be immigrants waiting around months and even many years for their immigration programs to be accepted, separated from their people or not able to work.

“USCIS continues to be dedicated to delivering timely and truthful decisions to all we serve,” reported USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. “Every software we adjudicate signifies the hopes and goals of immigrants and their people, as perfectly as their critical quick needs these kinds of as fiscal security and humanitarian safety.”

What do the new measures say?

As portion of the new options, USCIS explained it would employ the service of a lot more staff and additional modernize its procedures applying technology to meet new processing time objectives. The agency mentioned it planned to realize these objectives by September 2023.

Another measure would let quality processing for much more form styles, providing applicants the solution to pay in between $1,500 and $2,500 in more fees to expedite their applications. High quality processing is at this time only available for H-1 perform permit applications and some employment-based mostly inexperienced playing cards. The new evaluate, which goes into impact in 60 days, will extend high quality processing to the software for an employment authorization doc (EAD) and requests to increase or improve momentary immigration status.

The last measure would boost the automated extension interval for perform allow renewals, delivering aid for hundreds of immigrants trapped in limbo as they hold out for permission to do the job. Get the job done permits, commonly valid for 2 many years, are instantly prolonged for 180 days as soon as visa holders have applied for renewals. But unprecedented delays in processing renewals have left lots of immigrants caught in a waiting around activity, or worse, devoid of jobs after their get the job done permits expire.

“I am encouraged by the elevated concentrations of transparency and accountability from USCIS,” mentioned Boundless CEO and Co-Founder Xiao Wang. “The growing backlog more than the earlier two decades has damage tens of millions of households hoping to reunite, function, and establish their life,” including “what will genuinely move the needle is the speed by which USCIS is equipped to fill its 3,000+ open up positions and undertake new systems.”