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November 21, 2008 8:58:05 PM CST

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Citizenship and Immigration Services

Citizenship and Immigration Services news stories

11 Stories

 Citizenship Test
 Moves Beyond Trivia

Immigrants worry about potential for abuse

Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Oct 1, 08 8:49 CDT
(Newser) - The new test to become a US citizen debuts today, and it's making plenty of immigrants and their advocacy groups anxious. Proponents say it asks more meaningful questions—instead of "What were the original 13 states?" it asks things like "What does the Constitution do?"—but some worry that it's too conceptual and leaves too much to the whim of the examiner, reports the LA Times. More »

More about:  Citizenship and Immigration Services • citizenship test

 Citizenship Fees Up, 
 Applications Down 

59% decline seen after charge to would-be citizens rises from $400 to $675

USA Today USA Today Sep 10, 08 11:16 CDT
(Newser) - Higher fees for immigrants seeking US citizenship could be responsible for a drop in applications, USA Today reports. The fee went from $400 to $675 last summer; applications are down almost 60% in the first 6 months of 2008, compared to the same period last year. “The expense has shut the door on many hard-working immigrant families,” an advocate said. More »

More about:  United States • immigrant • Citizenship and Immigration Services • Federal government • US citizenship • budget shortfall

US May Move to Restrict H-1B Visa 'Cheaters'

Demand for skilled labor will fuel another application rush

ComputerWorld ComputerWorld Mar 7, 08 8:11 PM CST
(Newser) - The US is expecting a record number of applications for H-1B visas—given to highly skilled, specialized foreign workers—and is considering rules to penalize companies that try to improve their chances, ComputerWorld reports. Desperate firms have been known to send more than one application—123, 480 were received last year; 65,000 are awarded—for the same individual to increase odds of being selected. More »

More about:  India • immigration • Bill Gates • outsourcing • competition • visa • Citizenship and Immigration Services • Chuck Grassley • H-1B visa • skilled labor

FBI Bails on Immigrant Probes as Backlogs Mount

Backlog means immigrants will be granted residency before background checks

McClatchy Newspapers McClatchy Newspapers Feb 12, 08 4:45 CST
(Newser) - Immigration officials are expected to grant green cards to tens of thousands of aliens before required FBI background checks, because the Department of Homeland Security is struggling under a ballooning backlog, McClatchy Newspapers reports. Background checks would be performed after immigrants are granted residency, which could be revoked if problems turn up later. More »

More about:  FBI • Department of Homeland Security • immigrant • Citizenship and Immigration Services • background check • green card • US citizenship • Center for Immigration Studies • permanent residency

Immigrants Facing Epic Citizenship Delays

Rush to beat fee hike has wait at 18 months

Boston Globe Boston Globe Jan 25, 08 5:40 PM CST
(Newser) - Over one million immigrants will have to wait up to 18 months before become US citizens due to a massive bureaucratic backlog nationwide. Applications surged last summer ahead of a fee increase of nearly 75%, the Boston Globe reports, helping create the paper jam. Before the increase, the average immigrant waited six months to be processed. More »

More about:  Election 2008 • immigration • immigration reform • citizenship • Citizenship and Immigration Services • bureaucracy

Citizenship Delays Will Impact Election

Hundreds of thousands will miss chance to
vote due to backlog

Washington Post Washington Post Nov 22, 07 4:12 CST
(Newser) - Hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have applied for US citizenship will not have those applications processed in time to vote in the 2008 election. The Department of Homeland Security failed to fully prepare for a massive increase in applications filed to beat a widely publicized fee increase that took effect over the summer, reports the Washington Post . More »

More about:  Election 2008 • Department of Homeland Security • citizenship • Citizenship and Immigration Services • fee increase

Citizenship Test Gets Overhaul

New questions focus less on the nitty-gritty

Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Sep 28, 07 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - The government yesterday unveiled its new citizenship test, which puts less emphasis on memorization of facts and more on analysis. To become naturalized, it's no longer enough for applicants to know how many stars or stripes are on the flag, but they may need to ID a constitutional amendment that addresses voting rights, the LA Times reports. More »

More about:  immigrant • citizenship • Citizenship and Immigration Services • naturalization • citizenship test

FBI Name Checks Stall Immigration

Program still understaffed 6 years after 9/11; would-be citizens frustrated

Houston Chronicle Houston Chronicle Jun 27, 07 4:13 CDT
(Newser) - Bureaucratic bottlenecks are causing such long delays for prospective citizens, reports the Houston Chronicle , that hundreds of frustrated immigrants are now suing the federal government to try to speed up their background checks. Immigration Service figures show that about 16% of cases—over 51,000 people—have been pending between one and two years. More »

More about:  FBI • immigration • citizenship • Citizenship and Immigration Services • background check

Report: White House Stacking Immigration Courts

Bush appointees chosen for GOP loyalty

Washington Post Washington Post Jun 11, 07 5:20 CDT
(Newser) - The White House is illegally packing the nation's immigration courts with GOP partisans, circumventing civil service rules to appoint administration insiders and cronies, according to a Washington Post analysis of relevant records. A third of judges appointed to the immigration bench since 2004 have been party loyalists, and half had no experience in immigration law, the Post reports today. More »

More about:  GOP • immigration • Department of Justice • Alberto Gonzales • Citizenship and Immigration Services

Immigration Fees Skyrocket

Prices to rise by two-thirds; critics
see barrier for
poorer immigrants

Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times May 30, 07 11:16 CDT
(Newser) - The price of citizenship is going up. With applications on the rise, the federal agency for citizenship and immigration is raising charges for almost all benefits, reports the Los Angeles Times . The cost of a green card will go from $325 to $930, while citizenship applications will rise from $330 to $675. More »

More about:  immigration • citizenship • Citizenship and Immigration Services • green card • application

Problems Plague Immigration Agency

Critics call for overhaul of inefficient, backlogged operations

Washington Post Washington Post May 28, 07 7:46 CDT
(Newser) - The agency that will have to deal with the avalanche of paperwork generated by immigration reform can't handle it, the Washington Post reports today. With over a million citizenship applications already stalled in the pipeline, Citizenship and Immigration (the former INS) faces the possibility that its workload will nearly triple, and critics are calling on Congress to step in. More »

More about:  immigration • immigration reform • reform • citizenship • Citizenship and Immigration Services

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