04/17/2006: CIS Ombudsman Recommends USCIS Director to Issue Multiple-Year EAD
USCIS has already enacted a regulation that allows the Service Centers to issue multiple-year EAD. However, this regulation has not been implemented by the USCIS because of its impact on the USCIS revenue. The Ombudsman wrote on March 20, 2006 his recommendation to Dr. Emilio Gonzalez, Director of USCIS to implement this regulation on the ground that multiple-year EADs would substantially reduce the USCIS immigration benefits workloads and that if impact on the revenue was the hangup for the failure to implement the published regulation which is a binding rule, the USCIS might consider raising the EAD application filing fees. Multiple-year EAD will relieve the customers from substantial inconvenience and hassle each year. The statistics also strongly support the Ombudsman's statement that issuance of multiple-year EAD would reduce substantially the USCIS workload. For instance, the February 2006 monthly immigration statistical report indicates that the total receipts of entire applications and petitions numbered 409,893, out of which EAD applications numbered 100,051, during one month in January 2006. It means one-fourth of total immigrantion benefits applications and petitions were taken by the EAD applications! This reporter strongly and without any reservations supports the Ombudsman's recommendation and justification! This reporter urges Dr. Gonzalez to implement the regulation as soon as possible.
The CIS Ombudsman also recommends the USCIS to issue EAD valid as of the date of the current EAD expiration rather than the date of approval. Current practice has raised pains and aches to the I-485 waiters in two areas: Potential gap between the date of expiration of current EAD and the date of approval of extension of EAD, and loss of some period of existing EAD when the EAD renewal is issued a few months earlier than the expiration date of the current EAD. Again, we strongly support this recommendation as well.
USCIS has already enacted a regulation that allows the Service Centers to issue multiple-year EAD. However, this regulation has not been implemented by the USCIS because of its impact on the USCIS revenue. The Ombudsman wrote on March 20, 2006 his recommendation to Dr. Emilio Gonzalez, Director of USCIS to implement this regulation on the ground that multiple-year EADs would substantially reduce the USCIS immigration benefits workloads and that if impact on the revenue was the hangup for the failure to implement the published regulation which is a binding rule, the USCIS might consider raising the EAD application filing fees. Multiple-year EAD will relieve the customers from substantial inconvenience and hassle each year. The statistics also strongly support the Ombudsman's statement that issuance of multiple-year EAD would reduce substantially the USCIS workload. For instance, the February 2006 monthly immigration statistical report indicates that the total receipts of entire applications and petitions numbered 409,893, out of which EAD applications numbered 100,051, during one month in January 2006. It means one-fourth of total immigrantion benefits applications and petitions were taken by the EAD applications! This reporter strongly and without any reservations supports the Ombudsman's recommendation and justification! This reporter urges Dr. Gonzalez to implement the regulation as soon as possible.
The CIS Ombudsman also recommends the USCIS to issue EAD valid as of the date of the current EAD expiration rather than the date of approval. Current practice has raised pains and aches to the I-485 waiters in two areas: Potential gap between the date of expiration of current EAD and the date of approval of extension of EAD, and loss of some period of existing EAD when the EAD renewal is issued a few months earlier than the expiration date of the current EAD. Again, we strongly support this recommendation as well.