According to ilw.com
FBI Delays To End..... Not really:
FBI Name Checks Latest
Immigration Daily's recent comment (11/30/07 ID) on the status of FBI name check delays resulted in the following response from USCIS Office of Communications Bill Wright:
Immigration Daily's 11/30/07 comment, "FBI Delays to End," is not telling the entire story. USCIS and the FBI are working together to process name checks as quickly as possible without compromising security or public safety. To this end, we have examined the existing name check system and acted to address the problem through two strategies: (1) first, USCIS and the FBI conducted a joint risk assessment which resulted in process improvements that permit us to focus on cases of concern (2) second, USCIS and FBI have allocated additional resources to the process. Over the next year, USCIS is planning to commit a total of $15.5 million to address the backlog of FBI name checks. Please note, however, USCIS continues to require FBI name checks for the same categories of applications and no case will be approved without a cleared name check. We will continue to work with the FBI to reduce waiting times; but, not at the expense of national security and public safety.
Separately, Immigration Daily has learned that USCIS expects a 40% reduction in FBI name check delays by year-end. This reduction will be achieved largely through the allocation of additional resources and a more streamlined process. This information supports DHS Secretary Chertoff's earlier statement that applications that were previously ensnared in the name check delays will be cleared quickly. However, he cautioned that a small number of checks will still be delayed by investigations.
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