3/30/2009

Prior to March 2003, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was responsible for administering programs that provide qualified applicants with immigration benefits. These benefits include citizenship, lawful permanent residency, family- and employment-related immigration, employment authorization, inter-country adoptions, asylum and refugee status, replacement immigration documents, and foreign student authorization. 

The annual number of immigration applications received increased from 4,138,000 in 1994 to 6,059,000 by 2000. The Immigration and Naturalization Service was unable to handle the increased workload due to technology and staffing issues, which resulted in a backlog of more than 2 million immigration benefit applications by 2001. In 2002, the Immigration and Naturalization Service launched a Backlog Elimination Plan in an effort to better manage the processing workload. 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) inherited the backlog when the benefit processing functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service were transferred to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003. In December 2003, USCIS faced a backlog of approximately 3.7 million applications. USCIS reviewed and updated the Backlog Elimination Plan in an effort to reduce processing times to a 6-month cycle time for all applications. USCIS also stated that it would increase its focus on information technology to ensure that backlog reduction is sustained, customer service is improved, new fee-for-service business models are enabled, and an improved technology environment is deployed.

Our September 2005 review of USCIS’ information technology environment showed that USCIS had not adopted a focused approach to updating its legacy systems and manual workflow practices. Rather, information technology planning and implementation were conducted in a reactive and decentralized manner across the organization. Additionally, USCIS relied on personnel rather than technology to meet its backlog reduction goals. Our report recommended that USCIS develop a modernization strategy, including short- and long-term goals, funding plans, and performance measures to guide USCIS entities in better accomplishing their citizenship and immigration services missions.

Subsequently, USCIS initiated an agency wide transformation program to improve both business processes and the supporting information technology systems. Our November 2006 follow up report on transformation progress stated that USCIS was continuing its pattern of planning and beginning improvement initiatives, but not fully implementing the plans to deliver promised results. Our report identified a need for better performance measures for pilot programs and initiatives. A July 2007 Government Accountability Office report on the transformation program similarly discussed the need for USCIS to identify specific performance measures and targets for its pilot programs.