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How is the US going to tackle the problem of backlog? Here is how the government introduced new policies to speed-up clearing backlogs.
To reduce the multi-million application immigration backlog, the United States has announced the expansion of its “premium processing” service for Employment Authorizations.
While applying for asylum or another type of legal status, recipients of the Employment Authorization can work in the United States.
According to USCIS data, almost 2 million people seek new or extended work permits annually. Typically, the process requires five to seven months.
The new regulation allows people applying for work permits to deposit $1,500 to have their petitions processed within 30 days. For applications for other types of employment-related legal status alterations, a premium fee of up to $2,500 could be charged.
The USCIS is in charge of processing applications for work visas, asylum, green cards, citizenship, and other immigration rewards, such as the H-1B program for skilled migrants with high levels of competence.
Backlogs at the department of immigration have been a problem, and the Covid pandemic worsened things. Nevertheless, according to official data, USCIS reviewed more than 9.5 million unprocessed applications as of February, a 66 percent increase over the end of the fiscal year 2019.
The US administration, led by President Joe Biden, said in May that it’d automatically renew work permits for certain types of green card candidates and spouses of H-1B visa holders to reduce some of the stress associated with the backlog and slow issuance of visas.
It would be extended for 18 months from the expiry date on their employment authorization documents rather than the standard six months.
“There were 85,000 visas issued in 2005. Nearly twenty years later, there are still 85,000 visas accessible. So for increasing skilled immigration, there are a lot of viable possibilities,” said the committee.
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The US also announced a 6-month suspension on Premium Processing for H-1B
The US Immigration and Citizenship Administration has paused the Premium Processing for six months to process the backlog of regular H-1B visa petitions.
USCIS says that it is halting premium processing for six months. It used to allow businesses to request expedited processing of visas by paying premium processing fees. Premium Processing is paused to reduce the backlogs, especially for H-1B work visas.
According to the USCIS, this is not a suspension of the H-1B visas. Still, it solely affects “Premium Processing,” which allows businesses to pay USD 1,125 to move to the top of individuals waiting for their applications to be processed. Therefore, the restriction of H-1-B visas is not being affected.
USCIS says, “This temporary stoppage will assist us in shortening the overall H-1B processing periods.” The majority of H-1-B visa holders are technicians. In addition, there are short-term work visas for those with specific skills.
The termination of the “Premium Program” will start on April 3. This is because a judgment on an H-1B petition is made in fifteen days under “Premium Processing,” compared to more than three months for standard applications (a period that has become longer as a result of the increase in “Premium Processing” applications).
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