janadeen

In the news today.

What do you guys think - skipping the bkground check - bad idea or not??

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Feb. 12, 2008, 11:04AM

Green Cards Will Go Out, Background Check or Not

To ease an application backlog, the federal government plans to issue green cards to about 47,000 immigrants before the FBI finishes a complete background check — a move that critics warned could compromise national security.

The policy change is designed to address a mounting backlog of green card applicants who have met other requirements for permanent residence and have passed an automated fingerprint check, yet are waiting more than six months for FBI "name check" clearance, said Chris Bentley, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service spokesman.

The green card holders will still be expected to eventually pass the "name check" portion of the background check process, which in some cases takes the FBI more than two years to complete. If U.S. officials find serious problems after issuing a green card, the permanent resident could be deported, Bentley said.

"This maintains national security," Bentley said. "It doesn't compromise the system, but at the same time it allows us to get benefits to people who deserve them."

The decision was outlined in a Feb. 4 USCIS memo. Bentley said officials are still reviewing how to implement the new policy and could not say when they will start issuing green cards from the backlog.

(remainder of article here)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5533508.html

Rete

This is not the first time that the USCIS has done this. It was part of the pilot program for the K-1 recipients for a long time in Dallas. You went into the Dallas office with your AOS paperwork after you entered on a K-1, married and were ready to file. You were adjusted the same day. I don't believe any terrorist came through that way.

bluesails

Not exactly. They are not skipping the background check, they are discontinuing the endless waiting on a check that has gone way past a reasonable timeframe for specific cases. It is a great first step.

As congressman Lofgren was quoted in another article on the subject, of the millions of name checks they have done on these cases, the number of cases where the results of a name check prevented someone from being eligible for the benefit is "microscopic".

model

Does it mean the background check will continue and the applicant "may be" called in for fingerprinting every 18 months or so as fingerprints "expired" after 18 months.

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Model

ian-mstm

Yes, that's exactly what it means... it also means that if the background check comes back with an issue, your PR status can be just as easily unapproved and you'll find yourself on a plane back home.

Ian