Title: Supporting an efficient legal immigration system and reducing case processing delays.
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
This resolution states that an efficient legal immigration system advances American values, interests, and prosperity. It also calls upon U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to reduce and ultimately end processing delays while ensuring reliable, thorough, and fair adjudications without imposing unwarranted fees.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 575 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 575

  Supporting an efficient legal immigration system and reducing case 
                           processing delays.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 2021

  Mr. Aguilar (for himself and Mr. Espaillat) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Supporting an efficient legal immigration system and reducing case 
                           processing delays.

Whereas Congress created United States Citizenship and Immigration Services 
        (USCIS) to function as an immigration benefits agency that implements 
        the legal immigration system through the adjudication of benefit 
        applications and petitions;
Whereas an efficient legal immigration system advances American values, 
        interests, and prosperity;
Whereas an efficient legal immigration system spurs economic growth, promotes 
        the competitiveness of American businesses, and ensures the vitality of 
        the United States labor force as the Nation's population ages;
Whereas an efficient legal immigration system creates jobs and elevates wages 
        and living standards for American workers;
Whereas an efficient legal immigration system helps preserve family unity;
Whereas an efficient legal immigration system helps safeguard bona fide 
        protection seekers who qualify for humanitarian relief under the law;
Whereas an efficient legal immigration system promotes the continued integration 
        of prospective citizens into American civic society;
Whereas USCIS data indicate that the processing times for immigrations benefits 
        have increased substantially over the past five fiscal years;
Whereas, from the end of fiscal year 2016 to the end of fiscal year 2017, 
        USCIS's ``net backlog'' of delayed cases increased by over 100 percent 
        while its overall case volume increased by only four percent;
Whereas USCIS processed 94 percent of its application and petition form types 
        more slowly in fiscal year 2018 than in fiscal year 2014;
Whereas, according to a recent analysis, USCIS's overall average case processing 
        time increased by 101 percent from the end of fiscal year 2014 to the 
        end of fiscal year 2019;
Whereas, at of the end of fiscal year 2019, USCIS has reached an unprecedented 
        ``net backlog'' of 2.5 million cases;
Whereas delays and unpredictability in case processing cause severe harm to 
        United States businesses, result in disruptions in hiring and 
        operations, and jeopardize business sustainability and competitiveness;
Whereas delays and unpredictability in case processing adversely impact American 
        workers;
Whereas delays and unpredictability in case processing cause hardship to 
        families waiting to reunify;
Whereas delays in case processing endanger asylum seekers, survivors of 
        trafficking, and others seeking humanitarian protection;
Whereas delays in case processing inhibit the integration of prospective 
        citizens into American civic society;
Whereas these delays and unpredictability in case processing weaken the 
        functioning of our legal immigration system and undermine America's 
        economy, its interests, and its prosperity;
Whereas the Federal Government has acknowledged to Congress that USCIS policies 
        have contributed to the growth in delayed cases;
Whereas USCIS has implemented a range of new policies with limited notice or 
        transparency, increasing uncertainty and inefficiency throughout our 
        legal immigration system;
Whereas individuals and employers have received from USCIS requests for 
        additional information or have been required to undergo additional 
        procedures that are unnecessary, duplicative, and further delay 
        adjudications;
Whereas unnecessary and duplicative procedures will not advance the purpose of 
        preventing fraud; and
Whereas individuals and employers, as well as members of Congress, are 
        frequently unable to obtain timely USCIS assistance in remedying these 
        delays: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms that an efficient legal immigration system 
        advances American values, interests, and prosperity;
            (2) underscores the Nation's commitment to ensuring that 
        the Federal Government, specifically USCIS, efficiently 
        facilitate the operation of the United States legal immigration 
        system;
            (3) recognizes that delays and unpredictability in case 
        processing weaken the functioning of our legal immigration 
        system and have harmful consequences for American businesses 
        and workers, families, protection seekers, and prospective 
        citizens; and
            (4) calls upon the agency to reduce and ultimately end 
        processing delays while ensuring reliable, thorough, and fair 
        adjudications by improving its policies and practices and 
        without imposing unwarranted fees on applicants and 
        petitioners.
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