| Description |
iii, 41 p. : digital, PDF file |
| System Details |
System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. |
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Mode of access via the GAO web site. |
| Note |
Title from title screen (viewed on Jan. 27, 2009). |
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"January 2009." |
| Summary |
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an increase to its immigration and naturalization application fees by an average of 86 percent, effective July 2007, contributing to a surge in application volume that challenged the agency's pre-adjudicative operations. In July 2007, the incoming application volume increased an unprecedented 100 percent over the prior month and the processing of 1.47 million applications was delayed. GAO was asked to review USCIS's current fee design and compare it to the principles in GAO's user-fee design guide and USCIS's management of operations affected by the new fees, specifically in projecting application volumes and contracting for application processing services. To do so, GAO reviewed legislation and agency documentation; compared the fee design to GAO's principles of effective user-fee design (equity, efficiency, revenue adequacy, and administrative burden); visited processing centers; and interviewed agency officials at these locations and in headquarters. GAO is making seven recommendations to the Director of Homeland Security to improve the timing and comprehensiveness of its next fee review; analyze and use application projection information for workload purposes; and implement procedures to validate contractors' invoices for incoming mail. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references. |
| Note |
"GAO-09-180." |
| Subject |
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services -- Appropriations and expenditures.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services -- Rules and practice.
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Fees, Administrative -- United States -- Evaluation.
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User charges -- Law and legislation -- United States.
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Naturalization -- United States.
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United States -- Emigration and immigration -- Costs.
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| Added Title |
Additional analyses and timely reviews could improve immigration and naturalization user fee design and USCIS operations |
| Gpo Item No. |
0546-D (online) |
| Sudoc No. |
GA 1.13:GAO-09-180 |
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