USCIS reverts to “last in, first out” prioritization of asylum applications to root out fraud, abuse

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that newer applications for asylum will be processed before older filings in an effort to mitigate potential fraud and abuse in the backlog of pending asylum applications,

The asylum applications backlog had reached 311,000 by mid-January. The backlog has increased by more than 1,750 percent over the last five years, with the rate of new applications tripling over that time.

“Delays in the timely processing of asylum applications are detrimental to legitimate asylum seekers,” USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna said. “Lingering backlogs can be exploited and used to undermine national security and the integrity of the asylum system.”

Returning to the “last in, first out” priority approach, which was used from 1995 to 2014, could help prevent new applicants from attempting to use the application backlog to obtain employment authorization. Additionally, USCIS said it would help better identify “frivolous, fraudulent or otherwise non-meritorious asylum claims” and direct those individuals into removal hearings.

USCIS will prioritize asylum interviews based on three priorities going forward: interviews that had to be rescheduled at the applicant’s request, applications pending for 21 days or less, and all other pending applications, working from first to last.