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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Acting Director Michael Aytes issued a memorandum [PDF] responding to the CIS Ombudsman’s recommendations regarding processing delays for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). The CIS Ombudsman had recommended that USCIS:
• Adhere to regulations that state USCIS shall issue EADs within 90 days, or issue interim EADs to prevent unnecessary loss of employment;
• Expeditiously provide information to the public stating the cause of EAD processing delays and how the delays will be addressed;
• Provide consistent guidance to the public regarding EADs pending more than 90 days; and
• Reconsider Ombudsman recommendation FR2006-25 to issue multi-year EADs.
In his memo, prior to responding to each recommendation in detail, Aytes states:
“We acknowledge that, unfortunately, there is a small percentage of applicants whose cases are not adjudicated timely, and we understand that this imposes a significant burden on them, but we respectfully disagree with the perception that EAD processing, as a whole, is a significant issue.”