As a reminder to our readers, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is launching  new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) processing procedures today. As part of this initiative, the USCIS will use a three-track system, whereby the third track offers the possibility for accelerated processing of FOIA requests for individual sscheduled to appear before an immigration judge.

This is considered a major step toward improving customer service by giving priority to time-sensitive FOIA requests and also easing the overall backlog in which FOIA requests can sit for six months or more.

What is FOIA? Briefly, FOIA allows for access to certain information in the hands of the federal government. The fundamental principle behind FOIA is open access to information and documentation controlled by the U.S. government. While FOIA requires the government to release information to those making the request, it also contains exemptions based on matters that involve sensitive information and infringement on personal rights.

As a government agency, the USCIS is bound by these special requirements to provide information to individuals taken from their "A-File." FOIA provides foreign nationals a way to obtain copies of their files and to track their immigration history. It is often used to clarify questions for those with complex histories who never kept copies of their documents or who lost them.

Beginning today, March 30, 2007, the USCIS will use a three-track system, as opposed to the current two-track system, to process FOIA requests. The first two tracks currently in use by the USCIS are for routine requests (faster track) and for requests that require additional search and review time (slower track), related to how much documentation is being requested and how well it has been identified and described in the request.

The new third track added by the initiative will be used for FOIA requests in cases where an individual is in immigration (removal/deportation) proceedings. To use this new track, it is necessary to have documentation that the individual is in removal/deportation proceedings. The USCIS has not specified an estimated time for responding to FOIA requests in this new category. In its press release, however, it was indicated that the addition of the accelerated track "will not only enhance our FOIA processing times, but also help us reduce FOIA backlogs."

The National Records Center operates a telephone line established to answer questions about filing FOIA requests, provide status updates on pending requests, and otherwise provide assistance in obtaining records from the USCIS. The phone number of the FOIA Requester Service Center line is 816-350-5570. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

See our story posted on March, 2, 2007.