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NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP UPDATE
The INS is reporting in its latest Naturalization Update improvements in the processing speed for naturalization cases. According to the agency, in the months November 1998, December 1998 and January 1999, the agency processed 247,706 naturalization applications. This is compared to 111,820 completions during the same months a year earlier. 
The agency admits, however, that this is still below expectations. It also failed to acknowledge that much of the progress comes at the expense of processing in adjustment of status cases for permanent residency applications. All processing on those cases has come to a halt and INS officers have been instead ordered to work on naturalization cases. The agency is attempting to improve overall performance, however, and is proposing to address the problems by 
increasing staff. More than 500 new employees in the naturalization area are expected to be added before summer 
production management. The INS will allow site managers in large district offices to focus on managing the process independently. The agency believes such empowerment in Los Angeles resulted in a 150% improvement in processing over the last year. 
further automation 
The INS has also sent to senior field managers to INS Headquarters in Washington to oversee the naturalization program. They are Andrea Quarantillo, the District Director of the Newark INS office and M. Frances Holmes, the Deputy Director of the Philadelphia INS office. Quarantillo will be the Acting Deputy Director for Headquarters Immigration Services Division. Holmes will serve as the Acting Naturalization Backlog Reduction Manager for headquarters Immigration Services Division.
The INS reports that the national average processing time at the beginning of the fiscal year last October was a staggering 27 months. The agency expects the national time to decrease to 12 months by the end of September, 1999. The agency still believes it will be able to achieve six month processing times by September 2000.
The INS reports that there was a massive surge in naturalization filings in December, just prior to the recent fee increase. More than a quarter of a million cases were filed in December alone. 
As the INS is clearing through backlogs, it is finally turning its attention to two and three year old cases that have been pending because of problems discovered in the cases. Such problems included instances where 
applicants did not show up for interviews 
applicants did not appear for fingerprinting or re-fingerprinting 
applicants did not submit additional information necessary to complete their application in response to INS requests 
applicants have multiple applications for naturalization and the INS denies the duplications; and/or 
applicants were to be denied for eligibility reasons. 
Local officers are being directed to count such cases as denials if the applicant either has withdrawn the petition or failed to respond to an INS notice. However, if the applicant failed to respond to a notice, the field office should ensure that the applicant should not be denied because of an address change issue.
In failure to appear cases, the applicants are allowed to reopen the case at no additional cost and are simply requested to contact in writing the INS office or Service Center that sent their denial notice.