The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) made great strides in meeting the requirements of the 2008 laws aimed at facilitating the path to U.S. citizenship for service members who wish to do so, according to a July 29 report to Congress by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). But while 73 percent of all service members’ and 84 percent of all spouses’ cases have been resolved satisfactorily, some delays still persist – largely concerning non-citizen troops stationed overseas. In those cases, GAO stated, applicants’ files showed now evidence that they were notified their applications could be processed within six months of their final background checks, or did not "provide an estimated adjudication date in the notification of delay letter. And in other cases, GAO stated, records simply provided no clear indication that USCIS met notification requirements. The report noted that USCIS took steps to improve processing for those who fell through the cracks, including establishment of military naturalization units, using videoconferencing, and identifying everyone who wants to become citizens before they deploy. GAO recommended that the USCIS, Defense Department, and Department of Homeland Security take steps to make sure that all available information is gathered from prospective citizens in uniform before they deploy, and that cases are not closed until every option is explored.
