Prakash Khatri, Ombudsman at the Citizen and Immigration Services in the Homeland Security Department. (Photo, as it appears on www.dhs.gov)

Prakash Khatri, Ombudsman at the Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the Homeland Security Department, has not minced his words in critiquing his department in his Annual Report 2005 that is currently before the United States Congress.

Urging the administration and Congress to simplify immigration laws and make the services more efficient so that American employers and educations institutions can take the full benefit of foreign workers and skills, Khatri for the second year in a row, traveled around the country to check out how his last year’s pilot projects were coming along,

While he makes no bones about where problems lie, he says, he is confident the future for individuals and employers seeking immigration benefits will be better than the past. The detailed 56-page report identifies sites and procedures as well as experiences of immigrants to make the case.

“Our families, our economy, and our culture are strengthened by immigrants from around the world who come to this country to contribute to our society and to realize the American dream,” says Khatri, who took a massive pay-cut to move from Walt Disney Co. to officiating as Ombudsman at CIS two years ago.

Among the “Pervasive and Serious Problems,” Khatri notes, backlogs and prolonged processing times created by national security and public safety issues, cost companies.

“These processing delays have caused businesses to reconsider the location of their conferences and even their new business sites, fearing that overseas workers cannot enter the U.S. in time,” Khatri points out just as it also costs qualified applicants.

He also identifies problems with distribution of interim benefits, untimely processing and system problems with employment-based Green Card applications, background and security checks, information technology issues, limited case status information available to applicants, problem of coordination and communication within USCIS staff, a lack of standardization across USCIS business processes, as well as training and staffing within the department,

Looking to make an “immigration benefits system that is more efficient, more customer-service oriented, and more secure,” Khatri spoke to stakeholders like employers seeking workers to expand their businesses, family members aspiring to sponsor relatives, lawyers and advocates proposing immigration reforms, and USCIS employees bringing their firsthand experience to bear on persistent bureaucratic obstacles.

“The stakes for USCIS are high,” asserts Khatri in light of President George W. Bush proposed new temporary worker program that will match willing foreign workers with willing American employers, when no U.S. workers can be found to fill the jobs.

Under Khatri, the Ombudsman’s office has evolved from fewer than a six public servants to 24 professionals. In his key position as in effect, a spokesperson and advocate for individuals and employers who have encountered problems with the immigration benefits system, Khatri has made 12 formal recommendations to USCIS in this reporting year, most of which were adopted.

Similarly, last year, Khatri’s recommendations were implemented through 4 pilot programs to address three areas of business operations, including green card renewal/replacement processing, employment-based immigrant processing, and family-sponsored immigrant processing.

“Of the four pilot programs, the Dallas Office Rapid Adjustment Pilot program best demonstrates the up-front processing concept as completion rates on green card applications increased substantially while the issuance of interim benefits decreased dramatically over the life of the pilot,” he notes, which convinced him that the “upfront” processing model can work within current USCIS capabilities, and that the agency can achieve improved application completion rates, enhance customer satisfaction, reduce the need to issue interim benefits, and substantially reduce unnecessary time-consuming work.

During his two years, Khatri has visited more than 65 USCIS facilities, including district offices, service centers, and other facilities, and found the most common types of complaints from the public included issues such as the processing backlog and security check delays.

By statute, Khatri has the responsibility and authority to appoint local ombudsmen around the country, and this year he initiated a pilot program to design and develop a workable local ombudsman office and he plans to expand efforts to reach out to individuals who experience problems with USCIS and will continue to develop recommendations to resolve systemic problems. He said he would also “continue to make recommendations to simplify the complex body of immigration law, regulations, and processes.”