Immigration Reform: Systematic Alien Verification System Could Be Improved
IMTEC-87-45BR
Published: Sep 30, 1987. Publicly Released: Nov 02, 1987.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO examined the effectiveness of the Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system, particularly its implementation nationwide.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration and Naturalization Service | To ensure that the nationwide SAVE system meets the needs of state and local officials, the Commissioner, INS, should develop: (1) a formal corrective action plan that clearly identifies both short-term and long-term corrective actions INS plans to take to improve the quality and completeness of the database accessed by the SAVE system; and (2) statistical and trend data on the magnitude of primary verifications, together with magnitude, turnaround time, and records corrected during secondary verification. |
Closed – Implemented
A plan was completed on March 18, 1988. Many actions called for in this plan have been implemented by INS, resulting in significant improvements in the quality and completeness of SAVE data. INS collected and analyzed statistical trend data on primary and secondary verifications and issued a final report on January 24, 1990.
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| Immigration and Naturalization Service | The Commissioner, INS, should share these plans with appropriate Cabinet Secretaries in time to support their decisions on whether to waive the use of SAVE, since they will be comparing the effectiveness and timeliness of SAVE versus other verification methods. |
Closed – Not Implemented
Plans were prepared, but dissemination to cabinet secretaries was limited. Critical dates for waiver decisions have now passed, and agencies will have their own statistical trend data for future waiver considerations. However, INS progress in identifying actions and in developing statistical trend data will continue to be monitored through follow-up on another GAO recommendation.
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Topics
Immigration statusEligibility determinationsEntitlement programsImmigration enforcementImmigration information systemsImmigrationUnemploymentCompensationImmigrantsImmigration status