Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

Between 1990 and 2005, the number of pending applications for immigration benefits swelled by more than 1,000 percent, growing from 540,688 in 1990 to a high of 6.08 million in 2003.  The increasing number of pending immigration applications impacted immigrants, their families, employers who sponsor them, and policymakers.  This situation prompted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to establish a Backlog Reducation Plan.