Washington, D.C. – November 2, 2006–
Merlin International, one of the country’s fastest growing federal IT solutions providers, today announced that Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson is launching the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) portal it awarded Merlin in September of 2005 which included design, installation, and management services. Under this award, Merlin created an intuitive Web portal that provides users with timely information to expedite citizenship requests.
As part of the Department of Homeland Security, USCIS has two priorities – first, providing citizenship resources formerly offered by the Immigration and Naturalization Service including refugee processing, naturalization and documentation issuance and renewal and second, supporting DHS national security efforts. The new Web portal enables the agency to continue its efforts to eliminate immigration case backlogs, and improve customer services, while increasing data transparency for other government agencies.
Future citizens can now locate the information needed to expedite citizenship requests, reducing the need for field office visits, calling USCIS, and waiting long periods of time for assistance. According to USCIS, the agency receives more than 3.5 million calls every month, yet only has the capacity to support a little over 50 percent of them. The agency spends between $15 - 20 million a year supporting phone calls in which 80 percent of the answers could be found on its website. Recognizing the need for improved efficiency, USCIS knew that something had to be done.
Merlin worked with several vendors to create an integrated technology package that met the needs and objectives of USCIS. The portal leverages Vignette content management, The Berndt Group, Akamai, and FAST search engine technologies, to name a few. Vignette enterprise content management applications enable USCIS to capture, manage, store, preserve and deliver content and documents. Additionally, with FAST’s search engine technology, USCIS is able to accelerate search return results.
“Strengthening the country’s immigration services is vital to our national security,” said John Trauth, executive vice president of government systems, Merlin International. “Merlin’s professional services team is dedicated to partner with USCIS to provide a user-friendly web environment in which visitors are able to find the information and forms they need as quickly as possible.”
Proposed immigration reform legislation, including the guest worker program, is estimated to increase the bureau’s work load by as many as 12 million applicants. Having an automated system will significantly lighten the added burden, giving applicants the information they need more efficiently.
About Merlin International
Merlin International is one of the fastest growing public sector IT solutions providers in the United States. Based in Denver, with offices in Vienna, Va., Linthicum, Md., and Scott Air Force Base, Merlin delivers technology solutions and services for a broad range of organizations including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, civilian and intelligence agencies, as well as state and local governments. The company’s solution expertise includes Managed Content, Enterprise Messaging, Information Assurance, and Business Systems Management. Today, more than 500 clients count on Merlin's expertise to help them define, integrate, deploy, and maintain systems and networks that align information technology with program and business goals. Learn more about Merlin at www.merlin-intl.com.
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