BRIEFS. immigration

Old laws to be applied to pre-deadline cases

la prensa

immigration offices1116042

The National Immigration Service is facing a backlog of applications filed by foreign residents who rushed to file paperwork before the country’s regulations dealing with the issue changed on Aug. 26.

Immigration director Clovis Sinisterra, who inquired about how the law would apply to the applications in question, confirmed that those submitted prior to the implementation of the new law would be reviewed under guidelines established by the old law.

Nelson Rojas, a senior administrative prosecutor, commented that migration officials were under a legal obligation to “handle and approve” those applications without delay.

Close to 4,100 foreign nationals submitted applications to the National Immigration Service in the days before Aug. 26 so as to avoid the additional requirements and increased costs implemented by the new law.

That has created a backlog of cases at the agency.