U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has nearly 12 million pending applications for immigration services awaiting a decision, according to the agency's latest figures. The backlog of 11.6 million applications includes forms to become a citizen, acquire a green card, apply for work authorization, or seek asylum.

Within that total, 247,974 applications fall into a frontlog category of submissions that have not been physically opened or assigned a category. Pending applications have grown steadily over the last decade, more than doubling since October 2016. The backlog jumped by 2 million in the first year of the second Trump administration, exceeding the increase during all four years of President Trump's first term.

In the second half of last year, the administration paused reviews of all asylum applications, and those reviews restarted only in late March. The administration also paused reviews of immigration applications for people from 39 countries on a travel ban list, citing higher security risks. The administration has said that slower reviews or stopping some applications entirely is necessary for national security purposes.

"USCIS will not take shortcuts in the adjudications process," said Matthew Tragesser, a spokesman for the agency. A spokesperson said USCIS has implemented tougher naturalization tests, social media screenings, and visits to applicants' neighborhoods as part of its screening and vetting processes.

Elizabeth Jacobs, director of regulatory affairs and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, said efficient processing serves both applicants and enforcement goals. "Processing immigration benefits efficiently is in both the interests of immigrants and this administration with their enforcement priorities because the longer someone has a pending application, not only are they denied those benefits but could be incurring unlawful presence," Jacobs said.

One client of an immigration attorney was denied a green card interview in January after waiting a year due to a paperwork delay, and the interview has not yet been rescheduled.

Nicole Melaku, executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans, said the figures reflect a pattern of delay. "We are beginning to see the manifestation of data that proves that this administration is slow-walking or even denying the opportunity for these people to adjust," she said.

Pending applications include all cases submitted in a given category that have not been approved or denied. The backlog figure covers a wide range of application types, from naturalization and green card requests to work authorization and asylum claims.