 The Badging Office wants to know how you’re using technology for your Signer-related duties. To gather opinions, we’re asking all Signers to fill out a short, 11-question survey that will only take a few minutes to complete. The questions are about the Signer Portal and the new online form for Badge applications. Your answers will help us identify ways to make the online experience more user-friendly and efficient. Please complete the survey by Thursday, March 31.  The federal requirement for face mask use in airports and on commercial aircraft was recently extended until April 18, 2022. The Transportation Security Administration – at the CDC’s recommendation -- extended the security directive for mask use on public transportation and in transportation hubs. During the next month, the CDC will review when, and under what circ*mstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor. Any changes will be based on the levels of COVID-19 in the community, the risk of new variants, national data and the latest science. Watch for word of any changes to the mask mandate, or an extension of the current conditions, closer to the April 18 date. The TSA recently provided a “best practices” recommendation for badge applicants who were born outside the U.S. but have been nationalized. When foreign-born applicants apply for a security badge at MSP, the TSA is recommending that those applicants provide their Alien Registration number. The number was used by registrants prior to becoming U.S. citizens. While an applicant may no longer be using the number, that bit of data actually stays with the individual, and is key to taking advantage of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ ‘SMART Scoring’. If the applicant provides the correct number, a status will be returned confirming Lawful Permanent Residency or U.S. citizenship. If an applicant does not provide that information, during the vetting of the application form a data correction will likely be submitted for the security background check, which increases the processing time of the application.We have seen this process take up to six weeks for some applicants. Please ask your foreign-born badge applicants to provide that number with their initial paperwork to streamline the process. Quick Links Badging Webpage |
