Photo Credit: Andrew Harnik, Marcia StraubSource: Getty ImagesUSCIS said the change is designed to reduce a growing backlog of unresolved asylum cases and speed up the overall adjudication process. US: How old and new asylum systems differUnder the previous arrangement, both USCIS and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Immigration Judges handled asylum cases through separate processes. USCIS said this will shorten the total time it takes to resolve asylum applications across both agencies. US asylum system: What officials saidUSCIS director, Joseph Edlow, said the asylum system had been misused over the years. "For far too long the asylum system has been exploited for purposes of delay and work authorisation, not legitimate claims of protection," he said.