The various USCIS Service Centers periodically publish information about current processing times for the different kinds of petitions and applications that are processed at those Centers.
Processing times
The Service Centers don’t all use the same format for these reports, nor do they publish them with the same regularity. The information contained in the reports comes from the Service Centers themselves, and there is no means of independently auditing the reliability of this information.
In general, the Service Centers process petitions and applications on a “first-in-first-out” basis, based on the date of receipt of the petition or application. When applications are received they are stored in a queue based on order of receipt. The dates published in the “Processing Times” reports refer to the dates of receipt of applications in that particular category that have been moved from the queue to officers’ desks for review and adjudication. Since up to about thirty-days of work are distributed to the reviewing officers at one time, it should be understood that on average it may take an additional thirty days or so beyond the date that a certain receipt date is reached before a case is actually reviewed. It can take additional time for a decision to be made and for notification to be generated and mailed. Also, some cases require additional consideration and review, and where there is any doubt about the approvability of a case the USCIS often issues a “Request for Evidence” (“RFE”), asking the applicant to provide additional information or evidence that USCIS considers necessary for making a decision. Cases that are subject to the “RFE” procedure will take even more time to be decided.
General information about the status of a specific application or petition can also be obtained through the USCIS Online Case Status check system.
If a case seems inexplicably to have fallen behind the expected processing time, your attorney at FFA will take steps to contact USCIS to determine the cause for the delay.
Disclaimer
The content provided herein is not legal advice or legal opinions and is intended for informational purposes only. The information provided does not constitute an attorney-client relationship and no decision should be made with regard to immigration matters unless an attorney is consulted.
Please contact our office if you have further questions