USCIS Announces New and Improved Case Processing Webpage

Welcome back to Visalawyerblog! New developments are underway by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to improve the way the agency is communicating case processing times to members of the public.

The agency recently announced new efforts to streamline information provided on its processing times webpage. For each type of immigration benefit, USCIS releases information regarding how much time it is taking the agency to process that particular application, petition, or request. Previously, processing times were estimated based on how long the agency took to approve or deny a certain percentile of forms or petitions over the prior 6-month period.

Now, USCIS has updated their webpage so that users can find the processing time information for their particular type of case, rather than seeing an aggregate of all related case types. This provides applicants with a more accurate picture of how long their particular type of case is taking to be processed.

Specifically, USCIS has made the following improvements to its case processing webpage.

A drop-down option now appears where applicants can scroll through form categories to help narrow results to only the processing times that are relevant to their type of case and help them better understand their particular situation. For instance applicants can search by Form, Form Category, and Field Office or Service Center
USCIS has also added a case inquiry tool where users can insert their receipt date and get an immediate answer on whether they should contact us with questions about their particular case. USCIS will provide benefit requestors a link to submit a case inquiry online;
USCIS is now displaying a single 80th percentile processing time (rather than a range) to simplify the information provided and improve the ability of users to estimate how long it is likely to take USCIS to process a benefit request; and
The agency is also revising, streamlining, and adding more content to the processing times webpages to increase transparency, and efficiency

Please note that the posted processing times do not guarantee that your case will be processed within similar timeframes. Rather, processing times are to be used as a reference point. Some cases may take longer than others to adjudicate due to the complexity, and individual circumstances that are unique to each case. For instance, the issuance of a request for evidence will inevitably delay the processing of a case until an adequate response is received and evaluated by USCIS.

Those that would like further information regarding current USCIS backlogs and processing times, should consider attention the virtual stakeholder engagement session scheduled on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, from 2-3 pm Eastern time. USCIS Director Jaddou will be providing more information on how the agency is improving processing times and answering participant questions. Please note that case-specific questions will not be answered during the session. For more information click here.

Questions? If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-483-4549 or call 619-819-9204.

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