U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services’ top priority is reducing the time it takes to obtain green cards, visas, and employment authorizations in fiscal year 2022.
USCIS is now taking about 8 months to a year to issue work permits at the National Benefits Center, its main processing center. Across the agency, the volume of pending cases increased as well as associated processing times.
The COVID-19 pandemic and related funding and staffing issues have exacerbated the backlog across categories. At the end of the 2021 fiscal year, more than 8 million cases were pending before USCIS.
USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou said reducing the backlog is one of the agency’s top priorities. “It doesn’t matter what benefit we are talking about or what you applied for, every single applicant who seeks a benefit from USCIS is entitled to a timely decision,” Jaddou said.
In order to accomplish that, USCIS is taking the following steps:
- Hiring additional staff and recruiting proactively for positions that become open.
- Moving work between offices to align workload with the agency’s capacity.
- Trying to reduce requests for evidence (RFEs) by making it clearer ahead of time what evidence is required.
- Reusing previously submitted biometrics when possible to eliminate the need for applicants to make an in-person appearance.
- Issuing employment authorization documents (EADs) that are valid for two years instead of one for certain applicants with pending adjustment of status applications.
- Shifting toward an “assessment-based” methodology for determining which applicants must be interviewed.
USCIS posted on its website a Historical National Median Processing Time (in Months) for all USCIS Offices for select forms by fiscal year. The following is a shortlist of the forms and the processing times in months. To view the full chart visit the USCIS website.
| FORMS | BASIS | 2022 FY PROCESSING TIMES |
|---|---|---|
| I-90 | Initial issuance, replacement or renewal | 1.2 months |
| I-129F | All Classifications | 9.3 months |
| I-130 | Immediate Relative | 9.8 months |
| I-131 | Advance Parole Document | 7.2 months |
| I-131 | Parole in Place | 4.4 months |
| I-131 | Travel Document | 8.9 months |
| I-140 | Immigrant Petition (Premium filed) | 0.4 months |
| I-140 | Immigrant Petition (non Premium filed) | 11.2 months |
| I-360 | Immigrant Petition (All Classifications) | 6.7 months |
| I-485 | Based on grant of asylum more than 1 year ago | 26.2 months |
| I-485 | Employment-based adjustment applications | 11.1 months |
| I-485 | Family-based adjustment applications | 10.3 months |
| I-485 | Based on Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 (CAA) | 9.3 months |
| I-751 | Removal of conditions on lawful permanent resident status (spouses and children of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents) | 16.8 months |
| I-765 | All other applications for employment authorization | 6.7 months |
| I-765 | Based on an approved, concurrently filed, I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (c)(33). | 0.9 months |
| I-765 | Based on a pending I-485 adjustment application | 7.2 months |
| I-821D | Request for Renewal of Deferred Action | 0.9 months |
| N-400 | Application for Naturalization | 11.8 months |
Due to the long wait times, it is very important to submit a well-prepared application and the necessary evidence from the beginning. Immigration Law is very complex, and the government fees are significant. Many people have ventured to complete their own paperwork without the proper legal advice or guidance to simply save money on Attorney’s fees and in some cases, the consequences have been devastating. We can see it every day.
We strongly believe it’s time to stop paying high fees to retain an attorney to complete your immigration paperwork. Signature’s independent Immigration Attorneys have agreed to unbundle their services so that you can easily access reliable and affordable immigration legal services tailored to your case.
Signature Immigration Forms, Inc. (“Signature”) provides U.S. Immigration Government Form Preparation Services. We are backed by experienced Immigration Professionals with the knowledge and understanding of recent immigration policy changes; and with the support of our Software Engineers, we have developed efficient wizards and other tools to make the complex task of filling out your immigration forms much easier.
Signature’s approach involves technology and innovation aimed to compete with traditional methods in the delivery of immigration services to the immigrant community.
USCIS has unfavorable policies, such as rejecting certain applications and petitions for trivial omissions and denying some applications or petitions without first giving Applicants the opportunity to provide additional evidence or information.
Signature’s goal is to make it easier for you to submit your case to USCIS and help you avoid making small errors or omissions that could result in the rejection, denial, and/or delay of your case.
We know that every case is different, and we have the expertise and dedication necessary to serve you best.
Explore Your Options
Preparing an immigration case has never been easier and faster... here is How It Works