It’s no secret that USCIS processing times have increased across the board for nearly all types of immigration filings in the past year or so. It can be frustrating for employers, employees, and family members who are anxiously awaiting a decision on a case from USCIS. USCIS has announced a pilot program to try to give customers a more accurate and real-time report of USCIS processing times. It used to be that the processing times posted online were several weeks old by the time USCIS posted them.

With the new pilot program, USCIS will post a range for the processing times for a case type. You will have to select the type of form you have filed, the service center where you have filed, and you may have to further determine the specific type of case you have filed (for an H-1B, for example). The website will then give you a range of months for the processing times. According to USCIS “the low end of the range for pilot forms shows the time it takes to complete 50 percent of cases, and the high end shows the time it takes to complete 93 percent of cases.” There is also a date listed to the right of the form type that says “case inquiry date.” If USCIS received your case before that date, you can place a service request with USCIS to follow up on the status of the case. Note that when you place a service request, you will not get an immediate explanation of what is happening with your case. Instead, USCIS will email or mail you a basic summary with an estimate for case completion time.

Does this all sound too complicated? That’s what we’re here for! If you hire Sumner Immigration Law to handle a family-based or employment-based immigration matter for you, we track the case all the way to case completion. We keep a running list of all cases pending with USCIS and email clients periodically to let them know that everything is progressing as expected, and to let them know the estimated case completion time, or to let them know that we have placed a service request with USCIS.

We are dedicated to continuing to represent employers, employees, families, and individuals in this challenging immigration environment. If you need assistance, please contact us today via email at info@sumnerimmigration.com, or by calling our office at 804-396-3412. We are immigration lawyers based in Richmond, VA, but serve clients across the country.