On May 5th, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that they will be implementing changes to simplify its communications of case processing times when it reports this information to the public. These changes should make it easier for individuals to get a more immediate answer as to when they can inquire about their case.
The agency plans to publicly post all average processing times for case types. This will allow for the public to understand how long their case may take on average. Processing time is defined as the number of months that pass between the date that USCIS receives the application/petition/request and the date that USCIS issues a decision on said case. USCIS will take these average wait times from data collected on their times over the past 6 months.
Users on the USCIS website will now have immediate access to their case processing time information. Some additional changes USCIS is also implementing include:
- adding drop-down options for form categories to narrow results and show the candidate exactly what they are searching for, adding a case inquiry tool so the user can input their receipt date to get an immediate answer on whether or not they should contact USCIS with questions about their case,
- displaying the 80th percentile processing time to simplify information that is provided and give a better estimate of processing time, and
- adding an FAQ and More Information page to better streamline information.
These processing time updates are not exact measures of how long an individual’s case will take, they are meant to be used as an estimate. For more information on programs like this and other immigration-related news, be sure to subscribe to Berardi Immigration Law’s social media channels!
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