It is very likely that anyone who has had a case filed and pending with USCIS has used the online status check and has also checked the "normal" processing times for the type of a case they have had filed. Many of our clients and readers are well aware of these two resources and we [...]
USCIS has released an updated set of processing statistics for petitions filed under the fifth employment-based preference category (EB-5) for foreign investors. It is interesting to note that the number of I-526 applications (for initial EB-5 green card) have more than doubled compared to 2010 (4,156 compared to 1,955) while the approval rate has remained [...]
USCIS has released an interesting report from its field offices on the processing times and statistics of N-400, Application for Naturalization, filings for the fiscal years 2010 through 2012 (or, October 2011). Number of N-400 Applications The report breaks down, for each field office processing N-400 applications, the number of receipts, approvals, denials and pending [...]
USCIS has provided some interesting statistics relating to the processing of Form I-140 petitions for classification of foreign nationals under the employment-based first (EB-1) category. The statistics reflect the number of receipts, approvals, denials and RFEs issued during a fiscal year and are helpful in understanding general EB-1 adjudication trends. The EB-1 Statistics Texas Service [...]
USCIS has just announced that they are launching a new website which is intended to provide new data reports covering agency performance in a number of areas. The website can be accessed at http://www.uscis.gov/data/. Data Reports Available Currently, there are ten data sets available on the website. Four of the data sets will be updated [...]
As many of our readers and clients are aware, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) provides some tools for applicants to obtain case processing information. The online case status check is one of them. In addition, USCIS posts each month a schedule of the standard processing times for most of the types of cases [...]
Starting December 2009, USCIS started implementing changes on the way I-131 reentry permit applications are receipted and processed. Previously, I-131 reentry permit applications were filed directly at the Nebraska Service Center (NSC) which issued receipts and, where appropriate, issued expedited processing biometrics notices. The NSC processing of expedited processing reentry permit biometrics allowed us to [...]
Two weeks ago we wrote about the USCIS Ombudsman recommendation to modify the LCA/H-1B filing process to avoid negative consequences associated with delayed LCAs. As a response, USCIS just announced a temporary change in policy pursuant to which it will temporarily accept H-1B petitions filed without Labor Conditions Applications (LCA) that have been certified by the [...]