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 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 [...]
Our office is not alone in noticing the increased amount of RFEs issued in connection with EB-1A, Alien with Extraordinary Ability, filings. We have noticed not only that some RFEs are very vague in terms of language and requirements but also that cases which are clearly well-documented and supported as part of the initial filing [...]
Last week we provide a number of updates from the Nebraska Service Center. This week we provided some updates from the Texas Service Center (”TSC”). The TSC updates come from the senior management and are as of May 19, 2009. Processing Numbers. TSC has shown improvement in the processing numbers. Previously, TSC was processing between 3,000-4,000 [...]
We have received some general updates from the Nebraska Service Center (NSC) and we would like to share them with you as they provide some useful insight into NSC’s operations: Backlog. The net overall backlog at the end of first quarter of FY2009 was 250,000 cases; reduced to 87,500 cases by the end of the 2nd [...]
We have received some inquiries about transfers of I-140s from the Texas Service Center (TSC) to the Nebraska Service Center (NSC). There also seems to be some discussion on various Internet discussion boards as to what is the reason behind this transfer. The NSC Liaison has confirmed that TSC transferred a number of standalone I-140s to [...]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has produced another set of two excellent and very revealing reports - one reviewing the Immigration and Naturalization Fees and one suggesting improvements for the setting of USCIS fees. The two reports are very revealing in describing USCIS’s budgetary items, its heavy reliance on filing fees to finance operations and some [...]
The Texas Service Center (TSC) has introduced a new email procedure that which is available to attorneys who are AILA members and allows the Texas Service Center to identify I-485s and I-140s which have remained pending beyond TSC processing times posted on USCIS’S website. According to the new procedure, which is effective immediately, I-485s are subject [...]
The receipt number is one of the most commonly used numbers, by immigrants and lawyers alike, to track the progress or identify a particular immigration case or filing. These receipt numbers start with three letters and follow by a series of numbers, for example EAC-06-123-45678. Please read the full article on more information about the USCIS receipt numbers.