How Accurate Are USCIS Processing Times?

USCIS has been widely criticized regarding processing times and pending applications. However, it cannot be denied that USCIS handles millions of applications every year with varying complexities. Reportedly, USCIS received approximately 10.9 million applications during fiscal year 2023.

To provide transparency, USCIS has provided an online portal that each applicant can access to find out the processing time for their application. But this often misses the displayed time and ends up with uncertainty in the processing and completion of applications.

So, you may wonder about how long it takes for USCIS to complete your application after checking the USCIS processing time online. Okay, let’s figure out the accuracy of the USCIS processing time!

What is USCIS Processing Time?

USCIS processing times are the time that USCIS will take to complete at least 80% of an application filed which is shown in a number of days.

This range time covers the entire process from the date USCIS receives the application, petition or request, to the date the application is completed, whether it is approved or denied.

Additionally, it includes the time required for applicants and petitioners, length of time required to submit biometrics, the time required for applicants to respond to requests for further information, and rescheduling of interviews.

Accuracy of USCIS Processing Times

When it comes to how accurate the USCIS processing times are, we can say they’re not 100% accurate, but they are worthy of being used as a reference. Why?

Based on our little research, USCIS processing times vary and are determined by various factors, such as the type of application, the USCIS service center handling the application, the complexity of the case, the completeness of the application, as well as human resources.

Each USCIS application will move forward and your case status will notify you whether or not you should take an action.

For example, your case status is Request for Evidence. That means the documents you provided in your application as evidence are not sufficient. Sure, it allows you to provide additional documents based on the application you submitted. If you are slow to do what USCIS tells you to do, this will add even more time for them to handle it.

Additionally, USCIS service centers may influence USCIS processing time estimates. One service center may be faster or slower in handling your application, for example a green card application through marriage, and this is determined by the level of employee expertise in handling your application and the workload at that time.

If your application is in the “Case Under Active Review” status, it means that USCIS is conducting a review of your application, involving checking for missing documents or inconsistencies. If everything is complete, they will move on to the next stage. Of course, moving an application to the next stage does not immediately provide an update on the status of your case. There’s no doubt that the USCIS case often takes longer than estimated.

In short, we can use the USCIS processing times as a window that gives us a close to accurate estimate, not as a reference for counting down.

It’s best for you to take a more practical plus or minus approach. For example, if the USCIS online portal tells 60 days for an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative, we can estimate the time plus/minus about 60 days, so the time range that USCIS will take to process your application is 0-120 days.

In some cases, the processing times of a case may not change for several months, but it jumped from 6 months to 0 days and it will be taking longer than expected, and it can go back up to 2 months.

Why is an Accurate USCIS Processing Time Important?

Considering so many USCIS fillings are backlogged, accurate processing time is highly important.

The majority of USCIS applications require speed in processing since they relate to the next phase. For example, the I-765 application where applicants need certainty because both the applicant and the employer who has submitted the petition on behalf of the prospective worker need a realistic idea of how long their application or petition will take to be processed.

If the processing time is inaccurate, it is certainly very difficult to determine when someone can start work and travel internationally.

What Does USCIS Do in Providing Accurate Processing Times?

Due to many complaints regarding errors in providing processing times, USCIS announced a “Pilot Program” to handle it in March 2018.

What is a pilot program? This is a program to change the way USCIS estimated processing time. It actually includes a new automated methodology for calculating processing time for four of the most widely used immigration applications, including:

    • N-400, Application for Naturalization
    • I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card
    • I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
    • I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence

The method of calculating estimated processing times is often quite broad and USCIS determines it based on previous month’s settlement. They will provide high and low time ranges.

The highest time range represents the time that USCIS needs to complete 93% of cases, while the lowest time range means USCIS needs to complete 50% of cases.

Thus, the pilot program for these four applications still has several issues, so it has not been expanded to other types of USCIS immigration benefit applications and petitions.

Indeed, the pilot program does not resolve processing time issues that the public needs. It is because the processing time that USCIS displays on the online portal does not represent the estimated time for applications that require multi-steps.

For example, employment-based green card applications where employers are required to file the I-140 Immigration Application for Foreign Workers, while workers must file Form I-485 to become US permanent residents when visa numbers are immediately available.

Sure, this application requires several steps with sequential processing times, starting with USCIS adjudicating the I-140 first and then the I-485. It will require separate processing times, so the applicant should add up the two processing times to get a rough estimate of how long it will take USCIS to complete the application.

How to Know the Processing Times for Your USCIS Application

It’s pretty straightforward to know the estimated time when USCIS will resolve your case. But one thing is to make sure that you don’t use this in real time but only as an estimate, and it’s better to use the method we mentioned above.

Thanks to the USCIS processing times tool, you can easily check the processing times for your case. You can access the tool here: egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

USCIS Processing Times

Once you’re at the tool page, you can choose the form you submit, the category of the form, and the USCIS service center. Then, you can click “Get processing time.”

After clicking it, there’ll be a small dialogue box that shows the processing times of your application.

Conclusion

We know that USCIS continually strives to provide accurate estimates for processing each application. But the fact is that the USCIS schedule is always changing and the estimated processing time for these cases will automatically be updated periodically.

So, it would be better for you to consider USCIS processing times as estimates, not guarantees.

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