Processing Times

How Long Will My Case Take to Completion or Adjudication?

U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS)

U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS) is within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) . USCIS posts the processing times for benefits applications filed with the agency. You will need to know whether your case is filed at a regional service center or at a local district office and the application type (form number) to determine processing times. USCIS also enables you to plug in your specific receipt number for status on your case. You will need your case number – usually the service center number found on your fee receipt. But, beware that data can be missing or incorrect. The following are links to USCIS:

*Processing times given refer to targeted processing times. Your case could take more or less time. There is also an average 14-day lag time between final adjudication and original notices being received in the mail.

U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL)

The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) processes labor certifications (PERM) for permanent residence and H-2A and H-2B visas as well as labor condition applications (LCAs) for H-1B and E-3 visas. You should know when and where your case was filed.

A system for tracking these cases is done electronically by email through the employer’s account with DOL or by phone here. You can check H-1B, H2B and PERM processing times and Prevailing Wage Requests processing times on the DOL website by clicking the relevant tabs below the log-in information.

For status on Labor Condition Applications for H-1B and E-3 visa petitions, employers should check their Flag accounts for status.

U.S. Department of State (USDOS)

The U.S. Department of State is responsible for each of the U.S. Embassies and consulates abroad that process visa applications. Estimated processing times are published for visa issuance for nonimmigrant visas from date of interview. Specifics for immigrant visas are found on U.S. Embassy websites. The monthly Visa Bulletin, published by the U.S. Department of State, lists the family and employment based permanent visa categories subject to a quota by country, category, and priority date (place in line in the quota system) for that month. The quota must be “current” for an immigrant visa to issue or in order to file for adjustment of status to permanent resident in the USA. Embassies are now posting online status updates for cases stuck in “administrative processing.”