How Long Will My Case Take to Completion or Adjudication?
- U.S. Immigration & Citizenship Services (USCIS)
- U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL)
- U.S. Department of State (USDOS)
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:
- Regional Service Centers and District Offices processing times by application type*
- Individual Case Status
- e-Request (Inquiries re stuck cases.) See also the 1-800 phone number on your fee receipt.
*Processing times are not average processing times. Read the fine print. Your case could take more or less time posted.
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 FLAG website by clicking the relevant tabs below the log-in information.
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.”
The National Visa Center (NVC) orchestrates the paperwork for the US consulates and embassies abroad for those applying for immigrant visas (family, business and lottery cases). Processing times can be found here.