In our 2007 fee rule we committed to improving service. In the months that followed we received a large surge of applications. Notwithstanding that surge, in Fiscal Year 2008 we began measuring our performance and backlog against the goals we set in the fee rule. Although we knew we could not reach them in FY 2008 because of the large surge, we believed it was important to remain true to the commitments we made – and we did process 1.6 million more cases that we received during the year.
In the fee rule we also set a goal for the end of FY 2009 – to reduce average processing time by an average of 20% from our goals before the fee rule. We remain committed to that goal. The table below lists our goals before the fee rule and our goals the end of this fiscal year (September 30, 2009). Between them it shows our current national average active case processing time.
The Target Active Pending column reflects what we predict our caseload of active applications or petitions will be as of the end of September 2009. This does not include cases in which we are awaiting action by the applicant or cases which are in limited visa categories where no visa is available (unless otherwise noted).
The Today's Backlog column reflects the number of cases that USCIS will need to complete - over and above our current production levels - before the end of September 2009 in order to meet our processing time goals for the end of this fiscal year.
There are many reasons why processing times at an office or center can vary from the national average. See current case processing times at individual offices and centers in the Related Links section (in the upper right-hand corner) of this page.
Cells in blue reflect where USCIS is already meeting its FY 2009 goal.
Service or Benefit
Processing Time Goals (in months)
Current Active Case Processing Time
Cases Pending as of February 28, 2009 based upon current goals
Type of Request
Form
FY09 Goal before the July 2007 Fee Rule
FY09 Goal after the July 2007 Fee Rule
National Average as of February 28, 2009
Target Active Pending based on October 1 2009 Goal
Today's Backlog calculated against October 1 Goal
Sponsoring Relatives & Orphans
I-130 Immediate Relative
6
5
6.2
189,001
59,774
Preference Relative1
6
5
6.2
83,965
6,699
I-129 Fiancee Petition
6
5
6.1
22,418
4,798
I-600/ 600A/ 800/ 800A Orphan petitions
3
2.5
2.9
3,931
494
I-730 Ref/Asy Relative Pet
6
5
7.7
8,173
4,494
Resident Services
I-90 Renew/ Replace Perm. Res. Card
3
3.5
5.8
121,103
62,544
I-131 Reentry Permit/ Refugee travel doc
6
3
3
21,449
-
I-751 Remove Conditions on Residence
6
6
9.0
90,444
52,919
I-829 Remove conditions - investor
6
6
13
215
269
N-300 Declaration of Intent
6
6
6
35
-
N-400 Military naturalization
7
5
8.4
3,611
2,771
Other naturalization
7
5
6.7
227,991
76,189
N-470 Preserve Residence
6
6
10.5
262
255
N-644 Posthumous naturalization
6
3
3
2
-
N-648 Disability Exception
6
5
5
7,188
-
N-336 Hearing Request
6
6
6
4,833
-
Immigrant Visas
2
.5
0.5
18,350
-
Employer & Investor Services
I-129 Temporary Worker
2
2
2
45,363
-
I-140 Imm. Petition for Worker
6
4
9
25,528
31,421
I-360 Immigrant Petition
6
5
8.4
9,503
5,743
I-526 Investor Petition
6
5
5.1
491
34
I-905 Permission to issue health care certification
6
4
-
-
-
Nonimmigrant Services
I-102 Replace I94
3
2.5
2
3,926
-
I-539 Other Extend/ Change Status
3
2.5
2.6
37,261
1,158
Adjustment
I-485 Asylum Adjustment
6
4
9.5
13,201
17,360
Refugee adjustment
6
4
5.5
22,275
7,054
Cuban Adjustment Act2
6
4
6.3
10,305
5,424
Employment-based2,3
6
4
See note below3
82,817
221,339
Family-based2
6
4
7.3
119,863
79,732
All other adjustment of status2
6
4
12.2
4,415
6,272
I-131 Advance Parole
3
3
3
54,377
-
EAD
I-765 EAD based on Asylum
1
1
1
-
-
All other EAD
3
3
3
409,767
-
Transitional services
I-589 Asylum
6
6
6
11,225
-
I-821 Temporary Protected Status
6
3
3
195,781
-
I-881 NACARA 203 Application
6
6
6
1,302
-
I-867 Credible Fear Referral
14 Days
14 Days
14 Days
236
-
I-687/ 690/ 695/ 698/ 700 Legalization/ SAW
6
6
16
560
2,057
I-817 Family Unity
6
6
6
1,467
-
I-914 for "T" nonimmigrant status
6
4
6.1
530
156
I-918 for "U" nonimmigrant status
6
4
tba
3,550
20,826
for "V" nonimmigrant status
6
4
tba
-
-
Other Services
N-600/N-643 Recognition of Citizenship
6
5
5.9
21,919
4,184
I-824 Follow-up action on approved case
6
3
5.4
4,613
3,936
N-565 Replace certificate
6
6
6
15,259
-
Waivers
6
4
13.1
4,552
10,177
FOIA
20 business days
20 business days
20 Business Days
7,464
56,589
Geneology
-
-
3.0
1,015
195
Total
1,911,536
745,110
1 Where the case priority date is within one year of immigration eligibility based on the petition. We currently have an additional 1,123,058 unripe preference relative petitions awaiting processing.
2 USCIS currently tracks one overall processing time for these adjustment of status applications, but over the course of FY09 will begin to track them individually.
3 Target active pending includes cases pre-adjudicated but which cannot be approved yet because of overall limits on immigration visas.
