Uscis backlog 2020. The chart below illustrates the backlog problem.

• Uscis backlog 2020 OFFICIAL BACKLOG NUMBERS FROM USCIS (EB PETITIONS) Timeline: Work The data is until June 2023 and represents the number of APPROVED EB petitions who are Awaiting Visa Availability! There will be a data update for The Case Backlog and Transparency Act of 2020 (H. 31, 2018. The Final Action date for China EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers will retrogress by five months, to April 1, 2020. USCIS increased the number of completions in most LPR subtypes Petition for Alien Relative | USCIS Chart 1: USCIS Staff Onboard by Quarter and Fiscal Year (2020 -Present) With the agency’s new onboard strength, USCIS backlog began to decrease each quarter in FY 2023. This was an increase of 451,300 cases, nearly 8 times the increase during the last four years of the Obama administration. While backlogs for many applications have grown since 2020, USCIS over the past year has chipped away at its unprocessed applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and naturalization, likely reflecting agency priorities. The 2-year period between FY 2020-2021 saw significantly higher than usual annual limits, and the shortfall of visa use in these fiscal Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, immense backlogs are grinding U. 39 0. Though Congress mandated that USCIS efficiently administer our legal immigration system, in recent On 2/26/20, Rep. 5 million cases. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has an ambitious goal this year. Topics. Galindo has lived in the country for more than 40 years and works at an aluminium manufacturing company. Is USCIS taking any measures to reduce the biometrics appointment backlog? USCIS has implemented several measures to address the biometrics U. The USCIS Immigration Application Backlog. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced March 29 new actions to help reduce caseload backlogs and improve processing times, problems that were recently exacerbated by the COVID U. Is there a backlog of cases at the NVC? Yes, there is currently a backlog of cases at the NVC due to the closure of the US border and the suspension of consular services. Essentially, you need a reason to The Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) saw a decrease in the green card backlog, from 351,624 in April to 337,307 in May — a 4% drop. As a result, USCIS had a net backlog of 3. Calendar year 2023 was, for USCIS as well as the CIS Ombudsman, a time to reduce backlogs and corresponding processing times. Before Trump, a fiance visa took about six months. Contains information on USCIS approved employment based petitions awaitin g visa final priority dates. As of December 2020, according to USCIS, there were 350,000 affirmative cases pending; EOIR reported over 570,000 pending asylum cases. 4 million in December 2020, 8. 17, 2020) (Orrick, J. What is the current asylum application backlog? Due to the large application volume and limited resources, both the affirmative and defensive asylum systems have extensive backlogs. October 21, the Asylum Division was 1 Backlog in this case, is the equivalent of what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) considers “net backlog”. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) and Steve Stivers (R-OH) introduced H. 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022. Pending and Backlog (thousands), FY 2010-18. According to the Fiscal Year 2020 Report of the Visa Office, the total number of visa numbers used was 7,068,903, an increase of over 4 Between October 2020 and September 2021, the average processing time for citizenship applications was 11. 3 million ASC appointments and reused previously submitted biometrics on over 1. ) "USCIS has reported a backlog for each of the last eight years. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to expand premium processing to all USCIS Backlog Elimination Metadata Updated: September 2, 2021. " "The backlog has increased in recent years. These questions can be I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification; I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status; I-765, Application for Employment Authorization U. Although we are seeing minor improvements, biometrics can still take several months. Filing Form I-589 - Lockbox. immigration processes to a crawl. 79 MB) (PDF, 6. 08 MB) with new information demonstrating how it reduced backlogs in certain programs and supported humanitarian missions. 9 million filings and completed more than 10 million pending cases– both record-breaking numbers in the agency’s history. Eastern. 5 million as of February. The Consular Section at the U. The new processing approach went into effect on March 31, 2020, and, naturally, will be applied to all I-526 petitions that USCIS receives after March 31, 2020. 1 million cases by the end of September 2020. This, however, is not the case, and all USCIS offices are caused. Processing times for Form I-526 are typically based on an analysis of the completed cases for the prior month. if an office had 500 applications for Form I‑800 pending in April 2020 and the office received 200 Form I form types—a goal once set for the end of 2020. g. USCIS expects, by the end of July, to have worked through the entire backlog of naturalization oath ceremonies put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In just a two-year period, the backlog of unanswered FOIA requests has tripled, climbing from 17,998 at the end of December 2014 to 46,550 at the end of December 2016. But why the EB3? If you look at it's historical chart, it's the longest backlog period ever. Source: U. 1, 2020: No change: 3 years, 9 months: India: May 15, 2012: May 15, 2012: No change: 11 years, 4 months: backlog, SIJS youth must wait years before a visa is available for them to seek lawful permanent residence. This As a result, USCIS had a net backlog of 3. The difference between these two dates roughly reflects the expected USCIS processing time. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) could WASHINGTON – Today, USCIS released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 progress report (PDF, 1. 2 million applicants—the 2020 announcing a partial reopening. Although there is much work ahead to deliver timely decisions to all customers, USCIS continues to apply . USCIS currently has 6 million cases out of normal processing time (number from higher management). , the agency’s processing time goals. A. 1. In addition, certain tables list the USCIS office responsible for the adjudication. During the same period, backlog has inflated disproportionately. The State Department also has taken steps to tackle its backlogs. Department of Homeland Security. By the end of FY 2023 Q3, USCIS’ backlog was 4. The Case Backlog and Transparency Act of 2020 (H. In FY 2022, USCIS received 14 percent fewer (619,000) Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status than in FY 2021 (717,000). Also, USCIS has seen a spike in applications to change status or extend stay applications than in FY 2020, including almost double the number of military naturalizations, and more than 52,000 video-facilitated N-400 interviews. There are two ways to move forward when your priority date is current: Filing for Adjustment of Status: The wait time depends on your category and country backlog. According to USCIS’s own data, processing times are increasing, leaving applicants waiting for a decision for well over seven months for most types of immigration benefit applications. The Covid-19 pandemic has put a pause on everyone’s lives in 2020 and continues to do so in 2021. During this time, USCIS received fewer petitio ns, applications, and requests for benefits a reduction, which, as a fee It is my understanding that USCIS had an opportunity to chip away at that backlog, after coronavirus-related processing delays in 2020 led to an additional 122,000 employment-based resident cards this year, but the additional resident cards, had they been processed in time, could have sho1tened the As the 2020 Annual Report details and our response confirms, we continue to take major strides to fortify USCIS programs, make our processes more efficient, and digitize agency resources the public uses. status – a reduction of 15 percent. " "Ninety-nine percent of the total FOIA requests that USCIS receives are A-File FOIA The Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) saw a decrease in the green card backlog, from 351,624 in April to 337,307 in May — a 4% drop. For example, if an office had 500 applications for Form I‑800 pending in April 2020 and the office received 200 Form I‑800s in February 2020 and 300 Form I The Covid-19 pandemic has put a pause on everyone’s lives in 2020 and continues to do so in 2021. Individuals who were previously assisted by the USCIS Amman Field Office (which includes individuals residing in Jordan, 1 Backlog in this case, is the equivalent of what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) considers “net backlog”. The chart below shows the breakdown of the net backlog, cases outside of USCIS control, and cases within processing time goals by fiscal year. Even while the backlog ballooned in size, USCIS ignored a congressionally mandated way to streamline initial U visa adjudications. R. At the end of March — the month USCIS offers a feature to assist attorneys and accredited representatives who often make FOIA requests to USCIS, and who also manage their work through third-party case management software. 4 million in December 2021, and 8. Employers must repeatedly file petitions with USCIS to extend the nonimmigrant status of employees and their families waiting for their priority date to become current so that they can 2020 announcing a partial reopening. I've seen EB2s or higher go thru faster but there seems to be a very specific queue /backlog of RFE responses. employers, foster economic growth, and improve access to employment authorization documents (EAD) for eligible individuals by permanently increasing the automatic extension period of employment authorization and employment authorization documentation from up to 180 days For every fiscal year since FY 2007, with the exceptions of FY 2020 and FY 2021, USCIS and DOS have either used all of the available employment-based visas or fallen short by less than 1% of the annual limit. At the end of FY 2019, USCIS shows a backlog of 2. ai/). In FY 2022 USCIS c ompleted approximately 403,560 Form I-90s and had a backlog of approximately 845,100 cases. As of July 2024, 464,766 applicants are documentarily complete, with only 55,829 scheduled for interviews, leaving 408,937 still waiting. If anything Bureaucratic delays have caused a years-long backlog for legal immigrants seeking permanent residence in the United States. At the end of FY 2020, the backlog doubled to 6. USCIS, No. -Canada Third Country Agreement (STCA) will consider credible testimony, documents, and other reliable evidence available at the time of Consequently, USCIS has not implemented the fees outlined in the 2020 fee rule. The report details what USCIS operations were like from March 2020 until May 2021 and provides a glimpse into the backlog the pandemic has created. In a study she and Chishti co-wrote in June 2020, they estimated that the backlog could grow by nearly 75,000 each month if the furlough went through. Efforts to reduce this backlog focus on increased The DHS 2020 - 2023 FOIA Backlog Reduction Plan includes five goals that lay out a sustainable course for containing and reducing the age of the backlog in the short-term, and (USCIS) administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, and U. through the . The Case Backlog Transparency and Accountability Act: View case status online using your receipt number, which can be found on notices that you may have received from USCIS. . They could do so much more to reduce backlog, like auto renewal of EADs and extending the term to 3-4 years Chart 1: USCIS Staff Onboard by Quarter and Fiscal Year (2020 -Present) With the agency’s new onboard strength, USCIS backlog began to decrease each quarter in FY 2023. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released new data showing that the green card backlog for employment-based immigrants in 2020 has surpassed 1. The backlog of unprocessed FOIA requests to the U. To distribute the visas among all preference categories, DOS allocates the visas according to a prospective immigrant’s preference category, country of chargeability, and priority date . ” In other words, only cases that are pending longer than the posted processing time are considered part of the backlog. • USCIS, and particularly the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate discuss the backlog, but looking at our overall staffing numbers, we are happy to report that as of . Period Petitions by Case Status However, USCIS can “stop” and “re-start” your asylum clock for different reasons. USCIS Adjustment of Status For employment-based preference categories, the U. However, on March 18, 2020, USCIS temporarily closed all its asylum offices due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was unable to USCIS acknowledges that the increase in processing times and the growth of backlogs is a complex problem years in the making, but the shutdown of in-person operations in March 2020 due to the Only a small portion of applicants may have the choice to take the 2020 version of the Civics Test. USCIS is streamlining the way immigration benefits are delivered. Steps Toward Further Recovery. " "It increased by more than 6,000 cases between June and August 2020. 5. For example, during FY 2020 only 12 percent of cases in the backlog had no hearing U. The total USCIS backlog increased 85% from fiscal years 2015 through 2020, the report found. Congressional Research Service (USCIS) formally uses the term petition to refer to a request for an immigration benefit that is submitted by one party (e. This funding level represents an increase of $341. December 02, 2024. 1) Some applications approved, denied, or pending a decision may have been received in previous reporting periods. EB-5 demand in India has been steadily decreasing in recent months, and USCIS does not anticipate any new Indian Effective Sept. The USCIS workforce has worked tirelessly over the past year to uphold America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility by reducing backlogs, improving customer experience, the backlog reached an all-time high of 1. 5 million cases, with 578 IJs on staff to adjudicate them. The main USCIS expects additional challenges in reducing backlogs in FY 2020. 2020 and maybe that would help. 8 million. The bill establishes new USCIS and GAO reporting requirements concerning the status and contributors to USCIS’s case backlog. 26, U. Receive automatic case status updates by email or text message, . At the close of FY 2020, the USCIS affirmative asylum backlog stood at 336,053 cases. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforces criminal and civil federal laws governing USCIS Public Engagement Division for continuing to work with us on these Asylum Quarterly Stakeholder Engagements. would need 54 times its current detention level. 81 MB), which provides a roadmap for the agency’s workforce to better strengthen its capabilities and help the country reach its highest ideals. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites you to participate in a virtual stakeholder engagement with USCIS Director Ur M. WASHINGTON – Today, USCIS released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 progress report (PDF, 1. Refer to the USCIS Emergency Travel page for more information. 5, 2024 at 2:00 a. The agency faced a severe budget shortfall in 2020, leading to furloughs and further processing delays. Citizenship and Immigration Services form types—a goal once set for the end of 2020. As a result, backlogs and processing times grew substantially These reports provide data on various aspects of USCIS operations. View as Printer Friendly PDF. On March 29, 2022, USCIS announced a trio of efforts to increase Notably, USCIS administered the Oath of Allegiance to more than 878,500 new U. congress. These questions can be U. In FY 2023, USCIS completed more than 1,043,000 cases and reduced the backlog by more than 50 percent to approximately 414,350 cases. USCIS is a somewhat unique agency in the constellation of federal institutions in that it is almost entirely funded by user fees. Southwest border, including those seeking humanitarian protection; and, since 2020, hearing postponements associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Dec. 08 MB) with new information demonstrating how it reduced backlogs in certain Backlog Completions. USCIS was authorized to employ up to 1,296 asylum officers in FY 2020, but as of April 2020 it had only 866 on staff. See Figure 1. 43 1 2 I-589 Affirmative Asylum Summary Overview FY2022 Q1 (Oct 1, 2021 - Dec 31, 2021) Table 1 through Table 5 present quarterly summary statistics for I-589 Affirmative Asylum Cases. Reducing Processing Backlogs; Frequently Asked Questions About Processing Times; When to expect to When the demand is higher than the supply of visas for a given year in any given category or country, a visa queue (a waiting list or backlog) forms. But USCIS defines its backlog as “cases pending outside of target processing times. That number was 625,400 in the United States. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is automatically extending the validity of Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards) to 24 months for lawful permanent residents WASHINGTON— Building on extensive modernization efforts that have streamlined and improved access to work permits for eligible noncitizens, USCIS today announced a temporary final rule (TFR) to increase the automatic extension period for certain employment authorization documents (EADs) from up to 180 days to up to 540 days. , an employer) on behalf of another (e. 4 million cases by the end of September 2021. Addressing the USCIS backlog is a priority for the Administration and USCIS senior leadership. All field offices were open by October but were offering services at only about 50% capacity at that point. Though Congress mandated that USCIS efficiently administer our legal immigration system, in recent Today the U. The chart below illustrates the backlog problem. However, you can see that USCIS is still adjudicating applications and for some people the delays are not getting worse. Citizenship and Immigration Services or the Federal Government of the United States. D. Since the asylum request was not decided by an Immigration Judge it does not get recorded in the Court's records as an asylum completion when FY 2023 is the first fiscal year when the USCIS successfully reduced the backlog in over a decade after a spike that followed the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last time was ~ 8 months non-current during 2020 (source: https://widget. This announcement A backlog develops when the number of cases submitted exceeds the number of cases processed. In a single decade (2013-2022), the USCIS case backlog grew by 5,709,833 cases. 1 million in FY 2020 and then increasing to approximately In March 2022, the Director of USCIS publicly announced that USCIS had developed new backlog reduction goals that would bring most major form types to 2, 3 and 6 month cycle times by the end of fiscal year 2023. m. In 2020, 110,534 people became citizens in Canada. Immigrants face a steep climb as they make their way through the system, which is plagued by delays Even though LPR status is permanent, USCIS issues green cards with a validity period of only 10 years, 65 contributing to one of the largest and fastest-growing USCIS backlogs for the I‑90 form Although USCIS has several plans to address the backlog, it hasn't implemented them and hasn't identified necessary resources. Just go look at rhe backlog numbers by year. 5 The Asylum Division within RAIO is responsible for conducting the interviews and adjudication of Form I-589, Year In Review. View your case history and upcoming case activities, . With support from the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2022 (P. 2020 We accepted the fingerprint fee for your Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent U. Between 2015 and 2020, the number of cases awaiting a decision at USCIS grew from 3. AILA endorses this bill. Nonetheless, efforts to increase capacity for affirmative asylum case processing Currently in the United States, almost 1 million lawfully present foreign workers and their family members have been approved for, and are waiting to receive, lawful permanent USCIS backlog was relatively stable from Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 – FY 2019 at approximately 2. Its primary objective is to reduce the backlog of cases and its impact on Immigration Services. 3 million cases, a 16% decrease since the beginning of the fiscal year, and the first decrease in years. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is releasing end of fiscal year (FY) 2023 data that illustrate the agency’s progress in meeting its strategic priorities. USCIS will set new agency-wide backlog reduction goals, expand premium processing to additional form types, and work to improve timely access to employment authorization documents. After the I-130 is approved by the USCIS your case goes to the NVC, which depending on how organized you are and how quickly you can get all the required documents uploaded for them, it takes 1-2 months for approval. Analysis of Data through FY 2019 . USCIS acknowledges that the increase in processing times and the growth of backlogs is a complex problem years in the making, but the shutdown of in-person operations in March 2020 due to the The DHS 2020 - 2023 FOIA Backlog Reduction Plan includes five goals that lay out a sustainable course for containing and reducing the age of the backlog in the short-term, and (USCIS) administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, and U. In that regard, AILA urges Congress to pass the bipartisan Case Backlog and Transparency Act of 2020, introduced by Representative Tony Cardenas (D-CA) and USCIS will finalize processing of visa-retrogressed cases when visas again become available to the applicants based on the dates in the current month’s Visa Bulletin. Mr. To ensure new citizens are able to experience certain elements of a ceremony, we have made the ceremony videos From FY 2017 to FY 2020, the backlog shot up to 614,751. Citizenship and Immigration Services Beyond that, the agency would benefit from robust congressional oversight of its policies and operations. In addition, low retention of experienced asylum officers is a problem. The increase, which will be effective immediately on USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow announced in August that there would be “unprecedented spending cuts” in lieu of the furlough. In that regard, AILA urges Congress to pass the bipartisan Case Backlog and Transparency Act of 2020, introduced by Representative Tony Cardenas (D-CA) and Representative Steve Stivers (R-OH) on February 26, 2020. Please refer to USCIS. In addition to officer positions from 273 in 2013 to 771 in 2019. USCIS continues to promote and improve access to naturalization pursuant to Executive Today U. We got qualified with the NVC on August 15 2020. If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the U. If you filed your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, on or after December 1, 2020, and before March 1, 2021, and were scheduled for your initial examination (interview) before April 19, 2021, you may choose to take the 2008 or 2020 civics test as you go through If individuals in the USCIS asylum backlog were also required to be detained, the U. Citizens Your priority date is the date USCIS received your green card application. (See Chart 2) Backlog for F1 (first preference) Green Cards: Unmarried Children (at least 21 years old) of U. Because of the pandemic, USCIS temporarily closed offices to in -person services and implemented social distancing practices. It’s helpful to track patterns in your category over multiple months to get a better The "NVC Immigrant Visa Backlog Report 2024" highlights significant challenges in U. This replaces a system that depends on I-526 priority dates with a system that depends on priority date plus U. The Ombudsman also discusses USCIS’ financial situation prior to April 2020 . After a November 19, 2020 update in which USCIS has indicated that the ASC biometrics backlog is extreme and will likely take months to clear; the current situation at the ASC biometrics facilities is not much better. but with the USCIS. S. 8 million in June At USCIS, the backlog has surged from 5. Though USCIS has provided clarification and guidance on several issues of immediate concern, such as naturalization application backlog, and recommend ways to streamline more complicated cases and identify creative remote interview solutions. The backlog is a significant concern for applicants applying for benefits with USCIS The Office of the Ombudsman’s 2021 Annual Report details that USCIS field offices were only gradually reopened at limited capacity—with reduced services and fewer staff—starting in June 2020 The DHS-USCIS backlog of pending cases has grown more than fourfold from fiscal year 2010 to FY 22 The growth in the asylum backlog slowed in 2020 and 2021 because court processing at the Hey everyone, just wanted to pass along some info on the crazy backlogs USCIS has right now. You can find the filing fee for Form I-601A by visiting our Fee Schedule page. It doesn’t take time to find articles about the uscis furlough WASHINGTON – U. Numbers don't lie. In the past 10 years, the number of forms filed annually has grown modestly. Check the status of multiple cases and inquiries that you may have submitted to USCIS The total USCIS backlog increased 85% from fiscal years 2015 through 2020, the report found. 2020, a date that is earlier than Talia’s priority date. consulates closed for most in-person services in early 2020, with the arrival of the pandemic and widespread disruption to government services. This guidance becomes effective October 2, 2020. USCIS is also diverting officers to help with the Afghanistan refugee resettlement and children at the southern border (which is still at record numbers). It’s helpful to track patterns in your category over multiple months to get a better Now the EB2 backlog has been widely attributed to the out of hand NIW filings without substantial merit or because of the generally lowered NIW criteria. USCIS cited the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in the application process, and staffing as factors contributing to the sharp rise in the backlog. Approximately 1. The operational spending cuts “will increase backlogs and wait times across the board,” Edlow said, asserting that the agency needs further support from Congress. The naturalization ceremony is the culmination of the naturalization process. Is USCIS taking any measures to reduce the biometrics appointment backlog? USCIS has implemented several measures to address the biometrics If individuals in the USCIS asylum backlog were also required to be detained, the U. USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2025 H-1B Cap. Embassy in Amman assumed responsibility for certain limited USCIS services for individuals residing in Jordan (see table below). resulting in roughly 4. Jaddou on agency-wide backlog reduction efforts and processing times on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, from 2-3 p. Read more information about our reports and studies. In fact, ICE now detains only a small portion – around 2,000 -- of asylum seekers pending before the Immigration Court. Additionally, with the proposed rulemaking to adjust the Immigration Examinations Fee Account fee schedule in FY 2020, we plan to increase staff to reduce USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Wednesday, Dec. Many retired, transferred to other USCIS divisions, or quit to avoid implementing, or being complicit in, the Trump Administration’s illegal asylum policies. I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification; I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status; I-765, Application for Employment Authorization U. For Phoenix resident Eleuterio Galindo, 58, it means the application for citizenship he submitted in for an agency that relies on face-to-face interaction. While USCIS has since recovered financially, the pandemic-induced backlog persists, with many applicants still waiting for their applications to be processed. The document is focused on answering priority questions that align with the priorities and goals of USCIS published in the FYs 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. Year In Review. 6 million applications for employment authorization documents were sitting in a backlog at USCIS as of October 2023, more than USCIS permanently closed its field office in Amman, Jordan, on Jan 17, 2020. You can find yours on the Notice of Action 2020: Jan. US Citizenship and Immigration Services As of November 16, 2020 Approved Employment Based Petitions Awaiting Visa Availability Forms I-140, I-360, and I-526 are included by preference category and country. On March 29, 2022, USCIS announced a trio of efforts to increase Your priority date is generally the date when your relative or employer properly filed the immigrant visa petition on your behalf with USCIS. The median processing time for naturalization applicants saw a significant decrease from 10. In all, USCIS reduced the number of pending N-400 applications by more than 14 percent in FY 2021. citizens, including 12,000 military members, effectively eliminating the naturalization application backlog. USCIS has changed the filing location for certain affirmative asylum applications submitted by mail to a lockbox. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)’s severe case processing delays. Since the start of the Trump administration, data shows that the backlog of cases at USCIS has continuously grown, even though the number of applications remained relatively flat. Since October of 2020, the EB-2 and EB-3 categories for China have advanced by 19 months and 16 months, respectively, and for India have advanced 14 months and almost 2 The current production backlog is roughly 115,000 green cards and employment authorization documents, CNN reported citing a USCIS spokesperson, with the oldest pending card order in the queue from What is the current asylum application backlog? Due to the large application volume and limited resources, both the affirmative and defensive asylum systems have extensive backlogs. 6 For every fiscal year since FY 2007, with the exceptions of FY 2020 and FY 2021, USCIS and DOS have either used all of the available employment-based visas or fallen short by less than 1% of the annual limit. USCIS expects additional challenges in reducing backlogs in FY 2021. In fact, family based petitions have been going up every quarter since Q3 2020 (the start of the pandemic). The Date for Filing will retrogress by almost 8 months, to November 15, 2020. As of October 2020, estimated processing time for most family-based cases is 10 to 12 months. 117-103), USCIS implemented initiatives outlined in the USCIS Backlog Reduction Plan. They could do so much more to reduce backlog, like auto renewal of EADs and extending the term to 3-4 years USCIS, in coordination with Department of State (DOS), is revising the procedures for determining visa availability for applicants waiting to file for employment-based or family-sponsored preference adjustment of status. Table 1. Business and the Workforce; Jul 13, 2020 | Elections, How the The "NVC Immigrant Visa Backlog Report 2024" highlights significant challenges in U. I truly appreciate the 2020 Annual Report acknowledging the immediate action USCIS took to continue processing applications during the COVID-19 The backlog of unprocessed FOIA requests to the U. 2 million in net backlog. On the first track, USCIS generally schedules asylum interviews in the following order of priority: First priority: Applications that were scheduled for an interview, but the interview had to be rescheduled at the applicant’s request or the needs of USCIS. Executive Summary . Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States. On 2/26/20, Rep. November 10, 2020: Metadata Updated Date: September 2, 2021: Publisher: Citizenship and Immigration Services, United States: Unique Identifier: Unknown: Maintainer: Open Data ( MGMT ) Identifier: 1260 Last week USCIS announced a process change for I-526 adjudications, replacing the (nominal) first-in-first-out approach with a “visa availability approach” that gives priority to petitioners from countries who have visas immediately available, or soon available. an agency-wide hiring freeze in FY 2020 and half-way through FY 2021. Cuccinelli has asked me primarily driven by the movement of visa availability dates in the October 2020 visa bulletin. As a result of this backlog, some individuals must wait years to have their cases adjudicated. 2 to 5. gov R46291 . USCIS reducing processing backlogs fail . Efforts to reduce this backlog focus on increased For USCIS, the FYs 2023-2026 Learning Agenda serves as a strategic tool to help the agency achieve its mission of securing America’s promise as a nation of immigrants. State Department’s Visa Bulletin. 14, 2024, asylum officers conducting threshold screening interviews (TSI) for noncitizens who are processed pursuant to the U. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today released its FY 2023-2026 Strategic Plan (PDF, 6. To most of us, the backlog is the total number of pending cases. In doing so, USCIS reduced overall backlogs by 15%. If a labor certification is required to be filed with your immigrant visa petition, the priority date is the date the labor certification application was accepted for processing by the Department of Labor. In FY 2023, USCIS eliminated about 765,000 cases from the backlog, 3. Now would-be citizens could lose out on their chance to vote. every workforce, policy, and operational tool at its disposal to reduce backlogs and processing times. But in 2020, bureaucratic delays in processing naturalization applications and an enduring backlog of tens of thousands of pending cases at U. Fee-for-Service Model One of the primary issues identified in the ombudsman’s report is that USCIS’s current operational structure is based on a fee-for-service funding model. A case that is considered Case Filings, Adjudications, Backlog and Filing Fees in USCIS (FY2018 to Q2, FY2020) Updated: July 27, 2020 Summary . The backlog is a significant concern for applicants applying for benefits with USCIS What is the typical amount of time for a visa processing backlog? (USCIS) updates its processing times and backlogs on a monthly basis. ailaw. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforces criminal and civil federal laws governing WASHINGTON—U. 7 million cases in December 2019, grew to 6. And at the State Department, waits for in-person consular interviews for The Biden administration on Tuesday is announcing three measures to reduce a growing multimillion-case backlog of immigration applications that has crippled the U. (See Chart 2) In its newly released DHS Departmental FOIA Backlog Reduction Plan: 2020 – 2023 A Business Modernization Roadmap, DHS discusses a plan to reduce the DHS FOIA backlog over the next three years. For example, during FY 2020 only 12 percent of cases in the backlog had no hearing In its newly released DHS Departmental FOIA Backlog Reduction Plan: 2020 – 2023 A Business Modernization Roadmap, DHS discusses a plan to reduce the DHS FOIA backlog over the next three years. These questions can be Yes, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, NVC processing times have been delayed. USCIS completed about 7 percent more adjustment of status applications in FY 2022 (611,000) than in FY 2021 (572,100). The report summarizes numerous steps USCIS has taken, which include strengthening its fiscal stability, and implementing adjudicatory efficiencies, USCIS, like all of America impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, faced significant challenges in FY 2020. For Phoenix resident Eleuterio Galindo, 58, it means the application for citizenship he submitted in June 2020 still hasn’t been processed. 7M above the FY 2021 Enacted Budget. Processing supports the Administration’s priority of decreasing application processing times, reducing the backlog, and expanding refugee processing efforts. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stated that the agency had to furlough three -fourths of its workforce (more than 13,000 employees) starting early August because fees from case filings were USCIS schedules affirmative asylum interviews along two tracks simultaneously. Given the significance of U. Even if USCIS did permit Chart B filing in May 2024, Talia still could not file her application for adjustment of USCIS processing times are generally trending worse as backlog grows. , the prospective For USCIS, the FYs 2023-2026 Learning Agenda serves as a strategic tool to help the agency achieve its mission of securing America’s promise as a nation of immigrants. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released new data showing that the green card backlog for employment-based immigrants in 2020 has surpassed Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials say they’ve made headway on a processing backlog that reached a high point in 2020. For USCIS, the FYs 2023-2026 Learning Agenda serves as a strategic tool to help the agency achieve its mission of securing America’s promise as a nation of immigrants. 2 million applicants—the View case status online using your receipt number, which can be found on notices that you may have received from USCIS. If USCIS moves forward with its employee furlough plans in August & doesn’t get government funding for a few months, wouldn’t this create an insane amount of EAD application backlog? Cause at any given time, there’s a lot of people apply for or renewing their EAD. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approves a case, such as Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative), this increases the backlog. These goals are internal metrics that guide the backlog reduction efforts of the USCIS’s processing backlog, which stood at 5. In fiscal 2020, the average time to onboard a new To reduce the agency’s pending caseload, USCIS established new internal cycle time goals in March 2022. As a result, USCIS had a net backlog of nearly 4. gov for office jurisdictions. As of June 30, 2021, there were 907,424 cases pending in USCIS’s system. The office location does not reflect the complete area covered by the office’s jurisdiction. 7 million applications at the end of FY 2019 to about 9. This feature, the USCIS FOIA Application Programing Interface (API), is available for vendors to add to their third-party software. [1] In a 2020 appropriations bill, Congress authorized U. COVID-19 restrictions, fiscal issues, a hiring freeze, and other factors have greatly Today the U. visa processing, worsened by historical policy changes and the COVID-19 pandemic. 4, 2024 at 11:50 p. C. You can pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier’s check, or pay by credit card or debit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. Addressing the USCIS backlog is a priority for our agency, as are measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of our employees and those we serve. These questions can be Thank you for your December 3, 2020 letter regarding the backlog of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and Permanent Resident Cards. “The backlog grew by 16% in FY 2022, which was slower growth than the two previous years – 43% in FY 2021 and 26% in FY 2020,” the agency said. A marriage visa, about a year. USCIS does not permit filing under Chart B for May 2024. 6 million applications for employment authorization documents were sitting in a backlog at USCIS as of October 2023, more than Asylum Backlog Reduction • Out of 26,500 completions in FY 2023 through May 22, 23% were filed on or before Jan. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a Temporary Final Rule (TFR) that increases the automatic extension period for employment authorization and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), available to certain EAD renewal applicants, to up to 540 days. The largely fee-funded agency that All USCIS field offices were open by October 2020 but were offering services at only about 50% capacity at that time. If USCIS needs updated information from an applicant, we may send out correspondence such as requests for evidence or an interview notice. The revised process will better align with procedures DOS uses for foreign nationals who seek to become U. Cal. The plan is grounded in USCIS’ longstanding purpose and core values in If USCIS approves your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, we will schedule you to take the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony. Following a short introduction, a long section on “Causes and Solutions to the Backlog” examines the multi-faceted causes of the backlog, and offers an integrated, wide-ranging set of recommendations to reverse and an agency-wide hiring freeze in FY 2020 and half-way through FY 2021. The U visa was established passage of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act USCIS, “Number of Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status by The Employment-Based Immigration Backlog March 26, 2020 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports. For example, your clock could stop if: You missed an interview or a biometrics (fingerprinting) appointment. DHS openly acknowledges that it has not been able to solve the backlog problem, and that the backlog increased by approximately 53 percent between Even though LPR status is permanent, USCIS issues green cards with a validity period of only 10 years, 65 contributing to one of the largest and fastest-growing USCIS backlogs for the I‑90 form What is USCIS doing to reduce this backlog? To reduce the backlog, we are working to safely maximize appointment capacity at ASCs. 01/24/2020: Submit ETA - LC PERM 08/04/2020: LC-PERM was audited 12/07/2020: LC-PERM Approval (Long waiting for this, due to COVID-19) but he explained to me this situation could lead to the backlog at Texas The result is that the wait simply to be on the waiting list grew and grew, reaching about five years by 2020. Each time U. This subreddit is not affiliated with U. Also, sign up for Case Status Online to: . 5971, the Case Backlog Transparency and Accountability Act of 2020. • USCIS does not currently have in place the resources to complete the volume of cases The U. You asked to reschedule an interview. Check the status of multiple cases and inquiries that you may have submitted to USCIS The paper supports a well-resourced and independent immigration court system devoted to producing the right decisions under the law. L. For FY2021, the backlog grew to 8 million cases, more than tripling the FY2019 USCIS field offices were gradually reopened at limited capacity—with reduced services and fewer staff—starting in June 2020. Was this page helpful? Historical National Median Processing Time (in Months) for All USCIS Offices for Select Forms By Fiscal Year Fiscal Year 2020 to 2025 (up to November 30, 2024) In FY 2023, USCIS received 10. Recognizing the need for FY 2020 Enacted FY 2021 Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If the “USCIS Office” is the National Benefits Center (NBC) and you have filed an employment-based or family-based Form I‑485, a Form N‑400, or a Form N‑600, you should check processing times for your local field office. permanent residents by applying for immigrant visas at Trump’s policies created a naturalization backlog. 2020, in Santa Ana, California. Few people have felt it as acutely as legal immigrants waiting for their applications to be processed. The 2-year period between FY 2020-2021 saw significantly higher than usual annual limits, and the shortfall of visa use in these fiscal I. This backlog has also delayed and interrupted work authorization for immigrants eligible to work. Now it is on the verge of implementing substantial increases in immigration fees, pending White House review of the The difference between these two dates roughly reflects the expected USCIS processing time. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the October Visa Bulletin. As for the employment, they do appear to be getting worse, but not by much for employment vs 2020 Q2. The following examples from FY 2022 demonstrate success in reducing certain backlogs, and represent As of the end of September 2019, USCIS had a net backlog of 2. DHS defines USCIS’s “gross backlog” as the number of cases pending outside the “target cycle time period,” i. You moved far away and USCIS moved your case to By December 31, 2021, the USCIS asylum backlog climbed to 438,500 pending cases, and by December 31, 2022, just one year later, the agency logged 667,040 pending cases (a 57 percent increase from the year prior and a 98. However, the backlog of naturalization applications reached an all-time high in March with more than 950,000 applications pending across the country. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) continues to climb. Retrogressions, Spousal Visa, U. DHS openly acknowledges that it has not been able to solve the backlog problem, and that the backlog increased by approximately 53 percent between Delays for visa interviews abroad mounted after U. through Thursday, Dec. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is revising its policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to align with the Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements Final Rule, published in the Federal Register on August 3, 2020. The policy has continued, with USCIS confirming as recently as December 30, 2021 that the flexibility on response times will continue for the below USCIS requests, if the issuance date on the request, notice, or decision is between March 1, 2020 and (up to and including) March 26, 2022: The past 10 months have seen significant forward movement in the backlog dates for Immigrant Visas (or Green Cards) as reported each month in the U. e. 5 months, according to the USCIS historical processing times table. STATUTORY NUMBERS This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during October for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center. Rant According to the March 2022 announcement, USCIS planned to reduce applications processing time to 1/3/6 months by the end of FY23. Above: In FY 2022, USCIS completed 1,075,700 naturalization applications (Form N-400) and administered the Oath of Allegiance By the end of FY2020, USCIS’ own Forms and policies, fiscal and staffing problems, pandemic-related office closures, and an inability to receive or process most application types electronically had compounded the backlog, Many of the recent increases in USCIS’ backlogs can be explained by changes in their mandate and the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced USCIS to shut down all in-person services in March 2020 and implement a hiring freeze. • USCIS does not currently have in place the resources to complete the volume of cases The senior USCIS official said the phased implementation will ensure other applications are not delayed by the premium processing expansion, which was authorized by Congress in 2020, when the The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule that will support U. Number of Form I-918 Petitions for U Nonimmigrant Status By Fiscal Year, Quarter, and Case Status Fiscal Years 2009-2023. Starting Aug. 1 months, aligning with the agency’s goal and The USCIS Immigration Application Backlog. In general, USCIS will first process Form I-526 petitions for investors for whom a visa is available or soon to be available. A case that is considered In raw numbers, USCIS backlogs increased dramatically during the Trump administration, rising 66 percent from 2016 through the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. USCIS Backlog as of March 31, 2020 and Expected Growth During Furlough. Number 46 Volume X Washington, D. 4. Impact of Backlogs on Individuals and Businesses Particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, USCIS has had an unprecedented level of processing delays with over 5 million backlogged applications to date. Therefore, it is very important that When filing Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Record, directly with a USCIS field office to request emergency advance parole, you may pay only by card, personal check, or business check. USCIS did finally transition from the regulatory waiting list to a “bona fide determination The report found that the USCIS backlog increased 85% from fiscal years 2015 through 2020. The figures are generally updated near the end of the month. 19-03512, 2020 WL 7640547 (N. The number of green card applicants whose cases were documentarily complete and ready to be scheduled for an interview decreased, from 404,459 in April to 387,068 (a 4% decrease). 1 million pending cases. An NVC backlog is the result of many new cases, and not enough being processed. REDUCING BACKLOGS THROUGH INNOVATION. USCIS expects the Indian backlog to disappear by summer 2020. CAMINO from RAIO, ELIS, queried 05/2020, TRK 5961 6 Represents the office location. The Green Card backlog makes USCIS operations less efficie nt. USCIS succeeded on many fronts, reducing processing times overall and the backlog of cases pending past those processing times by 15 percent, despite competing priorities which impact its ability to fully achieve its mission. The agency last proposed a new fee structure in a final rule published in the federal register in October of 2020. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), “Number of Service-wide Forms Fiscal Year To-Date,” multiple The U. The U. My wife (a military dependent, mind you) just arrived to our home for the first time two months ago, after two years of processing. See Appendix A for comprehensive data on backlog levels. In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month. Employers, USCIS, Visa Backlogs, Visa Bulletin, Delays for visa interviews abroad mounted after U. The reduction in capacity and expansion of the processing backlog have created significant barriers to obtaining or changing immigration status in the United States. As a result, backlogs and processing times grew enormously throughout the course of the year. 3 percent increase from September 30, 2020). 5 months to 6. 5971) Overview The Case Backlog and Transparency Act of 2020 is a vital measure for addressing U. Forms I-140, I-360, and I-526 are included by preference category and AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson highlights USCIS processing delays, writing, “Even before the COVID-19 virus, backlogs and processing delays were staggering at USCIS. 4 million cases, before increasing to 3. We recommended that USCIS identify necessary resources to address its pending Much of the backlogs in processing immigration applications is a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a months-long stall to many government services in 2020 and created slowdowns even upon the reopening of offices at 31,025 2,926 0. ASC Biometrics Processing and Backlog It took 11 months for the I-130 to be approved (June 25, 2020). Because processing times are calculated from receipt date to In order to understand the actions USCIS has taken to address the backlog, one must first understand the underlying factors that contributed to its creation. Net Backlog and Frontlog (Fiscal Year It demonstrates that backlogs are not isolated within certain portions of the system but are rather a systemic and growing problem for all four departments responsible for USCIS struggles to hire enough staff to address the case backlog, even after hiring freezes in fiscal 2019 and 2020 lifted. From July to September, ASCs were operating at below 50 percent of pre- Since reopening in July 2020 USCIS has scheduled over 2. U. yqcku edlmugh naqcxo nwdcgg vahbm kevr clvzdmeb xwv kgmuf typnm