The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (USCIS) is undergoing many modernizations. One of their top priorities is to speed up the processing time for applicants. The expected processing times for all procedures can now be viewed online to make them more transparent. It is in our best interest to speed up all of the application procedures, as this will be beneficial for the people applying for the application and those processing it.
USCIS Modernization Process
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service announced a significant modernization plan a few months back. USCIS has been criticized for its outdated processes and long processing times. The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by agency closures and staff shortages, only worsened these issues.
Increased staff, digital modernization, and simplified application processes were announced to improve USCIS’s processing times. This is not o to reduce the often-prolonged waiting times and to make it easier to process future applications.
Communication is improved
The USCIS has announced that the modernization project will include communication with the outside world.
The USCIS will provide applicants with more transparency regarding the current processing times.
On the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service website, it was possible to see the average wait times for different application procedures. The USCIS location (field office, service center) and the application form (e.g., I-129 filing, I-539 filing, etc.).
The modernized online portal allows applicants to obtain more specific information about application processes (“Form Categories”), improving planning reliability.
Suppose the applicant selects I129 Petition for a nonimmigrant worker under “Form.” In that case, the visa category can then be chosen under “Form Category” (e.g., L) and then the responsible center (e.g., California Service Center).
The month or week number displayed shows the processing time between the official receipt of the application by USCIS (“Receipt Date”) and the anticipated decision. This estimate is based on the average of six months worth of cases.
The agency takes approximately six months to process a form. This is how long it took for the agency to approve or deny a percentage of closed cases during the preceding six-month period.
The new online tool offers many benefits.
The USCIS website will allow users to see processing time information for each category. This is in addition to a summary of all cases with unrealistic timelines.
These changes will also be made:
- Personal case inquiry tool with an indication of the date of receipt. Depending on the status, if the request falls outside the average processing time, the user can make a targeted inquiry through a link.
- An indication of a percentage processing speed (instead of a period).
- To increase transparency and provide more information, revise, summarize and expand USCIS processing times web pages, including a new Frequently Asked Questions page and Notes page.
- The retrievable processing times only give an average value. This means that delays can occur depending on each application process. For example, because of follow-up questions.