Today, the four USCIS regional offices have issued updated
processing times.
Nebraska Service Center
Under the bi-specialization initiative, the Nebraska Service Center (NSC) processes I-140 petitions for immigrant workers and I-485 green card applications, as well as derivative work and travel authorization benefits (EAD work document and advance parole travel authorization).
PERM-based I-140 petitions continue to have a processing time of 4 months. I-140s for Multinational Managers, Outstanding Researchers and those with Extraordinary Ability are taking about 6 months. This is especially problematic for Multinational Manager petitions, which remain ineligible for premium processing service.
I-485 applications for employment-based adjustment of status* continue to be processed in about 4 months’ time.
The processing times of applications for EAD work authorization and advance parole (AP) travel authorization remain at 3 months. The concern here is related to those who filed I-485 applications in the summer of 2007 when all priority dates became current, and whose priority dates then retrogressed. Applications to extend EAD and AP can only be filed 4 months in advance. With a processing time of 3 months, any delay in filing could result in a gap of work and travel authorization.
Texas Service Center
The Texas Service Center (TSC) is the other regional processing center that handles I-140 petitions for immigrant workers and I-485 green card applications, as well as derivative work and travel authorization benefits.
The processing time for I-140s has continued drift from target timeframes. Most PERM-based I-140s are taking more than 8 months, and cases for Skilled Workers are listed at nearly 11 months. Cases for those with Extraordinary Ability, Outstanding Researchers and Multinational Managers are processing as follows:
- Extraordinary Ability: 10 months
- Outstanding Researcher: 9 months
- Multinational Managers: 8 months
The processing time for employment-based I-485 applications* is also falling further behind, with a listed date of January 18, 2011 (8 months). Derivative employment (I-765) and travel (I-131) benefit applications are still taking 3 months.
California Service Center
From an employment-based immigration perspective, the California Service Center (CSC) primarily processes non-immigrant petitions.
The processing time for most I-129s has remained on target over the past several months. H-1Bs, TNs and E-1/2s, are taking about 2 months. L-1s and H-2A/Bs are being processed within a 1-month timeframe, while petitions for O and P status are listed at a 2-week turnaround.
Applications for employment authorization for L-2 dependent spouses have a processing time of 3 months.
Vermont Service Center
The Vermont Service Center (VSC) is the other regional processing center that focuses on petitions for non-immigrant employment-based cases.
For employment-based cases, VSC’s processing times mostly mirror CSC’s processing times. The exception is Trade Nafta (TN) professional cases, which are taking around 4 months.
To view the processing time of other case types not discussed
here, please visit: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplayInit.do.
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* Please note that the processing time for an I-485 only applies to applicants whose priority dates are current.