Today, the four USCIS regional offices?have issued updated processing times.???On the employment-based immigrant visa side, the major changes in the current report are primarily with I-140 and I-485 processing times. In May, USCIS reported that the Nebraska Service Center[i]?was processing most I-140 petitions in 4 months and that the Texas Service Center was taking about 8.5 months.[ii]?According to today’s report, I-140s are now taking 6 months in Nebraska and about 10 months in Texas.
While Texas’ processing time on I-140s has drifted, it has improved significantly on its processing of I-485s. Instead of the 9-month processing time reported in May, the Texas Service Center is now reporting a 4 months to a final decision. Nebraska continues to process I-485 applications in 4 months.[iii]
Applications for EAD work authorization and Advance Parole travel authorization continue to take 3 months for adjudication.
On the non-immigrant visa side of the employment-based process, the processing time for most I-129s, including H-1Bs, TNs, H-3s and E-1/2s, is 2 months.? At the California Service Center,[iv]?L-1s and H-2A/Bs are being processed within a 1-month timeframe, while petitions for O and P status are moving at a scalding 2-week pace. The Texas Service Center is processing L-1 petitions at a slower 3.5 month rate.
To view USCIS’s processing time reports, please visit: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplayInit.do.
[i]?Under the bi-specialization initiative, the Nebraska and Texas service centers processe 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).
[ii]?With the exception of Multinational Manager petitions, I-140s are eligible for premium processing. Premium processing requires an additional $1225 government filing fee and requires USCIS to take action on the case in 15 calendar days or less.
[iii]?The processing time for an I-485 application only applies to those whose priority?dates are current.
[iv]?Under the bi-specialization initiative, and from an employment-based perspective, the California and Vermont service centers process I-129 petitions for non-immigrant workers.