Update on the Service Centers - May 1998
Prior to May 1998

On April 6, 1998, in a meeting between the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Service Center Directors and Senior staff, several issues were discussed. The Law Office of Sheela Murthy has been receiving several eMails and calls regarding the processing times for I-485s and other Petitions at the four INS Centers. Two important and relevant issues are summarized below:

The Texas Service Center confirmed that several boxes of I-485 application packages were temporarily misplaced during the recent move to a new mailing facility. All of these cases have been located and are currently being processed. The entire group should be completed within 90 days.

Apparently, all of the Service Centers have utilized their entire budgeted overtime funds for the current fiscal year through September 30, 1998. Therefore, it is likely that backlogs will increase for processing I-485s during the next several months. The Service Center Directors have scheduled a meeting with the INS Budget Office to reevaluate overtime money allocations.