USCIS WebSite Overhaul with New Status and Other Information
Posted Sep 25, 2009
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The redesigned website of the USCIS was launched September 22, 2009. The new site contains many features that our readers may wish to explore. There have been changes to the online status information, widely used by many MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers. The website also provides access to information and charts regarding case volumes and other interesting charts and graphs that give insight into internal USCIS issues.
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Online Status Background Information on Pending Cases
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Online case status information has been moved, so users will need to create a new bookmark for this page. The new explanations of case progress are more detailed than those provided in the previous version. There is standard information about the particular processing stage. For example, for applications for adjustment of status (I-485s), in "initial review," the website advises that, "during this step, the USCIS initiates background checks … and identifies issues that may need to be addressed either during an interview or by asking the applicant / petitioner to submit additional information or documentation." The text also explains the standard process for fingerprinting needed in connection with an I-485 application.
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Processing Times at Service Centers for Different Processes
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Just below the status information, there is a section where processing time averages can be checked. There are drop-down menus for the general form number (such as the Form I-140), type of case (such as advanced degree, skilled worker / professional, or outstanding professor / researcher), and center where the case will be filed or is pending (such as the Nebraska Service Center). The results will advise of the national processing time goal, the national average processing time, and the processing time for the particular service center. For example, for a skilled worker / professional (EB3) I-140 filed at either the Texas or the Nebraska Service Center, the website currently gives four-month timeframes for the goal, the average as well as the current timeframe.
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Numbers of Pending Cases
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The new USCIS website also provides access to charts and graphs reflecting the volumes of cases filed, adjudicated and pending. For some, particularly those with I-485s pending, this number of filings may be a bit disconcerting. The user can select the type of case, location, and other variables regarding pending cases. It is possible to see how many I-485 cases have been preadjudicated and are awaiting visa numbers, at the Nebraska Service Center, for example. These numbers will be rather shocking to some MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers, particularly those among the large number of people whose cases are awaiting immigrant visa numbers. The only positive note is that this clear-and-easily-accessible data helps to illustrate and verify the problems faced by so many, as they wait for their priority dates to become current. The information currently on the charts is for July 2009. With the movement of priority dates in EB2 India / China in September 2009, we at the Murthy Law Firm have seen many I-485 approvals for September 2009 and hope this will continue in October. This is not enough, however, to make a meaningful dent in the number of I-485 cases pending at the USCIS, awaiting visa numbers.
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Conclusion
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The new USCIS website provides some interesting and clear information. We at the Murthy Law Firm will continue to review the website and suggest that our readers explore it also. Much of the content of the prior website continues to be available, including immigration forms and general immigration information. It is good to know that the USCIS is applying the comments and feedback it receives from various groups, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, to provide better customer service to those who use their website.