Forward Movement of I-485 Cases at USCIS Service Centers
Posted Mar 18, 2005
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As some MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers may have noticed, the I-485 processing dates at the Vermont (VSC) and the California (CSC) Service Centers have made a noticeable jump forward in the past month. [Note The most recent Service Center processing times are always available through MurthyDotCom's Processing Times page.] It is not clear what exactly is causing this movement. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is engaged in backlog reduction efforts and received some funding for these efforts. This may have allowed them to move through more I-485 cases than usual. Additionally, with retrogression many EB3 cases are not eligible for adjudication, due to the unavailability of visa numbers for nationals of India, mainland China, and the Philippines. Perhaps the processing dates for the Service Centers moved forward because they could skip over large blocks of EB3 cases that were not eligible for adjudication. People with EB3 cases that are subject to retrogression will not receive case approval until a visa number becomes available. Thus, the forward movement in service center processing dates does not imply that these cases will be adjudicated.
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Vermont Service Center
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The VSC reports that, as of March 2005, they are processing cases filed on or before January 29, 2004. This is substantial progress over the prior month's processing date of October 23, 2003. According to this information, the VSC moved approximately three months' worth of case filings within a one-month timeframe. What we at The Law Office of Sheela Murthy have seen within the past few months from the VSC are case approvals with filing dates ranging from November 2001 to April 2004. The November 2001 case did take a particularly long and circuitous route prior to approval. Therefore, this is not a typical case.
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California Service Center
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The CSC processing dates reflect that they are working on cases filed on or before August 2, 2004, as of March 2005. One month earlier, they were working on June 7, 2004 cases. Thus, they appear to have processed about two months' worth of cases in a single month.
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Texas Service Center
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The Texas Service Center (TSC), which reports a processing date of cases filed on or before February 4, 2003, continues to be slower than California and Vermont. Our Office has recently received approved cases from the TSC with dates of filing ranging from May 2002 to April 2004. Thus, we remind MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers that cases are frequently not adjudicated on dates consistent with posted processing dates.
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Nebraska Service Center
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The Nebraska Service Center (NSC) reports the longest processing times, with a reported processing date of cases filed on or before August 31, 2002. The cases for which we have received approvals lately, however, have had filing dates between October 2002 and March 2004. Thus, although not as common, it is possible for cases to process through to approval in advance of the stated processing dates. Of course, in other situations it also can work in reverse and take longer than the processing dates would indicate.
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We do hope to continue to see backlog reduction efforts at USCIS Service Centers. The timely movement and favorable adjudication of immigration cases is important in the framework of an organized and fair immigration system.