USCIS Reports on Progress Towards Processing Time Goals

The USCIS has released a chart describing its progress towards meeting the fiscal year (FY) 2008 and FY 2009 processing time goals.  Attached is a PDF of the chart with a couple of annotations highlighting some important lines that are generally of high interest to our clients and readers.

What may be of the greatest interest are the current average processing time compared to the FY 2008 and FY 2009 goals for the following categories :

• I-140, Immigrant Petition for Worker - current goal:  6 months, FY 2009 goal: 4 months.  Actual average time: 11.8 months.
• I-485, Adjustment of Status- current goal: 6 months, FY 2009 goal: 4 months.  Actual average time: 13.6 months.
• I-131, Reentry Permit - current goal: 3 months, FY 2009 goal: 2.5 months.  Actual average time: 3.9 months.

The USCIS has acknowledged that the goals were set before the new fee rule came into effect during the summer of 2007 and which resulted significant increase in the filings.  However, USCIS has declined to realistically adjust (decrease) the goals for FY 2008 and 2009.  As a result, although we expect that the processing times will improve, the gap between the goals for FY 2009 and the actual processing times will remain significant.