AAO Processing Times Report (February 1, 2010)

Our office handles a fair amount of appeals with the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) and we often receive inquiries not only about about the procedural aspects of an AAO appeal but also about the current processing times for AAO cases.

About the AAO

The AAO is an appeals office which handles appeals of certain decisions made by USCIS field offices and regional procssing centers.  The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires that all AAO decisions be made available to the public.  As a result, AAO decisions are accessible in reading rooms at USCIS headquarters here in Washington, DC and at field offices.  Also, some (but not all) AAO decisions are available online.

Current AAO Processing Times

USCIS has released the average processing times for cases pending at the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) as of February 1, 2010.  Overall, there is not much change in comparison to the January 4, 2010 report.

Among the most notable AAO processing times:

• H-1B appeal takes 14 months (increase by one month compared to January 4, 2010);
• I-140 EB1 Extraordinary Ability takes less than 6 months (no change), Multinational Manager or Executive takes 12 months (increase by one month) while EB1 Outstanding Professor or Researcher category takes 7 months (increase by one month);
• I-140 EB2 (Advanced Degree) takes 25 months (increase by one month) while EB2 (NIW) takes 7 months (increase by one month); and
• I-140 EB3 Skilled Worker takes 23 months (no change) while EB3 Other Worker takes 21 months on appeal (increase by two months).

Read the full AAO Processing Times report.