AAO Processing Times Report (August 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 August 1, 2010.  Overall, there is not much change in comparison to the July 1, 2010 report.

Among the most notable AAO processing times:

• H-1B appeal takes 13 months (increase by one month compared to July 1, 2010);
• I-140 EB1 Extraordinary Ability takes 7 months (no change), Multinational Manager or Executive takes 15 months (no change) while EB1 Outstanding Professor or Researcher category takes 6 months (no change);
• I-140 EB2 (Advanced Degree) takes 24 months (no change) while EB2 (NIW) takes 7 months (increase by one month); and
• I-140 EB3 Skilled Worker takes 25 months (increase by one month) while EB3 Other Worker takes 20 months on appeal (decrease by three months).

Read the full AAO Processing Times report.