Frequently Asked Questions about Processing Times

How long will the Immigration Service take to decide my petition or application?
The processing time on my receipt notice is different from the times available on the web site. Which should I trust?
How do I check on the processing time for my labor certification application?

How long will the Immigration Service take to decide my petition or application?

Processing times are difficult to predict reliably, but we can provide some estimates. The Immigration Service provides reports on processing times for the various service centers. Links to these reports are available below. Updates are usually available on the 1st and 15th of each month.

You can find the processing times for the following Immigration Service Centers:

If you do not know which Service Center is responsible for your area, you can find out by going to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website to find which service center serves your state.

District Office Processing Time Reports

The Immigration Service website provides processing times for all of the local District Offices.

National Benefits Center Processing Time Report

This site provides information on processing times for the Missouri Service Center, formerly known as the Missouri Service Center.

The processing time on my receipt notice is different from the times available on the web site. Which should I trust?

There has always been a great deal of confusion and frustration surrounding the estimated processing times given by the Immigration Service on their receipt notices. The estimates printed on the I-797 Receipt Notices are business days. This means that if the receipt notice estimates 60-90 days for the case, this does not mean a decision will be reached in 2 to 3 months, but rather 3 to 4 months. Also, these processing times are merely estimates based on past experience. These times may change if the Service shifts officers to work on more backlogged areas, or if quotas are reached.

How do I check on the processing time for my labor certification application?

The Department of Labor reports the date that applications were filed that they are currently reviewing. You can check the Department of Labor Processing Times report to get an idea about how long it is taking to review applications. On this report, find the row listing the state where you filed your application. Then check for the date listed in either the Regular Processing or RIR (Reduction in Recruitment) column, depending on the type of application you filed. The state employment agency is currently reviewing applications filed on that date.

If your application has already been passed on by the state agency, you can see the processing times at the Department of Labor's regional office on the Department of Labor Processing Times report. Please remember that this date is not when the application was first filed, but the date that the regional office received the application from the state agency. If you do not know which regional office received your application, you can find your state listed in the bottom table and see which regional office is shown in the heading above.

The times for processing labor certification applications vary greatly between regional offices and with different state employment agencies. Applications filed in high volume areas with large populations of immigrants take more time to review labor certification applications.