TRACK YOUR CASE

Processing Times

Use official USCIS processing-time data correctly and understand what those estimates do and do not tell you about an individual case.

Open USCIS processing times Check your case status

Both open official USCIS tools

HOW TO USE THE USCIS TOOL

Three things to get right

SELECT

Choose the exact form

Select the form and the specific filing category that matches your case.

MATCH

Match the correct office

Processing times can vary materially by field office or service center.

INTERPRET

Read the inquiry date separately

The case-inquiry date is different from the published processing-time estimate.

READING THE NUMBERS

What the estimate tells you

What the estimate means

It is an agency measure for a group of cases, not a promise that an individual case will be decided by a specific date.

Why cases can move differently

RFEs, security checks, interviews, office transfers, visa-number availability and case-specific review can all affect timing.

Use the current agency data for your exact form and office. This page does not estimate an individual approval date.

All resources

Reading processing times next to your own case

USCIS reports how long it recently took to finish most cases for a given form and category. Because those figures describe past cases, they can differ from what happens in yours, and they can change from one month to the next.

Compare the estimate for your exact form and office with the receipt date on your notice. If your case is outside the normal processing time, USCIS offers a case inquiry using your receipt number. Other things that affect timing include requests for evidence, security checks, interviews and visa number availability. Our guides on immigration wait times and missing a biometrics appointment explain two common causes of delay.

This page explains how to use the official data. It does not estimate a decision date for any individual case.