Immigrants who have filed an I-485 application and are awaiting the decision for their permanent resident card (green card) might feel like the process is taking forever. Indeed, green card processing times have gone up in the past fiscal year, and for those who are interested in learning more about the service center that is processing their application should relocate to the following USCIS link: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/.
In this blog, we will take a closer look at where green card processing times have increased, and also where certain I-485 applications are being processed the fastest. In addition, immigrants should also note that the USCIS sends all green card applicants a “Welcome Notice” in the mail when a decision has been reached regarding their case. The Welcome notice confers that the immigrant in question has become a permanent resident of the United States, but it is still not the same as receiving ones green card. If you do receive a welcome package from the USCIS, the agency generally estimates that your green card will be sent in the mail within 30 days.
If you don’t receive your green card within 30 days of getting your Welcome Notice, the USCIS advises that you reach out to their Contact Center.
California Service Center
The California Service Center is processing only employment based I-485 applications currently. If you have applied for a green card at this service center via employment in the United States, the expected wait times vary between 15 and 27 months. In other words most applicants will have to wait at least one year or more to receive their green card through this filing method.
Boston Service Center
For those who have sent their green card application to the Boston Service Center, processing times are some of the fastest in the country. This center processes both employment and family based AOS applications. Minimum time for an employment based I-485 to process is 10 months, while the minimum time for a family based AOS is 11 months.
Denver Service Center
The Denver field office is also processing employment based green card applications at a fairly quick pace. The estimated time range for an employment based AOS application is between 9.5 and 12.5 months. Family based AOS applications have an expected wait time of 11-24 months.
Texas Service Center
The state of Texas has one of the largest Latin American immigrant populations in the entire country due to its geographical proximity to Mexico and also to other Latin American countries. As such, wait times for green cards at the Texas Service Center tend to be much higher than at other USCIS field offices. This also has to do with the fact that many AOS applicants in Texas have been granted asylum and those with this status can file for a green card one year after receiving this status. For example, the average wait time for an AOS application for asylees ins between 14 and 42 months. Employment based AOS applications are more reasonable and ranging between 10-20 months of processing time.
Hartford, CT
Hartford has quick processing times for green card applicants. The estimated time range for an employment based AOS application is between 10 and 18 months.
While this list is not exhaustive of every field office processing green card applications, immigrants who are waiting for a decision on their AOS should use the eGov Processing Times database for more complete information.
