The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will administer a nationwide policy to decrease discrepancies in Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization) and Form I-485 (application to register for permanent residency or adjust immigrant status) processing times based on immigrant location.

USCIS has experienced an increase in processing times since the end of 2015, due to a large increase in forms during 2016 and 2017. Both years were projected to see a decrease in forms, however 2017 receipts were up 15.6% from 2016, and 2016 receipts were up 25.5% from 2015. The increased filings didn’t affect field offices equally, thus resulting in processing time discrepancies between field offices.

As a matter of reference, Nebraska Service Center Form I-485 processing times are 10-13 months compared to 15.5 to 49.5 months at the Texas Service Center. Most of the I-485’s are adjudicated in these two regional centers. The first number in both ranges is the median time it takes to complete cases and the second number is the time it takes to complete 93% of cases.

As caseloads are being shifted between field offices to reduce processing times, the USCIS could schedule applicants to appear for interviews at field offices outside of their usual jurisdiction. Applicants could also receive an interview appointment notice or other notices, such as Request for Evidence, from a field office out of their usual jurisdiction. These changes to caseload won’t affect where the applicants attend their biometrics appointments. USCIS will still direct applicants to the nearest application support center, and they should follow the instructions on any notices they receive from USCIS.