Adjustment of Status (I-485) Update from INS / CSC
Posted Jun 20, 1999

In a meeting with representatives of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) on May 3, 1999, Mr. Steve Brickett, Head of the "Resident Product Line" (the unit that processes applications such as adjustment of status and naturalization) at the California Service Center, provided the following information with respect to I-485 processing at the CSC. The delays described by Mr. Brickett may be indicative of the situation at other INS facilities, as the agency as a whole has decided to focus on certain "priority" applications, unfortunately to the detriment of other types of cases.

At the CSC, the officers of the Resident Product Line (RPL) have been diverted to work on H-1B petitions, as those petitions have been given high priority by the INS. RPL officers have a certain amount of time allotted each week to work on resubmitted I-485s, but are not adjudicating new I-485 applications at this time. One result of this temporary shift in resources has been significant delays in fingerprint scheduling. The CSC does not know when RPL officers will begin adjudicating I-485 cases again.

The report from the meeting did not address the issue of whether adjustment-based employment authorization and advance parole applications are affected by these developments. We understand that the EAD and the advance parole continue to be issued. When we have any further information, the Law Office of Sheela Murthy will provide an update.