VSC Update : May 13, 2003
Posted May 23, 2003

This report comes from a March 4, 2003 AILA meeting, but information was just released on May 13, 2003. It is especially pertinent to MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers with cases pending at the VSC.

I-140 Processing Times

The processing times of I-140s were adversely affected by the need to process Temporary Protected Status cases as a priority. The VSC is coping with "shifting priorities" in case processing. These priorities determine the resources devoted to a particular process at any given time. The VSC has targeted I-90s and I-130s as being in need of additional personnel. I-I29s are identified as being in need of constant attention.

Some changes have been put into place to allow for a more consistent flow of I-140s filed under EB1 and EB2. The EB3 I-140s for registered nurses, under Schedule A, Group I, are current and are expected to remain current, based on present volume.

Additional employees have been hired in an attempt to address the issue of processing time. The benefits of the new staff cannot be felt immediately, however, as time is taken for training and other requirements that must be met before they can adjudicate cases. Therefore, this provides a longer-range solution, but no immediate relief to the extended processing times.

RFE Processing Times

When asked for a projected case processing time following receipt of a response to a Request for Evidence (RFE), VSC stated that this is very case-specific. In addition to case factors, it can depend on security check issues, special registration verification, and temporary reassignment of officers. Although officers are supposed to give priority to cases in which the RFE response has been provided, the demands for their time are such that this cannot always be accomplished. RFEs must sometimes wait while officers work on other priority projects.

We know our readers would like more optimistic news about processing times. However, these continue to be a problem due to lack of sufficient personnel to provide more reasonable turn-around time for case processing.