TSC Update - January 2010 Posted 29.Jan.2010 ©MurthyDotCom The Texas Service Center (TSC) provided updated information on their caseload and other important matters in a meeting with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) liaison. The responses to questions, posed to TSC several months earlier, were released in late January 2010. This information is summarized here for MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers, as many either have cases pending with the TSC, or may interact with TSC in the future. ©MurthyDotCom Workload Reduced Due to Fewer Filings ©MurthyDotCom The TSC reports that it has received approximately 30 percent fewer cases as compared to a year ago. It reports that, currently, an average of 700 employment-based applications for adjustment of status (I-485) cases and approximately 650 I-140 petitions are received per week. ©MurthyDotCom TSC is not transferring cases to other service centers for adjudication at this time, but 35,000 transferred I-130 preference relative petitions have been received there from other service centers. The transfers were part of routine workload shifting between service centers. ©MurthyDotCom Majority of I-485 Applications Pre-Adjudicated, Awaiting Visa Number ©MurthyDotCom The TSC reports that most of their pending I-485s have been pre-adjudicated. This means that the I-485 application has been reviewed and is simply awaiting availability of an immigrant visa number. These applications may have received requests for evidence (RFEs) if they required any documents or updated information for the pre-adjudication process. The pre-adjudication process was covered in our October 2, 2009 article,  I-485 Interviews More Common: Non-Current Priority Dates Included, as well as our July 31, 2009 article, I-485 Issues for Summer 2007 Filers, both of which may be found on MurthyDotCom. ©MurthyDotCom EAD and AP Processing Time within 60 Days ©MurthyDotCom TSC reports a goal of adjudicating advance parole (AP) and employment authorization document (EAD) requests within 50 to 55 days. It notes there was a period during which EAD processing was slowed, and 15-20 percent of the cases were not adjudicated in 90 days. TSC states that this has been addressed, and it is expected that processing goals will be met or exceeded. ©MurthyDotCom Connect I-485s for Family Members ©MurthyDotCom A sweep was conducted at TSC to identify and locate the I-485 filings for derivative family members that may have been separated from the primary beneficiary's case. These have been properly connected to the respective primaries' files. The TSC states that those separated derivative cases that were appropriate for approval have been approved. Cases involving derivative children are considered a priority. A system is in place to identify derivative children who will be turning 14 years of age. Once they reach 14, children need biometrics. TSC states that efforts are made to arrange for biometrics four months prior to a child's turning 14. ©MurthyDotCom Conclusion ©MurthyDotCom We at the Murthy Law Firm appreciate this updated information from the TSC. Topics such as workload, processing times, and I-485 filings for derivative family members are important to our clients and to readers of MurthyDotCom and the MurthyBulletin. Copyright © 2010, MURTHY LAW FIRM. All Rights Reserved
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