The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced changes to the processing times for I-130 family petitions, which affect parents, spouses, and dependent minors of U.S. citizens. These changes complement recent improvements in visa interview appointment scheduling for these groups in Latin American countries.
According to immigration attorney Abel Zaldรญvar, there is encouraging news regarding the increase in available interview slots at U.S. embassies located in Mexico and Guatemala. Specifically, individuals whose cases were approved between November and December 2023 in Mexico are being scheduled for interviews in January 2025. This development marks a notable step forward, especially considering the long-standing delays that had previously been experienced in that region.
Similarly, Guatemala has shown progress. Analysts anticipate that countries such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic will also begin to see an increase in the availability of appointments in the coming days, reflecting the trends observed in previous months.
On a negative note, recent reports indicate that the standard processing time for I-130 petitions has increased from 15,5 months to 16 months, according to the most recent USCIS update. As a result, 80% of applications now require more than a year for resolution. This is concerning, especially considering that the average processing time in 2020 was only 8,3 months.
The main factors contributing to the postponement are:
- Understaffed: USCIS lacks the workforce needed to handle the high volume of applications.
- Reallocation of funds: Some budget resources have been shifted to alternative initiatives, including parole.
- Backlog of unresolved cases: Constant delays from previous years are affecting the system's performance.
I-130 visa processing takes on average 16 months, while K-1 visas typically take approximately 8,5 months to process.
Zaldรญvar clarifies that the distinction arises because K-1 visas divide the procedure into phases that occur both inside and outside the United States, while I-130 visas require the entire process to be carried out from abroad.
The immigration attorney said that without a significant increase in the USCIS budget or an expansion of staff, processing times could continue to lengthen. In this regard, many anticipate that they could rise to 18 or even 20 months by 2025. In addition, an increase in the review of applications could complicate matters even more.
