Planning Ahead for Your Visa Application
Over the past few years, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has consistently promised to take steps to expedite the process of immigration applications. In 2022, USCIS established new internal objectives designed to reduce backlogs. Statistics compiled in 2024 indicate that those efforts have been productive, with the backlog seeing a decline for the first time in years.
What are the anticipated USCIS processing times for 2025? Is there an expectation that the approval times will continue to go down?
What Is the General Consensus Regarding Immigration Processing Times for 2025?
Most experts believe that the new administration in Washington will take measures that will lengthen processing times for most immigration applications. A number of anticipated measures are expected to contribute to the increased processing times:
- A general goal by the new administration to significantly reduce overall immigration
- With respect to family-based visas, the elimination of certain qualifying categories, such as parents, siblings, or adult children of American citizens
- A deemphasis on family reunification and increased weight given to economic or skill-based attributes
- An expectation of increased scrutiny for most, if not all, visa applications
- The elimination or reduction of many initiatives taken in the last decade to facilitate immigration, such as the:
- Parole-in-Place program expansion created by the recent administration
- The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program
- The Temporarily Protected Status (TPS) program
- The potential termination of the Diversity Visa program, also known as the “green card lottery,” which has been in place since 1990
- The establishment of a “merit-based” immigration system, which would eliminate the categories of employment-based and family-based visas and replace them with criteria that focus on workforce and economic needs
Factors That May Increase Processing Times for Employment-Based Visas
Officials believe that the new administration will also increase scrutiny for H-1B visa applicants, likely requiring higher wages for approved applicants, as well as potential proof that applicants are not now and are unlikely to be dependent on the government in the future.
Can You Qualify for Expedited Immigration Processing?
Under existing laws, certain persons seeking to immigrate may qualify for expedited processing:
- Individuals with a life-threatening condition or illness that requires immediate treatment in the United States
- Persons who can show the potential for serious financial hardship if processing is delayed
- Persons seeking to immigrate because of war, persecution, or natural disasters in their home country
- Persons whose immigration may be necessary or essential for public safety or national security reasons
- Persons whose prior applications were denied because of USCIS error
- Certain requests by non-profit entities
Thus far, there has been no indication as to whether changes will be made to the expedited processing qualifications by the new administration.
At the law offices of Bailey & Galyen, we bring more than four decades of experience to people in Texas and across the nation who have unresolved immigration issues. Contact us by email or call our offices to set up a free initial consultation with a proven immigration attorney. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
