USCIS completes record-setting 10 million immigration cases

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processed a record-setting 10 million immigration case, reducing the backlog for the first time in over ten years.

USCIS FY2023 data released Feb 9 reports backlog reduction, efforts to improve the customer experience, and addressing both employment-based immigration and humanitarian needs as key achievements for the year.

In FY 2023, USCIS received 10.9 million filings and completed more than 10 million pending cases– both record-breaking numbers in the agency’s history.

In doing so, USCIS reduced overall backlogs by 15%. Among USCIS’ record number of case completions in FY 2023, the agency administered the Oath of Allegiance to more than 878,500 new US citizens, including 12,000 members of the military, effectively eliminating the backlog of naturalization applications.

READ: USCIS weighted median processing time increased by 80% since 2014: report (January 1, 2023)

In FY 2023, USCIS and the Department of State helped meet the needs of US employers by issuing more than 192,000 employment-based immigrant visas – far above the pre-pandemic number – and, for the second year running ensured that no available visas went unused, the report stated.

The agency further supported US employers and noncitizen workers in FY 2023 by increasing the maximum validity period of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) to five years for adjustment of status applicants, it said.

The agency also proposed new rules to modernize and improve the efficiency and integrity of the H-1B program for specialty occupation workers.

READ: USCIS moves to ease immigration backlog, expedite work permits (March 30, 2022)

USCIS will work to maintain naturalization processing times and utilize all available employment-based visas, the agency stated.

USCIS said it will implement new online filing tools to enhance the customer experience, including adding organizational accounts, launching online filing of H-1B petitions on Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and adding an additional electronic intake channel for submission of forms and evidence in PDF format.

The median processing time for naturalization applicants decreased from 10.5 months to 6.1 months by the end of the fiscal year, achieving the agency’s longstanding goal and significantly reducing waiting times for most individuals seeking US citizenship, the agency reported.

USCIS interviewed over 100,000 refugee applicants – more than double the amount completed in the previous fiscal year – resulting in the admission and resettlement of over 60,000 refugees.

READ: Now you can renew H-1B visa in the US (February 6, 2024)

USCIS said it will continue to build capacity for processing historically high referrals for protection screenings at the southern border, while focusing remaining resources on the unprecedented number of pending affirmative asylum applications.

USCIS will continue to increase refugee adjudications to support the target of admitting 125,000 refugees this fiscal year.

USCIS said it implemented several new technology solutions that meaningfully advance the customer experience for those navigating US immigration system. USCIS’ new self-service tool for online rescheduling of biometrics appointments was used to reschedule over 33,000 such appointments in FY 2023.

“I’m so proud of the USCIS workforce and our dedication to fairness, integrity, and respect for all we serve,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. “We’ve completed a record number of cases, responded to emerging crises around the globe with essential humanitarian relief, and applied innovative solutions to improve customer experience and reduce backlogs.”