What to do when your USCIS case is taking too long

This page is general information, not legal advice. If your case may put you at risk, such as a green card case without other status, talk to a lawyer before you push it.

Why is my case taking so long?

Some reasons are on USCIS's side: backlogs, staffing, extra security checks, policy changes. In 2025 and 2026, USCIS placed holds on many cases for people from the 39 countries named in two travel proclamations. A federal court set aside those hold policies in June 2026, and USCIS announced it would comply while the case continues (AILA copy of USCIS announcement, checked October 19, 2026). On August 24, 2026, a federal court in California (Red Eagle Law v. Edlow) blocked the hold memos for nationals of the 39 countries, and on August 28, 2026 USCIS said it will decide those cases in the normal course (USCIS alert). See Travel bans and family visas.

Some reasons are fixable on yours:

• USCIS sent a Request for Evidence or appointment notice that you never got.
• Your address is out of date.
• You missed biometrics or an interview.
• A payment failed.

Check those first. They are the delays you can end today.

Step 1: How do I check where my case is?

• Case Status Online: enter the receipt number from your receipt notice (USCIS).
• USCIS online account: you can see notices, upload evidence, change your address and send secure messages. If you filed on paper with a receipt number starting with IOE, USCIS mailed you a letter with codes to set up the account, valid for 90 days (USCIS Contact Center page).
• Emma, USCIS's online assistant, answers in English and Spanish and can connect you to a live agent.

The Contact Center has the same status information you see online. Calling will not get you a different answer.

Step 2: How do I know if my case is actually late?

Use the processing times tool. Pick your form, category and office, and enter your receipt date.

• If your case is within normal time, the tool gives you a case inquiry date. Wait until then.
• If it is outside normal time, the tool gives you a link to submit an inquiry.

USCIS updates these times about monthly (processing times FAQ). Check it yourself for your form and your office before you call or ask for help.

Step 3: How do I ask USCIS about a late case?

Once you pass your case inquiry date, submit a case inquiry online through e-Request, or call the Contact Center.

When you call:

• Have your receipt notice and a copy of what you filed.
• Only the applicant, the petitioner, their lawyer or accredited representative, a parent or guardian of a minor, or someone the applicant authorized can get case details (USCIS Contact Center).
• The first agent (Tier 1) handles status, expedite requests, rescheduling and missing notices. Some issues go up to an officer (Tier 2), who may email or call you back. You can agree to a text warning before that call.

Write down the date, time, agent ID if given, and what they said. Use the log below.

Can I ask USCIS to speed it up?

Yes, if your situation fits one of USCIS's expedite reasons (USCIS expedite requests, page updated September 8, 2026):

• Severe financial loss to a company or a person. Losing a job may count, depending on the facts. Just needing a work permit does not.
• Emergency or urgent humanitarian reasons, such as serious illness, disability, a death in the family, or a vulnerable person whose safety is at risk.
• A nonprofit's urgent need tied to your specific role.
• U.S. government interest, requested by an agency official.
• A clear USCIS error, like a work permit with wrong information that keeps you from working.

How to ask: call the Contact Center, use Emma, or send a secure message in your online account and choose "expedite." Send proof: a doctor's letter, a death certificate, a job letter. Finish any pending step, like biometrics, first.

Be real about it. Expedites are case by case. USCIS usually does not explain its answer. A "no" on the expedite is not a decision on your case. And if the urgency came from filing late, USCIS will not count it.

Can my member of Congress help?

Often, yes. Your U.S. Representative and your two U.S. Senators have caseworkers who can send an inquiry to USCIS's congressional liaison. It is free.

• Find your Representative by ZIP code on house.gov. Some ZIP codes span two districts. East Palo Alto's 94303, for example, overlaps two districts, so enter your full street address (house.gov ZIP lookup, checked October 21, 2026).
• Find your Senators on senate.gov.
• The office will ask you to sign a Privacy Act release so they can see your case.

Contact one office at a time. Several offices asking about the same case does not make it faster.

What about the CIS Ombudsman?

The Ombudsman is a separate office inside DHS that helps people resolve problems with USCIS (DHS CIS Ombudsman, page updated May 13, 2026). You request help online with DHS Form 7001. The Ombudsman asks you to try USCIS first, and for delays, to check your case inquiry date before asking.

The office lost staff in 2025, according to news reports, and it does not post response times. Use it as a later step, not your first. Its official page explains how to ask for help.

What if nothing works?

A lawyer can file a lawsuit in federal court asking a judge to order USCIS to decide your case. It is called a mandamus case. Federal law gives district courts power to order a federal agency to perform a duty it owes you (28 U.S.C. 1361), and requires agencies to conclude matters "within a reasonable time" (5 U.S.C. 555(b)).

A suit can push USCIS to act, but it cannot force an approval. It costs money and can bring a faster decision either way. If your case has weak spots, a quick denial can hurt. Talk with a lawyer about your risks first.

What if I never got my notice or card?

• Missing notice: use the case inquiry option for a notice not received. No receipt number? Call the Contact Center.
• Missing card: follow USCIS's steps to track it with the Postal Service, then file a case inquiry. You may need to file a new form to get a card reissued (USCIS, track delivery, checked October 18, 2026).

Then update your address. You must report a move to USCIS within 10 days (USCIS). See How to tell USCIS you moved.

What should I not do?

• Don't file the same form again to "restart" it. You pay twice and can confuse your file.
• Don't pay an "expediter" or notario who promises a faster decision. No one can buy you a faster case. See Warning signs of an immigration scam.
• Don't leave the U.S. with a pending green card application unless you have advance parole. Leaving without it generally abandons the application (8 CFR 245.2(a)(4)(ii)).
• Don't ignore mail. Read every envelope from USCIS the day it comes.

Questions people ask

Will asking about my case make USCIS deny it? An inquiry asks for action; it does not change the rules for your case. If you have no other status and your case has problems, talk to a lawyer before you press hard, because a decision could come either way.

My work permit is about to expire. Can I expedite? Needing a work permit alone is not enough. Losing your job may count as severe financial loss. See How to get or renew a work permit.

Can my lawyer ask for me? Yes, if they filed Form G-28 on your case.

Does contacting Congress cost anything? No.

Who can help?

Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (for low income San Mateo and Santa Clara county residents): (650) 326-6440
• Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, Redwood City office: (650) 587-1558 to book a free first consultation (appointments only)
• Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County: (650) 558-0915
• Catholic Charities of San Mateo County: (650) 295-2160
• For Santa Clara County residents: Office of Immigrant Relations partners
• Anywhere in California: the state's map of free immigration legal services, or call (916) 651-8017
• Anywhere in the U.S.: the Justice Department's list of free legal service providers

Is there a log and script I can print?