Why Is My Immigration Case Taking So Long?

If you have applied for a visa or green card, or citizenship, you may not know how long your case may take. Sometimes, the immigration department may process your application quickly, while your case may delay in some instances. However, these delays may cause you to miss out on your dream job opportunity, university intake, or reunion with your family. In this regard, understanding the reasons for immigration case delays can help you take the appropriate immigration law action that can help speed up your immigration. These are the reasons why your immigration case may be taking longer than expected.

Late Response to a Request for Evidence (RFE)

When making immigration applications such as for citizenship, there's documentation your fill out and evidence you provide such as bank statements and identification documents. However, Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may examine this evidence and declare it insufficient. Thus, they may send you a Request for Evidence (RFE) with deadlines and instructions. If you don't respond to the RFE adequately or on time, your application may take longer to review. Hence, always provide sufficient evidence and observe deadlines to avoid delays.

Immigration Department Backlog

The immigration department receives thousands of applications that they need to process. Any in-house changes may cause a backlog of work. For instance, understaffing due to the COVID-19 pandemic could potentially cause delays in processing your application. Remember that the processing happens on a first-come, first-serve basis. Therefore, you'll have to wait for the staff to process other applications sent before yours, resulting in delays.

Insufficient Legal Representation

You may be confident in your capability to follow through with your immigration application to completion. However, sometimes the process may get complicated, and you may need some legal knowledge about your case. For instance, if you're required to submit an RFE, ensure that the information you provide is accurate and sufficient. Immigration law services understand the different immigration requirements and help gather sufficient evidence quickly. Besides, if you're required to attend an immigration hearing, your lawyer can offer the legal representation you require.

Extended Security Checks

The immigration department must run background checks on you to determine whether you are a threat to other citizens. The investigation process may take a long time, especially if many people share your first or last name in your country. Fortunately, immigration lawyers can help follow up the process until your security check is complete.

The reasons why your immigration case might be taking too long include late response to an RFE, insufficient understanding of immigration law, immigration department backlog, and extended security checks. Understanding these reasons will help you take the appropriate legal action to avoid delays.

Contact a law firm like Alghoul & Associates to learn more. 


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