I-130 processing time?

[DannaQasim 0]

Hello,

 

My husband (Dutch citizen) and I (US citizen) filed an I-130 in mid-May 2020. How long does this process take to get to the next steps? We are waiting to hear from USCIS. Since I will be in the US soon, do I need to fly back to the Netherlands once the application is processed to the next steps? 

[geowrian 22,338]

Pre-COVID, it was taking on average ~6-10 months for the I-130 to be adjudicated, sometimes longer. Different service centers had different average timelines.

Official: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

VJ: https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/irstats.php?cfl=

Note that CSC normally does not handle your case type (IR of a USC)...so those numbers should be ignored.

 

The plus side is USCIS has stated that new petitions have dropped by around 50% since COVID.

The bad news is USCIS may or may not furlough 70% of their staff due the loss of funding by the above, unless Congress will issue permit a loan. If that doesn't happen, expect much longer waits.

 

Once you're at that point, you must have or show sufficient intent to establish US domicile to qualify as an I-864 sponsor (and the petitioner must always be one). For most spousal cases, intent is sufficient and they aren't too stringent (Montreal consulate being the big outlier).