Uniting for Ukraine application timelines as of late

[uapilot 68]

Hey all,

 

I've filed quite a few I-134As since 2022, probably in the 10-12 range. The last two I filed, on March 30th 2024, are still under review. The ones I filed before that, in late 2023, got approved within a couple of months.

 

I've had it happen in the past that a I-134 fell through the cracks and never got out of pending state (to this day), and it worked to just submit a new application. So I did that with these two apps as well on June 7th.

 

We haven't had a topic on U4U timelines in a while, so I just wanted to ask what kind of timelines people are experiencing with the I-134A applications these days. 

[miel00 3]

Hi, you've most likely hit the unofficial, unpublished limit of approximately 8-10 I-134As. 

 

If you have a spouse, friend, or family member who's willing, have them submit a new I-134A for each person, preferably using a new email address for the beneficiaries so it's not flagged as a duplicate. 

Oh, and to answer your original question, approval is typically coming in 5 weeks. 

[uapilot 68]

10 minutes ago, miel00 said:

Hi, you've most likely hit the unofficial, unpublished limit of approximately 8-10 I-134As. 

 

If you have a spouse, friend, or family member who's willing, have them submit a new I-134A for each person, preferably using a new email address for the beneficiaries so it's not flagged as a duplicate. 

Oh, and to answer your original question, approval is typically coming in 5 weeks. 

I had no idea this was a thing. Thank you for letting me know or I honestly don't know where I would've found this info otherwise. My spouse can file for them in that case.

[uapilot 68]

Just to update here, we redid the applications through my wife and got a response back in a few weeks. Nice to have some clarity on this.

[TBoneTX 45,266]

Thanks for returning with your update.

[kostyaby 9]

I submitted I-134 U4U for a family of five 2 months ago. Today received notice that biometrics appointment was scheduled for me (the petitioner). Is this something new that USCIS is doing to prevent fraud? Never heard of this and never seen it on any forum. Usually U4U is pretty straight forward and does not require the petitioner to go into the office.

[Boiler 45,466]

Never heard of this makes no sense.

[SteveInBostonI130 3,432]

I submitted 7 I-134A's in 2023.  They all took about 4-8 weeks for approval. 

 

Recently, I applied for my sister-in-law in July 24, 2024.  I tried to contact USCIS on the phone earlier this month with no success.  The new AI system states "you have not responded with enough evidence to connect you to an agent" (paraphrase) and hangs up after about 3-4 times.  This is when asking about the status of IOExxxxxxx - the I-134 receipt number. 

 

I message my US representative, and they received a response from USCIS.  The response stated that the I-134A verification takes up to 180 days, and to please do not contact them again until 180 days from the date of their response email. 

 

Here's the actual response:

 

Quote

As your constituent’s cases fall within Step 1 of this process (as outlined below), USCIS requests that you inform them that their cases are in the pre-processing stage, and they will need to wait until 180 days have passed from their receipt date (located on their Form I-797C, Notice of Action) before submitting an inquiry. Please note that the processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Ukrainians and Venezuelans are streamlined processes that include enhanced vetting protocols. USCIS cannot further expedite the handling of a Form I-134A filed under these processes or predict when processing of a Form I-134A will be completed. Further note that processing times will vary depending on the facts and circumstances of the case. If your constituent wishes to explore other immigration paths while their I-134A is pending visit USCIS Explore My Options page: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/explore-my-options. 

 

Your constituent may always check the case status in his or her online account or at https://egov.uscis.gov. When a case is within Process Step 1, USCIS Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) cannot provide information beyond that which is available in the USCIS online account. Due to the surge of inquiries, we respectfully request you allow at least 180 days from the date this email was sent before following up on the status of the case.

...

...

As previously indicated, we respectfully request you allow at least 180 days from the date this email was sent before following up on the status of the case.

 

 

One interesting thing to note is that I can submit an inquiry after 180 days from the I-134A receipt date, but then also I need to wait until 180 days from the USCIS response date to follow up on the status, which will actually be 180+77=257 days.  If I waited 180 days when I contacted the US representative then USCIS would have to have given me the actual status?

 

I submitted updated financial information - new employment verification letter and latest pay stubs - last week.  I will wait a couple of weeks to see if this affects the processing.  I may have to have my wife submit for her sister.

[Boiler 45,466]

So something they could do in 6 days now takes 6 months.

 

Wonder who decided that.

 

You would have thought a Politician would want to take this up?

[kostyaby 9]

I am petitioning a family of five with the I-134A. Went into the USCIS office today and submitted biometrics (it's a new process, apparently). They had to take a bunch of photos and a bunch of fingerprints. 3 of 5 cases updated the same time indicating that USCIS is now actively processing them. Cases were submitted July 26, 2024. I previously applied for 8-9 U4U I-134As. This is looking promising for my beneficiaries, I think. It seems like they're doing the biometrics to limit the amount of U4Us that can come, since USCIS offices can only schedule so many biometric appointments.

[Boiler 45,466]

Certainly my local office could process thousands.

 

I wonder if this just for Ukrainians or all HPs?

[uapilot 68]

On 10/11/2024 at 6:33 PM, kostyaby said:

I submitted I-134 U4U for a family of five 2 months ago. Today received notice that biometrics appointment was scheduled for me (the petitioner). Is this something new that USCIS is doing to prevent fraud? Never heard of this and never seen it on any forum. Usually U4U is pretty straight forward and does not require the petitioner to go into the office.

First I'm hearing of this. Granted, I'm a US Citizen and my wife (who also filed some I-134s) is pretty well biometric-ed at this point (her N-400 app reused her previous biometrics appt).