Not a January filer (hopefully will be filing tomorrow) but in terms of that time range from USCIS I wouldn't pay too much attention to that as some sites online say it's between 3-7 months. I am applying for it due to being invited to a friends wedding back in the UK. It definitely is a lot of extra money but I kind of felt that I had to try. Hopefully it won't take that long to receive and I will be able to travel to his wedding later in the year if approved.