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Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
US Green Card chaos: Immigration backlog hits record 11.3 million - thousands left in limbo
Green card delays and visa backlog 2025 have hit record highs as USCIS backlog crosses 11.3 million pending cases, creating massive wait times and uncertainty for millions. Processing of green card applications, work permits, and employment-based visas has slowed drastically, with I-90 and I-765 forms now taking months longer. USCIS has paused automation efforts, adding to the delays. Meanwhile, lawsuits, federal subpoenas, and protests are erupting nationwide over immigration enforcement and detentions. From Harvard's student visa probe to ICE arrests during interviews, the crisis is intensifying. Read how these immigration delays are affecting real people and legal rights today. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why is the USCIS backlog hitting record highs in 2025? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Who's being hit hardest by the green card processing crisis? Employment-based green card seekers – Especially from India and China, some are stuck waiting decades due to outdated per-country quotas . – Especially from India and China, some are stuck waiting due to outdated . Refugees and asylees – Thousands are stranded due to paused processing policies carried over from the Trump administration. – Thousands are stranded due to carried over from the Trump administration. Family-sponsored applicants – Many are waiting 10+ years due to preference category limits and country-specific backlogs. – Many are waiting due to preference category limits and country-specific backlogs. H-1B & H-4 visa holders – Many are living and working in the U.S. with no clear path forward, risking out-of-status scenarios. What's causing the record 11.3 million immigration backlog? 1. Understaffing and underfunding at USCIS 2. Legacy Trump policies still in effect 3. Surging applications post-COVID 4. Per-country visa caps Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How long are green card and work permit delays taking now? Indian nationals (EB-2 and EB-3) : Up to 80 years in some worst-case projections : Up to in some worst-case projections Chinese professionals : Often waiting 20–25 years : Often waiting Family-sponsored applicants from Mexico or the Philippines : Waiting 10–15 years : Waiting Asylees/refugees: Processing largely suspended as of 2025 What's happening with advance parole and other relief categories? What's being done to fix the U.S. green card backlog? Visa Recapture Eliminate per-country caps Increase USCIS funding Reopen closed streams What are the real-life consequences of the green card backlog? Travel internationally without risking re-entry Change jobs or employers Sponsor spouses or children Buy homes or make long-term investments Will immigration delays worsen before they improve? Why did DHS issue subpoenas to Harvard over visa program violations? Why is Los Angeles suing to stop federal immigration raids? Who else is caught up in this growing immigration crisis? Mandonna Kashanian, a 64-year-old Iranian mother living in New Orleans for 47 years, was detained by ICE while gardening. She was later released after intervention by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who said DHS needed to take a second look. Mario Guevara, a journalist from El Salvador, remains in ICE custody despite being granted bond by a judge. His arrest during a protest livestream has drawn national concern over press freedom and alleged retaliation by ICE. Cynthia Olivera, a Canadian immigrant married to a U.S. citizen and mother of three, was arrested during her green card interview. Her husband, a Trump voter, said: 'We feel blindsided. I want my vote back.' ICE says her previous deportation and illegal reentry made her subject to arrest. What's next for immigration reform amid protests and lawsuits? What does this mean for immigrants now? FAQs: United States is experiencing a historic immigration logjam, with the green card backlog ballooning to 11.3 million cases by the second quarter of FY2025. That figure, confirmed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), marks the largest pending case load in American immigration backlog includes visa applications, asylum claims, green card renewals, and work permit requests. Only 2.7 million cases were processed during Q2, meaning more than 8.6 million applicants remain in bureaucratic shockingly, over 34,000 applications haven't even been opened yet—stuck in physical mailrooms without digital entry into the USCIS backlog hitting 11.3 million signals a serious strain on the agency's resources. That number includes all pending forms—from green card applications (Form I-485) and work permits (Form I-765) to travel documents (Form I-131) and employment-based visa forms like Q2 of FY2025, USCIS completed just 2.7 million cases, a significant drop compared to prior quarters. Officials haven't provided a full explanation for the lag, but the suspension of the Streamlined Case Processing program has undoubtedly slowed things down. This program was originally launched to accelerate lower-risk applications but has now been paused over 34,000 unopened applications have created a 'frontlog'—a queue of cases that haven't even been entered into the system yet. This marks the return of a problem USCIS previously said it had resolved in delays aren't affecting everyone equally. Here's a breakdown of the groups suffering the most:The causes are layered and systemic. Here's what's driving the gridlock:USCIS has been operating withfor years. Despite record case loads, hiring has, leading to processing delays across all case immigration categories, especially those for, wereor severely restricted during Trump's presidency. Some of those shutdowns haven't been reversed in demand from the COVID years has resulted in an, especially for family reunification and employment-based Immigration and Nationality Act limits green cards to—which disproportionately affectslike India and for essential immigration documents are getting worse. The Form I-90, used for green card replacements, now takes more than eight months to process—far longer than the average wait time of four to six months seen in prior permits, particularly Form I-765, are also seeing mounting delays. Pending applications have more than doubled since the last quarter. These permits are vital for immigrants who need legal authorization to work while awaiting their green cards or other backlog in Form I-129 applications is directly impacting employment-based visa holders—especially H-1B and L-1 applicants—causing job losses, visa expirations, and anxiety for employers and foreign professionals on the applicant's category and country of origin, green card wait times vary drastically:These long waits are not just a paperwork issue—they disruptNot all news is bad. One bright spot is the Advance Parole (Form I-131) category, which saw a slight reduction in pending cases in recent months. Advance parole allows immigrants to re-enter the U.S. after traveling abroad while waiting for their green card or asylum decisions. Though still slow, this is one of the few areas showing overall, the immigration system continues to struggle with severe delays, which is creating ripple effects in legal, employment, and humanitarian proposals and policy ideas are circulating, but few have gained real traction:Millions of green cards godue to administrative delays. Immigration advocates are pushing Congress to 'recapture' these unused visas and apply them to today's like the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act aim to remove or raise the per-country cap, allowing fairer distribution and shorter wait money for staffing, tech upgrades, and infrastructure could help the agency speed up case suspended categories like refugee and asylum green card pipelines would provide relief to the most the numbers are. Many immigrants stuck in this limbo are unable to:A recent documentary, "Broken System," by filmmaker Shalini Kantayya shows the toll of the backlog on, particularlywho have lived in the U.S. for over a decade but remain 'temporary' on of mid-2025, immigration experts sayunless urgent reforms are passed. With, immigration policy has again shifted toward, not backlog major legislative or executive action occurs, themay be just the beginning of a much larger crisis in legal to the chaos, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) escalated its conflict with Harvard University by issuing administrative subpoenas related to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). DHS claims Harvard repeatedly ignored requests for information and failed to prevent students from allegedly misusing their visas to promote violent McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, said bluntly: 'We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now... we have to do things the hard way.'The subpoenas demand access to records, emails, and communications dating back to January 1, Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has joined a growing class-action lawsuit to block federal immigration raids, calling them unconstitutional and reckless. The lawsuit, Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem, accuses ICE of racially profiling immigrants, detaining people in inhumane conditions, and violating their legal ACLU of California and Public Counsel are leading the legal fight, saying ICE operations are targeting people with 'brown skin' and denying them legal counsel. DHS has rejected the allegations, calling them "disgusting and categorically false."Mayor Bass emphasized: 'We will not be intimidated... Los Angeles is taking a stand for American values.'Several recent cases illustrate how the immigration crackdown is affecting lives:Nationwide protests are planned on July 17 under the banner 'Good Trouble Lives On', commemorating the late Rep. John Lewis and denouncing President Donald Trump's immigration policies. The demonstrations follow similar actions held on June 14 and over the Fourth of July weekend, which criticized ICE raids and new travel Iranian green card applicants have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, arguing that national interest waivers under the travel ban are being denied without reason. The State Department has declined to comment on ongoing immigration delays and visa backlog aren't just statistics—they're disrupting lives, careers, families, and basic rights. As the green card delays worsen, and visa processing slows, the pressure is mounting for a more transparent, fair, and functional lawsuits and subpoenas to protests and personal tragedies, the immigration debate in 2025 is unfolding across courtrooms, campuses, and communities—and it's far from card delays are rising due to USCIS backlog, automation pauses, and processing visa backlog is caused by record-high pending cases, limited resources, and policy changes.
Hindustan Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Green Cards in limbo: What to know as replacement wait times surge across the US
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is experiencing a mammoth backlog, and the green card holders are getting the brunt of it. Newly-released information indicates that the processing time of Form I-90 has soared by almost 1,000 per cent between the second quarter of fiscal year 2025. (Representational image) USCIS is struggling with a backlog as I-90 processing times jump to 8.3 months in Q2 FY2025, up from 0.8 months. From 1 January to 31 March 2025, USCIS took an average of 8.3 months to process an I-90 application. Just a few months earlier, between October and December 2024, the median wait time was less than a month, about 0.8 months. ALSO READ| World's most expensive golden visa costs $6.2 million. It is not UK, France, or Italy US immigration system is under immense pressure Immigration courts currently face a record-breaking 3.7 million pending cases. Green card holders are required to file Form I-90 every 10 years or sooner if their cards are lost, damaged, or contain errors. The agency's website currently states that '80 per cent of cases for 'initial issuance or replacements' for I-90 are completed within 21.5 months,' while 10-year renewal cases are completed in '12.5 months' for 80 per cent of applicants. Notably, between January and March 2025, USCIS received over 285,000 I-90 applications. That's a significant increase from the 189,000 submitted in the previous quarter. By the end of March, there were more than 356,000 I-90 applications still pending up from 265,000 just three months earlier. This isn't the first time USCIS has struggled with fluctuating processing times. In FY2024, the agency had dramatically improved processing, bringing the average down to 1.1 months from 9.1 months in 2023. In 2022, the average was 1.2 months, while it stood at 5.2 months in 2021. Interestingly, USCIS announced in September 2024 that green cards would remain valid for 36 months beyond the listed expiration date for lawful permanent residents who had filed for renewal. ALSO READ| Marrying for Green Card? Here's what USCIS warns could happen 'These receipt notices can be presented with an expired Green Card as evidence of continued status and employment authorization. This extension is expected to help applicants who experience longer processing times, because they will receive proof of lawful permanent resident status as they await their renewed Green Card,' USCIS noted.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Green card gridlock: How to apply, what you need, and why the wait just got 1,000 percent longer
Green card renewal delays have surged nearly 1,000 percent, leaving hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants facing months of uncertainty, and making it more important than ever to understand how to apply, what documents are required, and how long the wait is. In the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, the median processing time for Form I-90, the application used to renew or replace permanent resident cards, jumped to 8.3 months, up from just 0.8 months in the previous quarter, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Spike in filings and delays by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Baron: Pendingin udara tanpa unit luar. (Klik untuk melihat harga) Tonton Sekarang Undo Between January and March 2025, USCIS received over 285,000 I-90 applications, up from around 189,000 in the last quarter of 2024. The agency reported more than 356,000 pending cases at the end of March, reflecting the growing backlog. USCIS defines median processing time as the length of time it takes to complete 50 percent of cases during a given period. Live Events According to its latest guidance, 80 percent of green card replacement applications are now completed within 21.5 months, while renewals are typically resolved within 12.5 months. How to apply for green card renewal or replacement Permanent residents must file Form I-90 to: Renew their green card every 10 years Replace a lost, stolen, or damaged card Correct errors or update personal information Application options: Online at By mail using the printed Form I-90 Fees: $455 application fee $85 biometric services fee (if required) Total: $540 Applicants are advised to submit supporting documentation, including a copy of their current or expired green card and any legal documents related to name or status changes. Legal status protected during the wait To accommodate the delays, USCIS announced in September 2024 that the validity of green cards would be automatically extended by 36 months for applicants who file Form I-90. The agency clarified that the receipt notice issued upon filing can be used, along with an expired green card, as proof of continued legal status and work authorization. 'This extension is expected to help applicants who experience longer processing times,' USCIS said in a statement last year. Immigration analysts focus on a combination of factors, including rising application volumes, limited staffing, and shifts in immigration enforcement policy. USCIS and federal immigration courts are currently managing more than 3.7 million cases, including asylum, visa, and naturalization applications. Trump's aggressive stance on immigration President Donald Trump has increased immigration enforcement measures in his second term, promising mass deportations and tighter controls. Advocates warn that the policy environment and system-wide delays could place added pressure on legal residents seeking documentation. USCIS has not yet issued a statement addressing the latest surge in wait times. Immigration attorneys recommend that green card holders file renewal applications at least six months before expiration and retain all receipts as proof of status. Without new resources or legislative intervention, experts say green card processing times may continue to climb in the months ahead.
Newsweek
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Immigration Backlog Hits All-Time High
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is grappling with an unprecedented backlog of immigration cases, reaching a record 11.3 million pending applications. USCIS data from January to March shows some immigration categories experiencing worsening delays, with processing times creeping up. As backlogs grow larger each quarter, applicants are left waiting months or even years longer than they expected. Immigration attorneys told Newsweek that the Trump administration's efforts to find fraud in applications is significantly slowing down processing times and creating "massive backlogs" across an already overwhelmed immigration system. "The Trump administration has told USCIS to slow down processing of cases. Predictably, the system has quickly developed massive backlogs. By the end of 2028, we will pine for the days of a functioning legal immigration system because it will effectively not exist by the end of the Trump term," Charles Kuck, the founding partner at Kuck Baxter in Atlanta, told Newsweek. Newsweek contacted USCIS for comment via email on Monday afternoon. Petitioners at a naturalization ceremony for 225 people seeking U.S. citizenship at the National Archives. Petitioners at a naturalization ceremony for 225 people seeking U.S. citizenship at the National Archives. Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call via AP Images Why It Matters The 11.3 million applications backlog marks the highest volume of pending cases ever recorded by the agency. For the first time in over a year, USCIS reported a "frontlog"—cases received but not yet opened or officially entered into the processing system—that stands at more than 34,000. The high number of unprocessed applications raises concerns about delays beginning even before formal review processes commence. What To Know USCIS is funded solely through the fees it charges immigrants applying for various benefits, such as green cards and work authorization, and replacement visa documents. Reports over multiple administrations have laid out the difficulties with this model and the ongoing struggles to fully staff the agency, leading to delays. The latest data showed several form categories with an uptick in processing times, with some applicants waiting several years for their cases to be decided. Forms I-90, the Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, and I-765—the Application for Employment Authorization, with the EAD card issued on Form I-766— have shown increases in processing times compared to the previous quarter. This is partially attributed to the agency's suspension of its Streamlined Case Processing (SCP) program, an automated system that expedited approvals without the need for officer review. The suspension is intended to allow enhanced vetting, though no timeline has been announced for the SCP's reinstatement. Greg Siskind, an immigration attorney at Siskind Susser in Memphis, Tennessee, told Newsweek that attorneys had been expecting longer wait times since the presidential election in November. He said staff were likely to have left without replacements, particularly in the face of Department of Government Efficiency pressures across the federal government. "Then there was an expected increase in the rate of Requests for Evidence, where USCIS demands more documentation before approving a case," Siskind said. "This happened in the first Trump term, and a spike in RFE rates will show up in the processing times, often doubling or tripling the amount of time one can expect in a given case." Some categories saw improvements, however. The backlog of Form I-131, the advance parole application, decreased by almost 60,000 cases this fiscal year. Still, it remains high, with about 260,000 cases pending and a median processing time of 5.8 months—a length considered unacceptably long by immigration advocates. "It is still early to draw firm conclusions from the data, as processing trends may shift based on staffing, litigation, or new policy guidance. However, outside the boundaries of congressional mandates or statutory requirements, what may appear to be backlogs may be better described as policy choices," Morgan Bailey, a partner at Mayer Brown and former senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, told Newsweek. Work authorization applications paint a mixed picture. Cases tied to adjustment of status and asylum, known as categories C09 and C08, are facing little to no backlog. However, other types of work permits add up to about 775,000 pending cases. Most notably, the parole-based C11 category alone includes about 531,000 applications, many of which have been reopened for revocation under programs for nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela—commonly referred to as the CHNV parole program. Employment-based applications made up a large share of USCIS's workload this quarter, with 1.73 million forms filed in Q2 alone. This category includes key programs such as H-1B visa petitions, employment authorization applications and green card applications for skilled workers. The high numbers highlight how much the U.S. economy continues to depend on foreign talent across a wide range of industries. Notably, Form I-765, the Application for Employment Authorization, saw 698,586 cases processed far faster, especially for asylum-seekers—with a median processing time of 0.7 months. Data published by USCIS for January to March of fiscal year 2025 shows about 2.4 million approvals compared to 261,000 denials, resulting in an overall approval rate of about 90.2 percent. Meanwhile, immigration courts are overwhelmed, with a backlog exceeding 3.7 million cases, according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Asylum-seekers often wait years for decisions on their cases. The growing backlog means longer waits for family reunification, employment opportunities and humanitarian protections for millions of immigrants. The "frontlog" shows slowdowns even at the earliest stages of the process, compounding delays. What People Are Saying Greg Siskind, an immigration attorney at Siskind Susser, told Newsweek: "The one thing that was giving me hope that we might not see the big increase in processing times we were expecting is the acceleration of USCIS's accepting online filings of cases versus the labor-intensive paper filing process. "USCIS is still moving along with e-filing, and that is making things less bad as far as processing times go. And USCIS's long-term goal is to totally move away from paper filings, so I expect that trend to continue. More worrisome is the expectation by many in the immigration bar that USCIS will increasingly use AI—often poorly designed AI—that will speed up decision-making but in a way that lacks transparency and with serious quality control concerns." Charles Kuck, the founding partner at Kuck Baxter, told Newsweek: "The rapid growth in the USCIS is 100 percent predictable given the Trump administration's approach to immigration. Starting with the staff reductions ordered at the USCIS (which is funded by user fees, not tax dollars). Followed by seeking "volunteers" from USCIS to assist ICE in enforcement efforts. Which then leads to the administration's effort to find fraud in every application, slowing down processing times." Morgan Bailey, a partner at Mayer Brown, told Newsweek: "The Trump administration believes that the primary mission of USCIS is to serve as a screening and vetting agency rather than as a benefits granting agency." What Happens Next USCIS will likely get a funding boost through increased fees and charges for immigration applications, but it remains to be seen whether this will affect processing times.
Newsweek
07-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Green Card Replacement Processing Time Surges Nearly 1,000 Percent
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The processing time for I-90 forms, the applications used to either renew or replace permanent resident cards, increased by nearly 1,000 percent in the second quarter of FY2025, according to data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Newsweek reached out to USCIS for comment via email. Why It Matters The immigration system in the United States is overwhelmed—there are more than 3.7 million cases in the immigration courts, and USCIS is also facing a bureaucratic backlog in terms of processing applications, including for the I-90. Green card holders must fill out the form every 10 years to renew their green card or in the case that theirs is damaged or lost. The median time it took to process I-90 forms jumped from less than a month to more than eight months in the second quarter, according to data released by USCIS last month. What to Know From January 1 to March 31, 2025, the processing time for I-90 forms averaged 8.3 months, according to USCIS data. This is a notable uptick from the fourth quarter of 2024—from October 1 to December 31, 2024—when the median processing time was only 0.8 months. USCIS defines the processing time as the "number of months it took for an application, petition, or request to be processed from receipt to completion in a given time period." The median represents the time it took to complete 50 percent of all cases processed in the quarter. A stock image shows an envelope from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A stock image shows an envelope from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Evgenia Parajanian/iStock via Getty Images The USCIS office's website states that 80 percent of cases for "initial issuance or replacements" for I-90 are completed within 21.5 months, while 80 percent of cases for the 10-year renewal are completed within 12.5 months. USCIS received more than 285,000 I-990 forms from January through March, compared to roughly 189,000 from October through December of last year. There were more than 356,000 pending applications at the end of the second quarter, compared to 265,000 pending applications at the end of the first quarter. The processing time has swung back and forth in the past few years. In FY2024, it took about 1.1 months on average for I-90s to be processed, down from 9.1 months in 2023. In 2022, The processing time averaged 1.2 months in 2022 and 5.2 months in 2021. USCIS announced in September 2024 that the validity of green cards would be extended to 36 months for lawful permanent residents amid the processing backlog. What People Are Saying Niskanen Center analyst Cecilia Esterline wrote to X (formerly Twitter) on July 1: "I-90 applications for a replacement green card had the sharpest increase in median processing time: 938% over Q1. In both FY2024 Q2 and FY2025 Q1, its median processing time was approx. 0.8 months. By the end of FY2025 Q2, it was more than 8 months." USCIS said in September when announcing the validity extension: "These receipt notices can be presented with an expired Green Card as evidence of continued status and employment authorization. This extension is expected to help applicants who experience longer processing times, because they will receive proof of lawful permanent resident status as they await their renewed Green Card." What Happens Next President Donald Trump has cracked down on immigration upon his return to office and has pledged mass deportations, and many green card holders have been impacted by his immigration enforcement.
