Nothing is worse than waiting for a decision to be made about your immigration case. You may feel like your entire life is on hold when your immigration case is pending.
Immigration law is very complex and changes quite frequently. There are many different types of immigration cases, and the processing times for these cases can vary greatly. Some immigration cases can be resolved in as little as 1-2 years. Other cases can take over 10 years to resolve. Case processing times are often impacted by government actions or changes in the law. Keep reading to learn more about immigration law and what you can do to try and speed up this process.
Immigration Law 101
In many visa categories, the government only grants a set number of visas each year. Unsurprisingly, this results in a wait-list and develops into a backlog. This can leave many petitions pending for years at a time.
For example, let’s say the government allocates 10,000 visas in Category X per year. If 15,000 eligible people apply for those visas in one year, then only 10,000 can receive them. Therefore, 5,000 cases will be put on the wait-list. Next year, 15,000 more people apply for that same type of visa. Those 10,000 visas will go to the 5,000 people who were already waiting; plus 5,000 from this year. Now there is a backlog of 10,000 people waiting for that visa.
Unfortunately, your lawyer does not have control over the waitlist, or over how the government allocates visas. If your immigration case is taking too long, The Center for Criminal and Immigration Law can research other immigration avenues to see if there is a better option. Many people are eligible for more than one type of visa or immigration benefit, and changes in the law may open up an avenue that did not exist when you first began the immigration process. Hiring a knowledgeable and experienced immigration lawyer is invaluable for finding a creative solution to your immigration status. Often, it is possible to file multiple types of immigration applications at the same time. This way, even if one type of application is taking very long, another file may move more quickly.
Conclusion
Immigration law changes over time and new forms of relief become available. If your case has been pending for a long time, it may be time to have an updated consultation to explore all of your options.
When you are trying to expedite your immigration case, you want a team of lawyers who knows the ins and outs of your specific situation. Our experienced attorneys at The Center for Criminal and Immigration Law specialize in this area of law, and are here to provide you with knowledge advice to ensure that your case moves as quickly as possible. Do not delay – contact us today for an in-depth consultation!