Official and confirmed | The United States confirmed that all foreigners will have to wait more than a year to obtain a Green Card - El Cronista
Key Takeaways
- It has been reported that U.S. authorities have confirmed average waits for many immigrant visas and green cards will exceed one year.
- Backlogs affect both consular immigrant visas (DS-260) and adjustment of status (Form I-485) cases; USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) and the Department of State are named agencies.
- Family- and employment-based categories will see longer waits, with per-country limits and priority date retrogression worsening delays for nationals of India, China, Mexico and the Philippines.
- Affected applicants should monitor official USCIS and DOS processing-time pages, retain lawful nonimmigrant status if in the U.S., and consult an immigration attorney for case-specific options.
Qué se ha informado y qué significa
It has been reported that U.S. authorities have acknowledged that processing and interview backlogs now mean most foreign nationals will wait more than a year to receive lawful permanent residence (a "Green Card"). That claim appears in recent Spanish press coverage; the underlying causes named by officials include long USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) queues, National Visa Center (NVC) scheduling delays, limited consular capacity, and statutory per-country numerical limits that create priority date retrogression for some categories.
Quiénes resultan más afectados
The delay is not limited to one visa class. Family‑based immigrant petitions (Form I-130 leading to consular processing via DS-260 or adjustment via I-485), and many employment-based petitions (Form I-140 beneficiaries) are affected. In practice, nationals from oversubscribed countries — notably India, China, Mexico and the Philippines — already faced years‑long waits for certain preference categories; a generalized “over‑one‑year” expectation compounds those waits. For people inside the U.S., longer I‑485 adjudication times can block travel and work-authorized status renewals. For those outside, longer consular backlogs delay reunification and employment start dates.
Qué pueden hacer los solicitantes ahora
Applicants should rely on official sources: check USCIS processing times and case status, and the Department of State’s visa bulletin and National Visa Center updates. Maintain lawful nonimmigrant status in the U.S. where possible; extended backlogs can make dual intent or bridging strategies important. Consider alternatives — temporary nonimmigrant visas, premium processing where eligible, or requests for humanitarian relief — and seek advice from a qualified immigration attorney for case‑specific planning. Because the public report may be incomplete, confirm details directly with USCIS or the relevant consulate.
Source: Original Article