New Data Reveals Sharp Rise in USCIS Backlogs and Processing Delays

A new analysis by the American Immigration Council highlights a significant surge in application backlogs and processing delays at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. At GCEB1, our EB1A experts have analyzed this news in great detail.

According to the Council’s latest dashboard, the USCIS backlog has more than tripled over the past decade: from approximately 3.5 million cases in early FY2016 to 11.6 million cases by the end of FY2025. This dramatic increase reflects both rising demand for immigration benefits and systemic processing inefficiencies.

The report further reveals that USCIS has struggled to keep pace with incoming applications. During the COVID-19 pandemic, processing capacity dropped sharply, which led to a backlog increase of 2.3 million cases in just 15 months between mid-2020 and late 2021. At one point, the agency processed only 1.7 million applications while receiving 2.6 million in a single quarter. This practice, in essence, has created nearly 867,000 cases in the backlog in just three months.

Despite some recovery efforts, the imbalance between filings and completions persists. The Council notes that by late 2025, it would take nearly 13.8 months to clear the backlog at the contemporary processing capacity. This marks a worsening trend compared to earlier periods and signals continued delays for applicants.

Certain immigration categories have been disproportionately affected. For example, applications for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) saw a dramatic rise, with pending cases increasing by roughly 150% within a year. In other words, this translates into: from about 465,000 to nearly 1.2 million applications.

The dashboard also emphasizes three broader trends: rising application volumes, fluctuating approval rates, and uneven processing times across immigration categories. These insights aim to provide policymakers, stakeholders, and applicants with a clearer understanding of how the system is functioning in practice.

Experts suggest that without structural reforms and increased processing capacity, USCIS backlogs are likely to remain a persistent issue. And, at GCEB1, our EB-1A consultants are urging all affected applicants to explore long-term immigration strategies and prepare ahead for the potential delays.

Source: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/uscis-backlogs-processing-trends-dashboard/