USCIS publishes one processing time for Form I-821, adjudicated at Service Center Operations (SCOPS): currently 6.5–7 months. Its case inquiry date is March 10, 2026 — the date USCIS uses to decide whether a case is outside normal processing times. If the receipt date on your Form I-797C receipt notice is earlier than it, USCIS will accept a case inquiry (a service request) on the case; if it is later, USCIS treats the case as still within normal processing times. At the August 17, 2026 revision, 5 of these 7 entries had that date moved backward.
I-821 processing time at the office that adjudicates it
| Office | Subtype | Processing time | Case inquiry date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 821SD_I Sudan Initial | 6.5–7 months | March 10, 2026 |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 821SD_R Sudan Re-registration | 17–17.5 months | April 24, 2025 |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 821SO_I Somalia Initial | 20–20.5 months+6.0 mo | January 19, 2025−188 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 821SV_I El Salvador Initial | 25–30 months | March 19, 2024−5 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 821SV_R El Salvador Re-registration | 17.5–18 months+1.5 mo | March 17, 2025−46 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 821UA_I Ukraine Initial | 22–25.5 months+0.5 mo | August 14, 2024−3 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 821UA_R Ukraine Re-registration | 18–18.5 months+1.5 mo | March 09, 2025−44 d |
How to read the I-821 figures
Processing time is the range USCIS itself publishes for Form I-821. It is an estimate of how long the agency is taking overall, not a measurement of any individual case, and USCIS revises it roughly monthly without announcing the change.
Case inquiry date is the one that decides what you can do. Find your office in the table above and compare that date against the receipt date printed on your Form I-797C receipt notice. If your receipt date is earlier, USCIS treats the case as outside normal processing times and will accept a case inquiry, also called a service request. If it is later, USCIS treats the case as still within normal processing times and will not act on an inquiry.
The coloured figures show what moved at the most recent revision. Next to a processing time, a red figure means USCIS raised the published upper bound. Next to a case inquiry date, a red figure means the date moved backward — cases that had become eligible to inquire are once again treated as within normal processing times.
What USCIS changed for I-821
Every revision this archive has recorded that touched Form I-821. USCIS publishes no history of its own revisions, so this is the only record that these figures were ever different.
| Observed | USCIS posting date | Inquiry date moved back | Slower | Faster |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-18 | July 15, 2026 → August 17, 2026 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 2026-07-16 | June 23, 2026 → July 15, 2026 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 2026-06-24 | May 22, 2026 → June 23, 2026 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 2026-05-23 | April 21, 2026 → May 22, 2026 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
Get alerted when this changes
USCIS revises these figures without notice and announces nothing. Tell us which office is handling your case for Form I-821 and we will email you when that exact combination moves — never for the routine daily shift.
We send one email asking you to confirm. Nothing else is sent until you click it. Every alert has a one-click unsubscribe.
Processing times for other forms
Every form USCIS publishes a processing time for.
I-90 I-102 I-129 I-129CW I-129F I-130 I-131 I-140 I-212 I-360 I-407 I-485 I-526 I-526(L) I-526E I-539 I-600 I-600A I-600A3 I-601 I-601A I-612 I-730 I-751 I-765 I-765V I-800 I-800A I-800A3 I-817 I-821D I-824 I-829 I-914 I-918 I-929 I-956 I-956F N-400 N-565 N-600 N-600K
← All forms and offices, and what changed at the last revision