What the numbers mean
FillingTide publishes the USCIS processing time as one value: the time it took USCIS to complete 80% of adjudicated cases over the prior six months. It is a backward-looking operational statistic, not a deadline, guarantee, or personalized estimate.
The separate case-inquiry threshold reflects the 93rd percentile and helps USCIS calculate when a case may be outside normal processing time. We never combine the 80th- and 93rd-percentile values into a range. Pages retain the published units; charts use a consistent month conversion when values need a common scale.
What we record
Each observation keeps the form, filing category, office, USCIS publication date, 80th-percentile processing time, and separate 93rd-percentile inquiry threshold together. We compare dates only when those labels and units still mean the same thing.
Before a new observation appears, we check for missing fields, invalid units, duplicate dates, inconsistent percentile values, and unexpected changes in the form, category, or office. If a reading cannot be verified, the previous valid observation remains visible.
Trend calculation
“Faster” and “slower” compare only the 80th-percentile processing time in the latest observation with the earliest comparable observation on that page. A lower value is labeled faster, a higher value slower, and an equal value unchanged. The 93rd-percentile case-inquiry threshold is shown for reference but is never used as the trend series.
The 30- and 60-day views use the nearest comparable earlier publication only when it is reasonably close to the named window. The page states the actual interval. If no observation qualifies, the comparison is unavailable; FillingTide does not interpolate a value.
We do not interpolate missing observations, smooth the series, or turn the history into a forecast. A change can reflect workload, case mix, policy, measurement changes, or other factors that this dataset cannot establish.
Limits and corrections
USCIS can revise a value, category, office label, or methodology. We stop comparing dates when their definitions no longer match. Unusually large changes are reviewed before we describe their direction, but review does not explain why USCIS changed a figure.
If you find a mismatch, send the page URL, the value in question, and supporting evidence to corrections@fillingtide.com. Material corrections will be dated and explained.
Method last reviewed: August 25, 2026.