USCIS Provides Update on Receipt Notice Delays for Forms Filed with USCIS Lockbox
January 8, 2021
USCIS provided additional updates about lockbox operations and delays in issuing receipt notices for some applications and petitions filed at a USCIS lockbox facility.
Per USCIS:
As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, an increase in filings, current postal service volume and other external factors, you may experience a delay of four to six weeks in receiving your receipt notice after properly filing an application or petition with a USCIS lockbox. These delays will not affect the receipt date which is determined pursuant to 8 C.F.R. 103.2(a)(7). Delays may vary among form types and lockbox locations. In some cases, you may experience significant delays if you filed a non-family based Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, or Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, based on eligibility categories described in 8 C.F.R. 274a.12(c)(3), relating to F-1 students.
December 15, 2020
USCIS issued a stakeholder message noting that a significant increase in filings in recent weeks and facility capacity restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are causing “significant delays for processing receipt notices” for forms and applications filed with the USCIS Lockbox.