Processing times and RFE/NOA2

[WarmRegards 4]

This is a hypothetical question, but I'm curious. The current "Processing Times" for NOA2 state 50 days. If one was to get an RFE, would that occur prior to the 50 day mark, or after the 50 day mark?

Basically does it mean that no person even looks at the application for 50 days and then they look at it one day and decide "Ok you're good to go" or "No we need more info". Or is there a person that looks at it maybe day 20 and says "Hey this is wrong" and sends an RFE? Or is it a continuous process that maybe takes someone many days or weeks to establish whether they need an RFE or approval?

[soulstriker 274]

that 50 day is just a average , some get noa2 25 - 50 days , just depends on whose working your case, how how behind he/she is

[s + j 71]

My NOA2 was over 70 days after NOA1. Some takes 30 days. Some takes over 100. Depends on the USCIS officer.

[THERESHI 0]

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, regarding timeline. We were expecting a 50-60 day wait and it ended up being 200 days from NOA1 to receiving the visa.

As for an RFE, the news is better there, a the point where the officer is looking at the case, they'll go over everything and if there's anything they want to see they'll send you out an RFE. You can check the status of this over the phone I recall. We had one and it was just a missed checkbox and confirming my address. Turned around in a day and the NOA2 came soon after.

Good luck!

[Ash.1101 1,755]

I assume that it works like most government paperwork processing, which is.. file goes into a big pile of files, then those files get spread out for processing through multiple processors.

Say officer 1 has only 2 files left on their desk, BOOM they are given more files. The files don't really get processed in the order they're recieved, but in the order that the processor recieves them.

Any delays, I've always assumed, are say in a case where Officer 1 only has two files left, guy comes in an instead of moving the 2 files to the top, plops down a pile of applications to be process ON TOP of those two files, making the newer cases on top end up processing faster than the two older cases on the bottom.


But no, when ever someone LOOKS at your case, that is when you will get your RFE if needed. Then, if there is an RFE the RFE is sent and filtered through people who deal with RFE's, it keeps the mess away from the guys dealing with new applications and making it so they don't have to waste their time with RFE's when there's a steady paper flow of new applications.

If you don't get an RFE, your packet is essentially opened twice I believe, ONCE to pull out the check for payment to allow processing to even happen, and then a second time when it actually gets in the hands of the processor.


This was more or less how all the paperwork was done down at the army base when I had to deal with the government on that aspect. It is quite efficient, but there are cases of applications ending up at bottoms of piles instead of on top, or applications ending up in the wrong place and eventually getting fixed up.


Our case was processed in 41 days, but we had also got in RIGHT when they reopened CSC for petitions making us one of the first batches to be processed there.

RFE's still count as being processed, so if it says that average is 51 days of processing, then that means it's taking an average of 51 days to decide if the case is approved, or RFE'd. Basically a "we processed this application today and they needed X,Y,Z!".

Edited October 13, 2016 by Ash.1101

[TBoneTX 43,058]

*** Thread is moved from the K-1 Process forum to the USCIS Service Centers forum -- topic involves how petitions are handled. ***