The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) imposes stringent restrictions on foreigners seeking citizenship. Processing the naturalization application takes eighteen to twenty-four months, although many factors affect the processing time. When circumstances change during the processing period and you want your case prioritized, you can request USCIS to expedite your naturalization application for a quicker verdict. There are no charges for an expedited application request, but you should satisfy certain conditions. Here are instances when you can speed up the processing and the steps to make the request.
Expedited Citizenship Application at a Glance
An expedited citizenship request is when USCIS decides on your naturalization application sooner than the provided timeline, including before those would have applied earlier. The option is available for situations where applicants face emergencies or critical situations. Changes in personal life can also trigger an expedited request. However, the agency evaluates each case separately and weighs the pros and cons of granting your request.
Expedite Criteria
Anyone seeking naturalization can request the USCIS to expedite their case. Upon receiving your request, the adjudicating agency can reject or deny your application, depending on the circumstances of your case. When they grant your request, your application will be prioritized. However, you must wait for the usual timeline if your request is denied.
Therefore, if your circumstances qualify you for an expedited application, do not hesitate to ask your immigration attorney to file the request with USCIS. A proficient attorney will evaluate your situation and gather evidence to support the assertion that your position necessitates the naturalization process to be sped up.
Relevant circumstances USCIS considers to determine if they should grant or reject your application for an expedited naturalization process are:
Obvious Error by USCIS
If USCIS has erroneously denied or delayed your citizenship application, you can request them to expedite your current naturalization application. Also, when the agency approves your application but the final certificate has errors, you can ask them to speed up the correction of the mistakes made, as USCIS is responsible for the errors. For instance, USCIS approves your legal permanent residency but erroneously indicates that the card expires in seven instead of ten years. If you can demonstrate that the agency and not you, the applicant, made the error, they will grant your request for an expedited treatment.
Urgent Humanitarian Needs
Emergency humanitarian needs warrant an expedited treatment of your application if the situation is related to your welfare, such as disease, disability, or death. Extreme living situations like armed conflict or natural disasters can compel USCIS to speed up the process of handling your citizenship application. Proving that your case should be expedited because of humanitarian reasons is challenging.
Many migrants or foreigners seeking naturalization do it for humanitarian reasons like war in their homeland, grave illness, or fear of persecution. Therefore, with many humanitarian cases involved, you must submit evidence that stands out to compel USCIS that yours is a critical humanitarian situation.
Severe Financial Loss
When you or your company risks significant financial loss if the USCIS does not adjudicate your case sooner, you can request an expedited treatment, and the agency will likely approve it. Nevertheless, you require proof that you or the organization will fail, miss out on a tender, lose a public benefit, or necessitate laying off other workers.
A job loss will compel USCIS to approve your request for expedited treatment if you demonstrate that a gap in the approval of your employment authorization would prompt the employer to fire your assistant. If waiting for the provided timeline to receive a citizenship decision will result in another person losing the job, the agency will speed up the processing to prevent the job loss. Besides, when delaying the decision on your naturalization delays your travel for work, which could jeopardize your job, your application will be expedited to prevent job loss. However, when the only proof supporting your request is the need to secure employment, the reason will not be compelling enough to warrant expedited treatment.
USCIS will also incur significant financial losses if you are a board member of a U.S. nonprofit and your presence is necessary to approve a grant request. However, you must prove that waiting for the agency’s decision on your citizenship means you will be missing from the team when the decision on the grant is made, meaning the organization will not receive the funding that is needed to prevent a financial crisis and promote social, health, and cultural interest. You must demonstrate a general shortage by arguing that the nonprofit will not receive funding without your presence on the board.
USCIS does not want its decision to hurt the funding of an American company. Therefore, under the circumstances, they will be forced to expedite your application to ensure the organization you are a member of does not miss out on the funding.
Nevertheless, your request must be accompanied by proof that you applied for citizenship within the provided time. Ensure that you have an experienced immigration attorney because USCIS could request that you present additional evidence. With the help of a profound attorney, you will reply to the Request for Evidence (RFE) on time and ensure you show all the proof USCIS requires to establish that your company will incur huge losses if they do not give a decision earlier than expected.
Compelling Government Interest
USCIS will approve the request for expedited treatment if you demonstrate that speeding up the adjudication of your case is in the federal, state, or local government interest. Public safety and national security are also matters of national interest. Military personnel also qualify for expedited treatment if the issue regards national security. The advantage is that the government department or organization you work for is the one that files the request. The federal departments that can apply for expedited treatment for you are the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. These will submit proof to USCIS that delaying the processing of your citizenship adversely affects national interest or jeopardizes national security.
In expedited treatment requests relating to naturalization, the applying department should show that they need your citizenship approved to participate in a serious mission that exceeds the beneficiary's need to retain a job. For instance, the agency can claim that the beneficiary is a witness or helping the government investigate a matter of national interest. Without citizenship, the person will not be suitable to play the requisite role.
USCIS Average Processing Time
USCIS has an average timeline within which applicants of various immigration benefits should expect adjudication of the matter. You are ineligible for an expedition if your naturalization application is outside the provided timelines. Requesting a service update is the only way to learn about your application status. Knowing the stage your naturalization application has reached will help you plan.
Parties Ineligible for Expedited Naturalization Request
You are ineligible for an expedited request if you qualify for a premium processing service unless you satisfy the exceptions of particular nonprofits. Persons seeking citizenship through naturalization are eligible for premium processing, which disqualifies many from expedited requests. However, if the government terms a company as a nonprofit seeking expeditious naturalization, USCIS can grant the immigration benefits request even if the entity qualifies for premium processing. The agency considers the requestor's goal to further the social and cultural interests of the nation, thus prioritizing their application.
Steps Involved in Expediting Citizenship Application
Once you have consulted your immigration attorney and established that your situation qualifies for an expedited citizenship application, you should consider making the request. USCIS has a unique website to help persons seeking citizenship request expedited treatment. Alternatively, you can call the agency’s call center to start the process. You should know that every citizenship applicant can apply for expedited citizenship processing, although USCIS retains the discretion to deny or approve your request. The steps involved in the application are:
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Have Your USCIS Receipt Notice
A receipt number is a 13-digit number that USCIS issues to any individual seeking immigration benefits, including citizenship. If you are in California, your receipt starts with WAC. These letters are then followed by ten digits, usually the date of application and particular case number. The receipt is helpful because you can utilize it to check the status of your citizenship application or find out the processing window or timeline.
When the agency receives your application, they usually send you a receipt notice to notify you that the application has been received. You will find your receipt number in the top left corner of this notice. Apart from viewing the application status, the receipt notice will be necessary when making your expedited treatment request online.
Therefore, the first step to requesting an expedited processing of your naturalization application is filing your receipt notice. Nonetheless, using the receipt number to check your status is essential before requesting. You make the e-request if your application is outside the standard window, you want to update your home address after relocating, or you have not received a notice. Checking the status will help you decide if you need to speed up the process.
Usually, USCIS sends a receipt within two to three weeks of receiving your application. Therefore, if you did not receive the notice, contact the agency for the receipt or physical meeting because you need it for the expedited treatment application.
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Contact USCIS
Once you obtain the receipt notice, it is time to call USCIS. You can contact the agency at 1-800-375-5283. The call center will direct you to the USCIS officer or representative handling your case. The officer will request your email address, receipt number, and relevant identifying information. It is difficult to provide the details without a receipt notice, making the receipt mandatory. After making the request, the representative will issue you an expedited application number. Note the number down where you can remember it for future reference.
Alternatively, you can visit the agency’s web page that focuses on handling expedited US citizenship requests, where you will find information on the request process. Here, you will create an online account and use the USCIS receipt number to make the request
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Track the Request
The expedited service number and your receipt number will come in handy when you want to check the status of your request online. All you need is an online account, and you can view updates from the comfort of your home without visiting USCIS local offices.
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Present Supporting Documents and Evidence For REFs
Upon receiving your request, USCIS will likely demand evidence supporting your application. Keep checking your email because the request will come via email. The evidence you will submit to the agency depends on your reasons for the request to speed up processing. Seek the help of an attorney when submitting the proof because there are criteria in place for submission. USCIS demands the evidence be in PDF format and not exceed fifteen pages. Also, you can only respond with one email. An attorney will follow the instructions when responding to the email and promptly submit the evidence.
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USCIS Decision
Once you submit the evidence to support your request, USCIS will issue a decision within ten days. They will email the decision, so keep checking your emails.
If the agency approves your request, they will expedite your citizenship application, and you will have a decision within one or two weeks regarding your naturalization request.
Other Pathways for Expediting Your Application
If you want to make a solid expedited treatment request, you can talk to a Congress member and complete a form available on the representative’s website. Ensure the form has supporting documents before submitting them to the Congress representative’s office. However, even if you follow this route, USCIS will have the final say on the request.
Alternatively, you can visit the USCIS Ombudsman’s office to help you with the process. However, you should consider these options after you have tried and failed. There is no limit on the number of requests you can make, so explore all three options until the request is successful. Besides, you can appeal the verdict if you feel it is unfair or reapply when your circumstances change.
Find a Proficient Immigration Attorney Near Me
Speeding up your American citizenship application ensures that USCIS prioritizes your application for immigration benefits. Therefore, if waiting for the window provided by the agency puts you at risk of severe financial loss, you are a nonprofit, have a humanitarian situation, or the sped up approval will safeguard government interest, you can make the request. At the California Immigration Attorney, we understand the steps for filing the request. Our attorneys will establish your eligibility and help you with the application. Call us at 424-789-8809 to discuss your case.