USCIS Service Centers are operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security. These deal with matters related to immigration, employment, and naturalization. USCIS Service Centers process different types of applications filed by petitioners that have been mailed or filed online. Some examples of applications are permanent residence, green cards, work visas, asylum, etc. Applicants can call the service line provided below for checking appointment availability, check case status, or for information and assistance regarding the filing of a petition. In-person services are available only through an appointment and for services that cannot be accessed by phone or mail. Information can also be accessed on the USCIS website where the online filing of some applications is available. Applicants have to create a USCIS account for online services and status updates. Other applications not available online are to be filed via mail. There are five USCIS service centers and several field offices, asylum centers, and application support centers. Visit the
USCIS Service and Office Locator section on the USCIS website for locations & contact information. The addresses and phone numbers of the USCIS service centers have been provided below.
USCIS Processing Times
Applications are processed mostly at the five USCIS service centers. The processing times vary depending on the service center, type of application, and other factors. Applicants can call the service helpline provided below to enquire about the processing times for applications before filing. To get an approximate estimate of application processing time, visit the USCIS website to
check the case processing times of different applications at different service centers.
USCIS Case Status Check
After an application has been filed at a particular service center, the progress can be checked using the receipt number which USCIS uses to identify and track its cases and can be found on the receipt notice received from the agency. The simplest method for tracking status is to use the check
case status online tool. Just enter the unique 13-character receipt number for the application. After entering the number, the screen will display the case status. Status can also be verified using the phone number provided below.
USCIS Service Center Jurisdiction
Different service centers are dedicated to processing different types of applications. So, the center that oversees a case depends on the type of form submitted. The address of the petitioner is a secondary factor as there are only five USCIS service centers. To find out which service center processes which applications before filing, visit the
Service Center Forms Processing section on the USCIS website. After filing an application, USCIS sends a notice which has a receipt number that can be used to identify the processing center. The instructions have been provided in the following section.
USCIS Service Center Codes
To identify which service center is processing the application, check the first three letters of the 13-character receipt number. This is the code for the corresponding USCIS service center or field office handling the case. The codes for different service centers and offices are as follows:
Office | Code |
---|
California Service Center | WAC or CSC |
Nebraska Service Center | LIN or NSC |
Potomac Service Center | YSC |
Texas Service Center | SRC or TSC |
Vermont Service Center | EAC or VSC |
National Benefits Center | NBC or MSC |
USCIS Electronic Immigration System | IOE |
USCIS Service Center For Illinois, Florida & Other States
As mentioned many times, there are only 5 service centers & jurisdiction primarily depends on the type of form. Applicants should first check the list of applications processed at a particular center before filing. Location can also be a factor. For example, Nebraska Service Center mostly handles the following states: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Texas Service Center handles cases from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.