Source: American Immigration Lawyers Association
Processing times in Days (Part 1)
Receive Transmit Decision
Instructions to Region by Region
SESA Off./Region (1) (2) (3)
Alabama (Atlanta) 150-240 30-60 120-240
Albuquerque, NM (Dallas) 7-10 7-10 240-270
Austin, TX (Dallas) 45-90 30-45 14-120
Balt./VA/DC 180-240 60-120 90-120
Boston, MA (Boston) 220-240 60-90 n/a
Brooklyn, NY (NYC) 365-390 14-30 240-270
Buffalo, NY (NYC) 330 30 150
Columbus, OH (Chicago) 21-75 10-25 100-400
Chicago, IL (Chicago) 365 30-60 365
Clearwater, FL (Atlanta) 5-10 15-45 90-180
Dallas, TX (Dallas) 75-90 75-120 14-120
Denver, CO (Denver) 60-90 30-60 90-120
Detroit, MI (Chicago) 180 30 350
Frankfort, KY (Atlanta) 14-21 14-21 180
Georgia (Atlanta) 150 60 150
Houston, TX (Dallas) 150-180 60-120 120-150
Indianapolis, IN (Chicago)60-90 7-14 300-400
Kansas (Kansas City) 30-60 30-90 510-560
Lincoln, NE (Kansas City) 10-15 15-30 360-540
Las Vegas (San Francisco) 15-20 40-60 180-240
Los Angeles (San Fran.) 182-270 180-240 270-300
Madison, WI (Chicago) 20-40 20-40 330-390
Miami, FL (Atlanta) 120-150 180-210 150-180
Missouri (Kansas City) 10-14 10-14 365-480
New York, NY (NYC) 330 30 150
Oklahoma City, OK (Dallas)160-190 90-120 60-90
Philadelphia (Phil.) n/a 14 60-76
Phoenix, A.Z (San Francisco)45-60 90-120 180
Pittsburgh (Phil.) 14-21 n/a 60-90
Raleigh, NC (Atlanta) 180-210 60-90 60-90
Salem, OR (Seattle) 60 n/a 330
Seattle, WA (Seattle) 180-240 7-30 n/a
Sacramento, CA (San Fran) 150-360 5-10 390
Salt Lake City, UT (Denver) 30-60 14-30 180-240
Tallahassee, FL (Atlanta) 7 14 180
Trenton, NJ (New York) 300-330 30-60 280-310
Wethersfield, CT (Boston) 150 14 120-150
Tampa, FL (Atlanta) 7-14 90-120 150-210
Further Explanation of 1-3.-
(1) = Time from initial filing with SESA until ad instructions received. (How long does it take the SESA to send ad instructions?)
(2) = Time from filing final recruitment documentation with SESA until
transmission to regional DOL. (How long does it take SESA to review and send to DOL?)
(3) = Time from receipt of final recruitment documentation by regional DOL until decision. (Once Regional DOL gets it, how long does it take?)
Processing times in Days (Part 2)
Region Total
in Resp./NOF Time LCAs
SESA Off./Region (4) (5) (6)
Alabama (Atlanta) 3 330-450 2-7
Albuquerque, NM (Dallas) 30-60 300-365 30-60
Austin, TX (Dallas) 30-45 300-365 30-60
Balt./VA/DC 60-90 240-365 3
Boston, MA (Boston) n/a n/a 14-21
Brooklyn, NY (NYC) 14-21 910 7
Buffalo, NY (NYC) 30 540 14
Columbus, OH (Chicago) 20-50 450-600 14-21
Chicago, IL (Chicago) 30-60 730 10-14
Clearwater, FL (Atlanta) 60-120 240-300 7-10
Dallas, TX (Dallas) n/a 180-350 7-14
Denver, CO (Denver) 45-60 270-365 5-7
Detroit, MI (Chicago) n/a 475 21
Frankfort, KY (Atlanta) 30 270 7
Georgia (Atlanta) 120 365 7
Houston, TX (Dallas) 30-45 400-450 7
Indianapolis, IN (Chicago) 60-100 400-500 7-14
Kansas (Kansas City) 120-180 690-890 7-10
Lincoln, NE (Kansas City) 360-540 480-540 7-10
Las Vegas (San Fran.) n/a n/a 14-21
Los Angeles (San Fran.) n/a 270-540 10-21
Madison, WI (Chicago) 7-14 380-460 7-21
Miami, FL (Atlanta) 60-90 420-450 7-10
New York, NY (NYC) 30 540 14
Oklahoma City, OK (Dallas) 60-90 365-450 10-15
Philadelphia (Philadelphia) n/a 365 5
Phoenix, A.Z (San Francisco) 270 n/a 1-3
Pittsburgh (Phil) 30-60 300 2-3
Raleigh, NC (Atlanta) 30-60 300 2-4
Salem, OR (Seattle) 30-360 n/a 7-14
Sacramento, CA (San Fran) 60-120 540-840 11-16
Salt Lake City, UT (Denver) 30-60 250-390 7
Seattle, WA (Seattle) 30-90 300-720 3-7
St. Paul, MN (Chicago) 90 360-450 10
Tallahassee, FL (Atlanta) 90 365 2
Trenton, NJ (New York) 30-90 580-610 7-10
Westerfield, CT (Boston) 30 365-455 7-14
Tampa (Atlanta) 60-120 240-300 7-10
Further Explanation of 4-6.-
(4) = Time from filing response to NOF until decision.
(If NOF issues, once Regional DOL gets your response to a NOF, how long
until decision?)
(5) = Total time from initial filing with SESA until final determinations by Region. (Typical Case)
(6) = Time from filing ETA-9035 (H-1 B) to approval by Regional DOL (How long does Regional DOL take to approve it?)
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. The information provided in this article has not been updated since its original posting and you should not rely on it until you consult counsel to determine if the content is still valid. We keep older articles online because it helps in the understanding of the development of immigration law.