The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has advised stakeholders that due to numerous factors including COVID-19, staffing shortages, and an increase in the volume of filings, it is experiencing significant delays in intake of cases and issuance of receipt notices for filings made with USCIS lockbox facilities. In most cases these delays are expected to be between 4-6 weeks but but can vary across lockboxes and case types. The agency has further advised that certain cases, including employment-based adjustment of status applications and certain student work permits (EADs), may experience even more significant receipting delays.
USCIS further clarified that these receipting delays will not impact the receipt date of the case, which will in all instances be the date on which a correct and complete submission is actually received at the proper filing location.
D&S will continue to monitor the pace of lockbox receipts and provide relevant updates.