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Ice on Immigration: ICE plagued by system delays 

By L. Patricia Ice, Featured Columnist

Question:  I sent my I-485 Application to Adjust Status to the Chicago Lockbox more than a week ago by United States Postal Service certified mail, but I have not yet received an I-797 Notice of Action "Receipt Notice" from USCIS.  Should I be concerned?

Answer:  Probably not yet.  The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) experienced a tremendous increase in the number of applications and petitions filed immediately prior to and on July 30, 2007, the day filing fees increased.  The number of applications resulted in a front log of cases awaiting data-entry into the USCIS computer system.  In a memo dated August 3, 2007, USCIS stated that the agency will honor the date the application or petition was actually received and that date will appear in the "Received Date" box on the Form I-797, Notice of Action.  The received date of form I-797 is different the from the "Notice Date" which also appears on the Notice of Action and identifies the date the receipt notice was actually generated.  On its website at http://www.uscis.gov/, the USCIS will provide weekly updates to give applicants accurate information about current receipt times and service level commitments.  I usually advise applicants to wait from twenty-one (21) days to twenty-eight (28) days from the date they mail their applications for their receipt notice to arrive in the mail before making inquiries about their cases.