U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the expansion of the online myProgress tool to Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status.

Quick Hits

• The myProgress tool will now allow applicants with an online USCIS account to see personalized estimates of major milestones and actions on their Form I-485 and Form I-821 applications.
• Initially, the myProgress tool will be available to family-based or Afghan special immigrant I-485 applications; employment-based I-485 applications will not be included in this initial tool expansion.
• The myProgress tool will provide estimates based on case type and historical patterns. The estimates provided are not a guarantee of timing for specific applications.

USCIS stated that the myProgress tool is now available for Form I-485 and Form I-821 filings, joining previously available forms that we discussed in a July 2023 article, “USCIS Update: myProgress Tool Expands to Form I-765 and Form I-131.” The online tool is part of USCIS’ strategic plan and “was implemented to improve customer experience by proactively addressing applicant concerns as to the status of their benefit requests.” USCIS intends for the tool to reduce the need for inquiries regarding case status while providing transparency into the adjudication process.

Applicants must sign up for USCIS online accounts to view the myProgress tool. Once logged into a USCIS account, an applicant must select a pending application that was “filed online or linked [with] one of the applicable forms to their online account using an online access code.” The myProgress tool will provide estimated wait times based on historical patterns regarding when to receive a decision. Additionally, the tool will provide a check mark beside process milestones once completed:

• “Confirmation that the application was received”;
• “Movement of the application through preprocessing and adjudicative steps”; and
• “Case decision.”

USCIS still requires that applicants and/or legal representatives visit the Check Case Processing Times web page to determine if a particular case is eligible for filing an Outside of Normal Processing Times service request.