Green Card Backlog Still Exceeds 400K in March

There were 436,700 pending interviews in March compared to 436,666 in February. This is troubling news because overall, the U.S. Department of State has yet to significantly increase the number of monthly interviews. As such, the backlog is only decreasing incrementally.

The total number of scheduled green card interviews increased 18%, from 27,454 in February to 32,317 in March. That's more than the 3% increase from January to February, but still too slow to significantly reduce the backlog. At this rate, Boundless predicts the backlog will be a challenge indefinitely and it could take ten or more years to get back to pre-COVID levels

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The National Visa Center (NVC) — a State Department facility that processes visa applications — publishes a monthly report to update the public on changes to the immigrant visa backlog. Wait times have surged since March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic led to a shutdown of U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. The pandemic continues to place strain on the number of visas the State Department is able to process.

Check back here next month for the latest backlog figures. If you recently received your interview notice and are applying for a marriage green card, get prepared with our guide on what to expect at the marriage-based green card interview.