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The Economic Times
The Economic Times

US immigration delays worsen and denial rates climb as USCIS backlog surges to 11.3 million

USCIS United States Immigration Council the American Immigration Council

US immigration applicants are facing longer waits and higher denial rates as the backlog at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) climbed to 11.3 million applications and petitions in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, according to the latest data from the American Immigration Council’s USCIS Immigration Filing Trends Dashboard. The dashboard was last updated on August 3, 2026.

The data points to a wider slowdown in immigration processing. USCIS completed fewer cases, pending applications increased and average backlog clearance time nearly doubled compared with the same quarter a year earlier.

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