I-130 Processing Rates Drop Sharply in March 2025, Data Shows

Community-sourced data from mycaseshub, a tool that tracks USCIS case activity, reveals a significant decline in I-130 petition processing rates beginning in March 2025. While February saw peak activity — including a single-day high of over 3,500 cases processed on February 13 — daily processing volumes have since dropped sharply, falling below 1,000 cases per day by March 8. During late February, processing rates appeared healthy, hovering between 1,500 and 2,500 cases per day with a high proportion of approvals. However, the March trend shows a marked slowdown, with more of the remaining activity consisting of transfers and administrative processing rather than final decisions. For EB-3 applicants, this slowdown is indirectly relevant. I-130 approval is a prerequisite step for many employment-based and family-based immigrant visa pathways, and delays at this stage can compound wait times across the entire green card process. A sustained drop in adjudication throughput could push already-lengthy timelines further. The data also highlights observable patterns in USCIS operations, such as weekend gaps in processing and apparent "Friday approval dumps" before holidays, suggesting batch-style adjudication workflows rather than continuous daily processing. Applicants who filed online (IOE prefix cases) are reporting little to no recent movement, though USCIS has not issued an official statement explaining the decline. Petitioners are advised to monitor their cases via the USCIS online portal and consult with an immigration attorney if unusual delays are observed.