Local USCIS Office in Houston, Texas
The wide network of field offices of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) process immigration cases. These offices interview all non-asylum seekers, along with providing immigration-related information. Within the U.S., the offices are divided into regions and districts.
The Houston Field Office
The Houston district, one of three USCIS districts in Texas, has the Houston field office. The office is located at:
Houston (HOU) 810 Gears Road Suite 100 Houston, TX 77067
The field office serves the following areas:
- Austin, Angelina
- Brazoria
- Chambers, Colorado
- Fort Bend
- Houston, Hardin, Harris
- Jefferson, Jasper
- Liberty
- Montgomery, Madison, Matagorda
- Newton, Nacodoches
- Orange
- Polk
- San Jacinto, Sabine, San Augustine
- Tyler, Trinity
- Shelby
- Waller, Washington, Walker, and Wharton
Case Processing Times
The case processing times are given as a range for many types of application forms. Here are the processing times at the Houston field office for three applications:
- Naturalization (N-400): 15.5 months to 20 months
- Certificate of Citizenship (N-600): 6.5 months to 16 months
- Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate Under Section 322 (N-600K): 6.5 months to 25.5 months
The second figure given in the range does not indicate the time for processing all cases; it’s the time for processing 93% of the cases. What this means is that there is a small chance your case will take longer than the time mentioned by USCIS. Also, times are calculated every month and they may change in the future.
Delays in Processing
Besides providing the processing times for cases, on the same page, USCIS also provides a date for case inquiries. You can see this date underneath the processing time section with the title “Receipt date for case inquiry.”
If the date given on your notice comes before the inquiry date, then you should submit a request to find out more. The USCIS website has a section where you can go to make this request. Once there, select the “case outside normal processing time” option to submit your inquiry.
Form Filing
There are multiple things to consider while filing forms, including the eligibility requirements, f0rm fees and waivers, documentation, and the recipient office.
The first thing to consider is the version of the form you are using. USCIS wants you to use the latest version, which you can find and download from here.
One of the options you will see on the forms page is to show applications available to file online. Multiple forms are available for online filing, including, but not limited to, the I-90, I-130, N-400, N-565, and N-600.
The USCIS website also has a calculator that enables you to calculate flat and variable fees. You select your form from a dropdown menu, and then further select options if required.
There is also an early filing calculator for the N-400. You can submit the form early if you’ve been a resident for five years or more, or if you’ve been a permanent resident for three years or more and are married to a citizen.