Despite widespread reports of restrictive immigration measures in President Donald Trump’s second term, there have been some notable positive changes in the U.S. immigration landscape. These improvements are providing relief to immigrants and families who have long endured delays and uncertainty in the U.S. immigration system.
At Babila Law, LLC, we believe families and individuals deserve to understand these changes and how they may impact their cases.
Faster USCIS Processing
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reported that many applications are moving more quickly than in previous years. Naturalization cases, for example, saw their median processing time drop from about 10.5 months in fiscal year 2022 to roughly 6.1 months in fiscal year 2023. Many applicants are continuing to experience sub-year timelines in 2025, depending on their local field office.
Family-based adjustment of status applications are now often completed in approximately eight to ten months at the field-office stage, although local workloads and visa availability can still influence the outcome. For immediate-relative I-130 petitions filed by U.S. citizens, the average timeline generally ranges from eight to fourteen months and can be shorter when the adjustment of status is filed at the same time.
These improvements have brought welcome relief to families who have endured long waits in the past. Shorter processing times have allowed loved ones to reunite more quickly and have helped reduce the stress and uncertainty that so many of our clients at Babila Law, LLC have experienced in prior years.
Visa Backlog Advances
The Department of State’s October 2025 Visa Bulletin reflects meaningful progress in both family- and employment-based green card categories. Several family-sponsored categories moved ahead by several months, reducing the wait time for thousands of applicants. For example, the F-2B category for Mexico and the F-1 category for Mexico both advanced noticeably, while the F-2A category worldwide saw forward movement as well.
Employment-based categories also showed significant gains. EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, and EB-5 categories for India and China advanced anywhere from six months to more than two years, depending on the specific preference and country of chargeability.
These forward movements in priority dates mean that many families and workers who have been waiting for years are now closer to becoming eligible to apply for or receive their green cards. For applicants long caught in backlogs, this shift represents a welcome step toward greater predictability and shorter paths to permanent residency.
Premium Processing Expansion
In 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) broadened access to its Premium Processing service, giving applicants more ways to shorten processing times for certain immigration benefits. The expansion included student work permits such as Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT extensions and select visa-extension or change-of-status applications filed on Form I-539. Eligible cases in these categories can now be processed in about 30 days once a premium request is accepted.
USCIS also extended Premium Processing to additional employment-based green-card petitions, including EB-1C petitions for multinational managers and executives and National Interest Waiver (NIW) cases. These employment-based petitions are generally processed in about 45 days under the premium service.
This broader availability of Premium Processing offers welcome flexibility for employers seeking timely work-authorization decisions and for immigrants who need faster resolution of their cases, helping them move forward with less delay and uncertainty.
Asylee Family Reunification
Another area where the current administration has made a positive impact is the processing of follow-to-join petitions for the spouses and children of individuals who were granted asylum in the United States. According to USCIS data, the median national processing time for follow-to-join petitions was about 15.3 months in 2020 and is currently reported at 10.8 months in 2025.
While the nationwide figure shows a modest uptick from 2024, Babila Law, LLC has seen many of our clients’ I-730 petitions approved in as little as four months. We believe this reflects both the administration’s ongoing commitment to keeping these cases moving and the comprehensive documentation we submit at the outset to avoid delays.
Tips to work through the immigration system
While immigration policy remains complex and often contentious, the improvements noted above can provide reassurance to those who are working their way through the often-challenging path of immigration. At Babila Law, LLC, we remain committed to helping clients navigate these opportunities and build a more secure future in the United States. We closely monitor developments in immigration policy and use this knowledge to help clients make the most of favorable changes.
If you are pursuing a green card, naturalization, work permit, or family reunification, an experienced immigration lawyer can help guide you through the process.