K1 visa: USCIS is finally speeding up (October 2026)

After a sluggish summer, USCIS stepped on the gas. In July it was processing barely more than 100 cases a week. Since late August the pace has picked up sharply, and September was the busiest month for K1 cases since May.

In concrete terms, September processing activity jumped roughly 69% from August, and approvals nearly doubled. In the last week of September alone, more than 300 cases were processed.

Through most of the summer, the Front of the Line — the most recent filing date USCIS is working on — crept forward by barely two filing days a week. The backlog was growing every week.

That has reversed. As of October 7th, 2026, USCIS has started approving cases filed as early as December 17th, 2025. It is the clearest sign yet that the backlog is finally shrinking.

One thing has not changed: the 'Case Was Sent to the Department of State' status is still rare. That does not mean your case is stuck — approved cases are reaching the NVC even when the USCIS status never updates.

If you are approved, do not sit waiting for that status. If it has been three weeks or more since your approval (NOA2), submit a public inquiry to the NVC to confirm they received your case.

Faster approvals are only half the story. Once approved, some applicants wait longer at the embassy stage: several consulates have postponed or rescheduled interviews while officers are trained on the updated public charge rules.

So your case can move forward through USCIS and the NVC, but your embassy interview may take longer than expected. Use the extra time to prepare your financial evidence — especially Form I-134, with tax records and proof of your sponsor's income.