I'm curious if anybody here has quality data for USCIS' processing speed on H-1B and other work-based immigration visas. USCIS provides [aggregate statistics for previous years and quarters](https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-studies/immigration-form...) but it's very difficult to isolate that data to a specific form type (for example I-129 for H-1B).

Common known resources like http://visadoor.com and https://www.visajourney.com/content/times/ have incredibly low quality, out of date, or just plain insufficient to get any idea for:

- how many I-129 forms were received and processed by each of the USCIS service centers (California, Nebraska, Vermont) that handle them?

- how many of those forms already resulted in denials, approvals, or requests for evidence?

- what is the throughput of each USCIS service centers?

Does anyone know where such information is available from a public or private source?

It seems clear that the California service center is completely overwhelmed this year with an ever-growing processing window (from the date of receipt notice, not even the date of first submission to USCIS) that has now reached 6.5 to 8.5 months to process I-129 petitions for a Nonimmigrant Worker (see https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/).

This means that if an H-1B petitioner received an offer from a U.S.-based company, applied with said company in early April 2018, got through the 1 in 5 lottery odds and received notice from USCIS a few weeks later in May 2018, it's very likely they won't be able to start working until November or January 2019. Nearly a full year after initiating the process with their prospective employer. Assuming said employer was able to hold the position open for a full year.

I'm of course ignoring the time it would take after receiving USCIS approval for the I-129/H-1B petition to schedule an embassy interview in one's home country, send the passeport for visa stamping, and relocate to the U.S. Which could easily add another month to the ordeal.

Comparatively the Nebraska service center has a processing window of 2 to 4 months, and the Vermont service center 4 to 6 months but I suspect these centers can only handle a fraction of the cases the California service center can. I've seen mentions on Twitter of case transfers from one service center to another but nothing USCIS announced publicly, meaning there is no way for a petitioner to know where their case is actually being processed.

More importantly, it's virtually impossible to tell wether how deep someone is in the processing queue, which could lead someone to withdraw and apply to another work visa (like O-1). Let's not even talk about the case where one would consider a new employer while in the U.S. under an existing H-1B since the processing time appear to be just as lengthy. USCIS has also proudly canceled its usual premium processing fees for the stated purpose of "resorbing the backlog" (so far, unsuccessfully) until at least January 2019 which means even if your company needs you to start earlier and is willing to pay the price to expedite the process, they can't. So not only are you stuck waiting to work with a prospective employer for upwards of a year (or more) but then it will take (an already approved nonimmigrant worker) another 6.5 to 8.9 months (or more) to be able to start working at another company.

People throw around phrases like "indentured servitude" far too easily for my taste, but just imagine having to wait a year to start a new job you've already applied to and signed an offer for, losing opportunities for raises, experience, networking, and advancement in the process. All the while knowing that you'll be essentially stuck in the job unless you're lucky enough to find another company willing to sponsor you again, wait for the lengthy transfer, and hopefully not be let go by your current employer (and unique provider of the right to remain in the country) in the meantime.