The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) reports that the USCIS Texas Service Center is starting the “PLUS Pilot” program for adjudicating concurrently-filed adjustment of status (AOS) application packets. Until recently, each form in a typical AOS packet was separated and sent to a different officer for a preliminary name check and adjudication. The pilot will allow one officer to review the packet as a whole, which includes the I-140, I-485, I-765 and I-131 and supporting documentation. The pilot is aimed at eliminating repetitive steps in the adjudication process. While less than two weeks have passed since the pilot was implemented, AILA reports that it does seem to be faster than the previous process. As a result, more recently-filed AOS packets may be completed before others that have been pending longer.

AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 08021363 (posted Feb. 13, 2008)