The USCIS Nebraska Service Center is a processing facility in Lincoln, Nebraska that reviews and decides certain employment-based and family-based immigration petitions by mail. It is not open to the public: no walk-ins, no interviews, and no in-person help. You interact with it by mailing your application to the address listed on your form’s instructions and then tracking the case online using the receipt number USCIS sends you.
What the Nebraska Service Center Does
The Nebraska Service Center (NSC) is one of several USCIS service centers dedicated to processing applications and petitions that do not require an in-person interview.1USCIS. Service Center Operations Directorate The work is administrative review of paperwork. Field Offices handle things like naturalization ceremonies and scheduled interviews; Application Support Centers collect biometrics such as fingerprints and photos.2USCIS. Find a USCIS Office The NSC does none of those things.
Because the NSC is not a public service location, questions go through the USCIS online tools or the USCIS Contact Center rather than to the facility itself.3USCIS. Contact Us
Forms Processed at the Nebraska Service Center
The NSC handles a range of forms, and USCIS shifts specific workloads between centers based on capacity.4USCIS. Lockbox and Service Center Filing Location Updates The forms that often move through Nebraska include:5USCIS. Service Center Forms Processing
- Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker.
- Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative.
- Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker.
- Form I-131, Application for Travel Document.
- Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.
Not every filing of these forms goes to Nebraska. Only certain Form I-129 classifications, for example, are processed there, and USCIS can transfer a case to another center at any point to balance workload.5USCIS. Service Center Forms Processing The center that ultimately decides your case may not be the one you first mailed it to.
Where to Send Your Application
Do not mail your application directly to the Nebraska Service Center based on assumption. The correct address depends on your form, your filing category, and sometimes where you live.6USCIS. 5 Steps to File USCIS routes most filings through Lockbox facilities, which receive the package, process payment, and forward the file to the appropriate service center or field office for the decision.7USCIS. Lockbox Filing Information
The address also differs by mail carrier. USCIS typically lists a P.O. Box for U.S. Postal Service mail and a separate street address for courier services like FedEx, UPS, and DHL. Use the exact address shown in the Where to File section of your form’s page on the USCIS website. Sending a package to the wrong location can result in rejection or significant delays.8USCIS. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-130
Checking the Status of a Case at the Nebraska Service Center
After USCIS accepts your filing, it mails you a receipt notice on Form I-797C, Notice of Action.9USCIS. Form I-797: Types and Functions The notice carries a 13-character receipt number. If your case is at the Nebraska Service Center, that number generally begins with LIN, for Lincoln.3USCIS. Contact Us
Enter that receipt number into the USCIS Case Status Online tool to see the most recent action on your case.10USCIS. Case Status Online The USCIS website also publishes current processing times for each form. If your case has been pending longer than the posted timeframe, you may be able to submit a service request (an e-Request) asking USCIS for an update.11USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual – Volume 1, Part A, Chapter 4