It’s human nature to seek insights or information about things that other people went through in the past. It also happens in immigration, where current applicants have a habit of comparing their case with the experience of their family members or friends.
While they can provide helpful information, this often causes current applicants to worry or feel bad about their case if the immigration process does not go the same way.
Why You Shouldn’t Compare Your Case With Others
The immigration process is dynamic and ever-changing. A lot of factors can influence it, which can cause a different outcome every time. What people went through with their immigration cases in the past may not be the same experience at present.
Processing Times Change
Processing times for immigration cases are not set in stone. Because immigration works with many different agencies throughout the process, there are tendencies for delays or changes in the timeframe.
Just because someone completed the immigration process in a number of days does not mean that other cases will be approved in the same amount of time. The processing time for other types of immigration cases can be longer and that doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a problem with that particular case.
Your Case is Unique
Every immigration case is unique, with different personal situations, facts, and issues. It is not advisable to compare two cases and hope for the same outcome because each case has its own set of intricacies that may not apply to other situations.
Every case can run a bit differently from others, and there’s no guarantee that what others went through in the past is the same thing current applicants will go through in today’s immigration process.
Impact of the Pandemic
The world has changed significantly in the past two years after the onset of the pandemic. To give way to health and safety protocols, immigration offices have reduced their personnel and closed down their headquarters. Because of this, they are dealing with a lot of backlogs that could potentially affect the processing times of pending immigration cases.
Your Case is Not Supposed to Match Others’ Cases
Comparing an immigration case with those of friends or family members is a cause of worry. So that applicants feel better about their cases, it’s important that they understand that their immigration cases are not supposed to match others’ experiences.
Every case is unique and therefore runs its own course. Just because the process is different for one doesn’t mean that there’s a problem with their case. But if an applicant has concerns about their case, they should speak to their immigration lawyer.