Almost every day, I get a version of this line: “I’ve heard Nebraska Service Center is more lenient. Can you make sure my petition goes there?”
I get it. You’re about to file one of the most important applications of your life. You want every advantage. And somewhere on Reddit or WhatsApp, someone told you that the Nebraska Service Center (Nebraska) is “nicer” than the Texas Service Center (Texas).
I’ve helped thousands with their extraordinary ability and National Interest Waiver petitions. Let me tell you exactly how this process works and why this Nebraska-is-nicer belief, while understandable, is a myth.
Where you send your petition is already specified by USCIS
USCIS tells you where to ship your package. It depends on whether you are mailing the Form I-140 by itself, or with Premium Processing (Form I-907) or with Adjustment of Status (Form I-485) or with both. It also depends on whether you are using the normal Post Office or a courier service like FedEx, UPS or DHL. Finally, it depends on the state you intend to work in.
For example, if you intend to work in Idaho, and you are submitting Forms I-140 & I-907 together, and shipping via FedEx, then the address to send your application to is: USCIS, Attn: Premium I-140 (Box 21500),2108 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284-1806. This is plainly stated on their site. (Quick note: This info is correct as of the original date of this writeup. Always check their site for updates.)
Yet, if you still intend to work in Idaho, but are submitting just Form I-140 by itself via the U.S. Postal Service, then the relevant address is: USCIS, Attn: I-140, P.O. Box 660128, Dallas, TX 75266-0128.
In short, there’s already guidance on where to send a petition. Sending it to any other address may result in delay.
What Happens When You Mail Your Petition?
When you file a paper-based petition (like an I-140 for EB-1A or EB-2 NIW), you mail it to a USCIS lockbox. These are physical facilities located in places like Phoenix, Dallas, and Chicago/Elgin.
A lockbox is not a USCIS office. No immigration officer sits there reviewing your case. Think of it as a secure collection point.
The following happens when you mail your petition:
1. It arrives at a USCIS lockbox which is like a collection point
2. Staff check your forms, fees, and signatures, then scan everything
3. Any error gets your petition rejected (sent back to you via post office mail) before a USCIS officer ever sees it
4. If it passes, your fees are deducted from your credit card or bank account, a receipt number is issued and your digitized petition enters ELIS.
ELIS? What’s that?
Once your petition is scanned and accepted by a staff member at the lockbox facility, it is uploaded into USCIS’s electronic system called ELIS (Electronic Immigration System). At this point, your petition is no longer a physical stack of paper sitting in Arizona or Illinois or Texas. It is now a digital file in a centralized system.
And this is the part that surprises people.
Your Petition is Assigned Automatically Following an Internal Algorithm
From ELIS, your petition is assigned to an adjudicating officer. That officer could be sitting at the Nebraska Service Center or the Texas Service Center.
A service center is a facility where immigration officers review and make decisions on petitions. USCIS operates five service centers but the two in charge of Form I-140 petitions are Nebraska and Texas.
The process of assigning a petition to a service center happens automatically with considerations like the workload on the service center, and who’s next in line to pick up a case.
You cannot influence this. Your immigration consultant cannot influence this. Neither can your attorney.
The lockbox address you mailed to has absolutely no connection to which service center reviews your petition. You could mail to Arizona and end up at Nebraska. You could mail to the same address next month and end up at Texas.
It’s a workload distribution system, not a routing map.
Now that we have cleared that up, let’s return to this perception of Nebraska being better for one’s chances of landing an approval.
Is Nebraska Really “Better”?
No.
I say this not as speculation, but from direct experience. My team and I have filed thousands of petitions across both service centers. When I look at our numbers: our straight approval rates, RFE/NOID rates, the tone and quality of officer feedback, there is no meaningful difference between Nebraska and Texas.
What I can tell you is that the Texas Service Center appears to be a larger operation. (Or perhaps it has more officers dedicated to Form I-140 adjudication.) Because of that, a higher volume of petitions naturally flows through Texas.
Suppose Texas processes 100 I-140 petitions a day while Nebraska processes 25. If both centers approve at the same, say, 80% rate, Texas issues 20 denials daily while Nebraska issues only 5. On Reddit, 20 denial stories will pile up against Texas for every 5 against Nebraska, not because Texas is stricter, but because it handles four times the volume. The perception writes itself.
In terms of strictness? Leniency? The quality of adjudication? In our experience, both centers are functionally the same. Officers at both centers apply the same legal standards, reference the same USCIS Policy Manual, and evaluate the same evidentiary criteria.
I have seen Nebraska officers cite evidence that isn’t in the record just like those situated in Texas. I have seen some thoughtful and well-worded RFEs come out from either. And I have seen this happen at similar frequency.
What Actually Determines Your Outcome?
If you can’t control which service center you get, what can you control?
The answer is the strength of your petition.
A well-built petition with clearly documented achievements, strong recommendation letters, a compelling narrative, and evidence that meets or exceeds the regulatory criteria will get approved regardless of whether an officer sitting at Nebraska or Texas adjudicates it. A weak petition will struggle at both.
The Bottom Line
You cannot “make sure” your petition goes to the Nebraska (or Texas) Service Center. The assignment is internal to USCIS and follows their automated workload-management rules, which no one is privy to.
The takeaway here is that it does not matter that you are unable to influence which center ends up with your case because both, at least in my experience, adjudicate to the same standard and the results I see are also similar.
Stop worrying about which building your petition lands in. Start making sure what’s inside the petition is undeniable.
Disclaimer: I am an immigration consultant, not an attorney. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you like this article, subscribe to our newsletter at www.abpetitions.com. The information presented here is publicly available. No USCIS officer was contacted for this piece.