USCIS National Benefits Center
The National Benefits Center (NBC) handles USCIS cases whose receipt numbers start with NBC or MSC. Even so, the USCIS Contact Us page says it “is not a USCIS Service Center.” USCIS places it in the Field Operations Directorate, next to the field offices, and not in the Service Center Operations Directorate that runs the five service centers. Its main job is “centralized front-end processing” of cases that later go to a field-office interview. It also decides some forms itself.
General information, not legal advice. For your specific case, talk to an immigration attorney or an accredited representative.
Quick reference
| As listed by USCIS and GSA (checked October 19, 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Part of | Field Operations Directorate (not a service center) |
| Receipt number prefixes | NBC; MSC (“Missouri Service Center”, the NBC) |
| Code in USCIS caseload files | NBC |
| Locations | Lee’s Summit, Missouri and Overland Park, Kansas (GSA, December 2019) |
| P.O. box for VAWA and I-751 abuse-waiver address changes when the receipt notice shows the NBC | U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, National Benefits Center, P.O. Box 648006, Lee’s Summit, MO 64002 |
| In-person help | None. USCIS says the service centers and the NBC do not provide in-person assistance with questions about a case |
| Phone for case questions | USCIS Contact Center, 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) |
What USCIS says the NBC does
The Field Operations Directorate page (last reviewed May 9, 2025) describes two roles:
- Front-end processing for field offices. The NBC “performs centralized front-end processing of applications and petitions that require field office interviews (primarily family-based I-485s and N-400s).” The interview itself happens at a USCIS field office.
- Cases decided at the NBC. It “adjudicates some form types to completion including I-765s, I-131s, immigration benefits associated with the LIFE Act, legalization-related applications, and international adoption cases.” On adoption, the USCIS filing page for Form I-600A says: “The USCIS National Benefits Center will adjudicate your Form I-600A.”
A December 2019 GSA article gave the NBC’s size at the time. It counted roughly 1,700 federal employees and contractors in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, another 700 in Overland Park, Kansas, and 2.5 million receipts a year.
Address changes on VAWA and abuse-waiver cases
The USCIS change-of-address page for VAWA, T and U cases and Form I-751 abuse waivers covers cases whose receipt notice lists the National Benefits Center in the bottom left corner. For those, it sends a signed Form AR-11 or written notice to P.O. Box 648006 in Lee’s Summit. It also says you may call the USCIS Contact Center instead. For other address changes, see change of address with USCIS.
I-485 and I-130 cases: April 1 - June 30, 2026 (FY2026 Q3)
Each quarter USCIS publishes, by office, how many Form I-485 applications and Form I-130 petitions were received, approved, denied and left pending. Its tables carry a row for the National Benefits Center (code NBC in the file):
| Form and category | Received | Approved | Denied | Pending on June 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-485, adjustment of status (all) | 0 | 5,439 | 4,204 | 0 |
| — family-based | 0 | 1,855 | 2,878 | 0 |
| — employment-based | 0 | 3,531 | 993 | 0 |
| — humanitarian-based (asylee, refugee, Indochinese and Cuban refugee) | 0 | 45 | 312 | 0 |
| — other (includes HRIFA, trafficking and crime victims) | 0 | 8 | 21 | 0 |
| I-130, petition for a relative (all) | 698 | 890 | 1,916 | 12,795 |
| — immediate relatives of U.S. citizens | 698 | 800 | 1,322 | 12,779 |
| — all other relatives (family preference categories) | 0 | 90 | 594 | 16 |
- I-485 pending: 0, or 0.0% of the 1,560,290 pending nationwide; rank 6 of the 6 center rows (1 = the most pending).
- I-130 pending: 12,795, or 0.5% of the 2,404,546 pending nationwide; rank 6 of the 6 center rows (1 = the most pending).
"D" means USCIS does not publish that figure ("Disclosure standards not met"); "-" (zero) shows here as 0. Per USCIS's notes, some cases approved, denied or pending may have been received in earlier quarters; "pending" means awaiting a decision at the end of the quarter, and the report does not reflect some actions, such as administrative closures and transfers between offices. The share (rounded half-up to one decimal) and the rank are our own arithmetic on the same figures. The "6 center rows" are the five service-center rows plus the National Benefits Center row: the I-485 file prints them together; the I-130 file prints only five rows under "Service Center by State" and places the NBC row in its Missouri block, so the six-row I-130 grouping is ours. Sources: USCIS files for I-485 and I-130, published under Immigration and Citizenship Data; read October 19, 2026.
The NBC’s I-485 row in the file shows approvals and denials during the quarter but no applications received and none pending.
Processing times
The five service centers appear in USCIS processing times as one combined SCOPS office. The NBC is listed as its own office instead. The USCIS processing-times data (scraped October 3, 2026) shows NBC times for Forms I-102, I-130, I-539, I-600, I-600A, I-600A3, I-765, I-800, I-800A, I-800A3, I-817 and I-824 (I-600A3 and I-800A3 are requests for action on an approved adoption application). Follow a specific case in the USCIS case status tool.
Related information
- All USCIS service centers
- Form I-485, adjustment of status
- Form I-130, petition for a relative
- Form I-765, work permit (EAD)
- Form I-797C receipt notice
- USCIS field offices by state
- USCIS asylum offices
- Find an immigration attorney (no commission, no paid placement)
Sources
- USCIS, Field Operations Directorate (last reviewed May 9, 2025): https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/organization/directorates-and-program-offices/field-operations-directorate
- USCIS, Contact Us (last reviewed December 22, 2025): https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/contact-us
- USCIS, Filing addresses for Form I-600A (last reviewed September 24, 2024): https://www.uscis.gov/i-600a-addresses
- USCIS, Change of Address Procedures for VAWA/T/U Cases and Form I-751 Abuse Waivers (last reviewed December 22, 2025): https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/how-to-change-your-address/change-of-address-procedures-for-vawatu-cases-and-form-i-751-abuse-waivers
- USCIS Office of Legislative Affairs, Congressional Inquiries Refresher (April 2021): https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/Congressional-Inquiries-Refresher.pdf
- U.S. General Services Administration, Kansas City is home to nationwide processing of immigration documents (December 17, 2019)
- USCIS I-485 and I-130 performance data, FY2026 Q3 (read October 19, 2026)
Last verified: 2026-10-19. This is general information, not legal advice. Consult an attorney for your specific situation. Office details come from USCIS and GSA pages and can change; check the form’s own USCIS page before mailing anything.