USCIS Potomac Service Center
The Potomac Service Center is one of the five USCIS service centers in the Service Center Operations Directorate (SCOPS). Its receipt numbers start with YSC. It does not accept mailed correspondence: a USCIS alert says that since Nov. 13, 2023, mailed correspondence for its cases goes to the Texas Service Center, unless otherwise noted. In the USCIS caseload files for April to June 2026, its row shows almost no pending Form I-485 applications, but thousands of pending Form I-130 petitions.
General information, not legal advice. For your specific case, talk to an immigration attorney or an accredited representative.
Quick reference
| As USCIS lists it (checked October 19, 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Part of | Service Center Operations Directorate (SCOPS) |
| Receipt number prefix | YSC |
| Code in USCIS caseload files | YSC (SCOPS page abbreviation: PSC) |
| Location | Camp Springs, Maryland (move began Aug. 21, 2023, per USCIS) |
| Mailed correspondence on its cases | USCIS Texas Service Center, Attn: Digital RFE, 6046 N Belt Line Rd. STE 114, Irving, TX 75038 |
| Online cases (receipt numbers starting with IOE) | Upload responses to the USCIS online account |
| Walk-ins | None. Service centers do not take walk-in applications, petitions, or questions |
| Phone for case questions | USCIS Contact Center, 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) |
The 2023 move and the end of mailed correspondence
According to the November 6, 2023 USCIS alert, as of Aug. 21, 2023 the Potomac Service Center “has begun to move to a new facility in Camp Springs, MD.” From then on it could no longer receive paper responses to correspondence. The alert names Notices of Intent to Deny (NOID), Notices of Intent to Revoke (NOIR), Intents to Deny (ITD), Requests for Evidence (RFE) and supporting documents for pending filings. From Nov. 13, 2023, “All mailed correspondence intended for cases processed by the PSC must be mailed to the Texas Service Center (TSC), unless otherwise noted.” USCIS asked applicants to upload responses to their online account where the receipt notice starts with IOE, and it “strongly” encouraged online self-service tools for all online cases.
A 2021 USCIS presentation places the SCOPS headquarters in Camp Springs, Maryland as well.
How Potomac receipt numbers came about
An archived March 2016 USCIS alert says that on March 28, 2016 the USCIS Lockbox began sending some cases to the Potomac Service Center. These included all newly filed Form I-765 applications from F-1 and M-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT). Those cases received receipt numbers beginning with YSC. The alert dates from 2016 and does not describe the center’s current workload.
What the service centers do
USCIS says its service centers handle “petitioners and applicants who do not require interviews” (SCOPS page, July 17, 2026). The work is organized in business, family, humanitarian, and students and exchange visitors product lines. The SCOPS page lists the product lines but does not say which center handles each one.
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 Potomac Service Center (code YSC in the file):
| Form and category | Received | Approved | Denied | Pending on June 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-485, adjustment of status (all) | 2 | 21 | 0 | 48 |
| — family-based | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| — employment-based | 0 | 19 | 0 | 6 |
| — humanitarian-based (asylee, refugee, Indochinese and Cuban refugee) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| — other (includes HRIFA, trafficking and crime victims) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 |
| I-130, petition for a relative (all) | 1,259 | 3,535 | 1,539 | 12,804 |
| — immediate relatives of U.S. citizens | 817 | 2,918 | 946 | 9,905 |
| — all other relatives (family preference categories) | 442 | 617 | 593 | 2,899 |
- I-485 pending: 48, or 0.0% of the 1,560,290 pending nationwide; rank 5 of the 6 center rows (1 = the most pending).
- I-130 pending: 12,804, or 0.5% of the 2,404,546 pending nationwide; rank 5 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.
Processing times
The USCIS processing-times data reports service-center work as one office, “Service Center Operations (SCOPS).” It has no separate Potomac figure. Follow a specific case in the USCIS case status tool.
Related information
- All USCIS service centers
- Responding to a Request for Evidence (I-797E)
- Form I-765, work permit (EAD)
- Form I-130, petition for a relative
- Form I-485, adjustment of status
- USCIS field offices by state
- USCIS asylum offices
- Find an immigration attorney (no commission, no paid placement)
Sources
- USCIS alert, Potomac Service Center Will No Longer Accept Paper Responses (November 6, 2023): https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-potomac-service-center-will-no-longer-accept-paper-responses
- USCIS archived alert, Potomac Service Center Now Processing Certain Form I-765 Cases (March 29, 2016): https://www.uscis.gov/archive-alerts/potomac-service-center-now-processing-certain-form-i-765-cases
- USCIS, Service Center Operations Directorate (last reviewed July 17, 2026): https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/organization/directorates-and-program-offices/service-center-operations-directorate
- USCIS, How Service Centers Work (March 22, 2021): https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/presentations/How-Service-Centers-Work.pdf
- USCIS Office of Legislative Affairs, Congressional Inquiries Refresher (April 2021): https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/Congressional-Inquiries-Refresher.pdf
- 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. Addresses come from USCIS pages and can change; check the form’s own USCIS page before mailing anything.