Current Estimated Wait Time and Future Projections

[boundbooks]

I already have an AO3 account, but I'm trying to set up an FAQ for an exchange. Does anyone know what the current estimated wait time is for an AO3 account, and are there any projections as to whether or not that will increase or decrease around Yuletide? I.e., is AO3 going to start rushing out invites (I understand that it's currently a problem of server load or some such), or will invites simply start to back up further?

Mostly, I want to give participants an estimated time as of October 2011, so that they don't wait until 10 days before sign-ups open (or when sign-ups open!) to request an AO3 invite.