USCIS processing times
USCIS publishes how long it is taking to decide each form, by category and office. Below are USCIS’s own figures, published September 17, 2026, for the forms people ask about most, with what the number does and does not tell you about your case.
Checked against USCIS guidance on October 9, 2026. The sources are listed at the end of this page.
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Check your case against USCIS’s processing time
The full list is at the end of the article.
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Current USCIS processing times (published September 17, 2026)
These are USCIS’s own figures as published on September 17, 2026. Where a form is handled at local field offices, the figure depends on your office, so we show the range and link to the full list.
| Form | Category | Office | USCIS figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-485 | Employment-based | All Field Offices | 19 months |
| I-485 | Employment-based | Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 48.5 months |
| I-485 | Family-based | 90 field offices | 12.5 months to 60.5 months |
| N-400 | Naturalization | 90 field offices | 11 months to 31.5 months |
| I-751 | Remove conditions | All Field Offices | 58.5 months |
| I-751 | Remove conditions | Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 38 months |
| I-130 | U.S. citizen for spouse, parent or child under 21 | All Field Offices | 113 months |
| I-130 | U.S. citizen for spouse, parent or child under 21 | National Benefits Center | 58 months |
| I-130 | U.S. citizen for spouse, parent or child under 21 | Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 34 months |
| I-765 | Work permit, pending I-485 (c)(9) | National Benefits Center | 16.5 months |
| I-765 | Work permit, pending I-485 (c)(9) | Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 16 months |
| I-90 | 10-year renewal | Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 13 months |
| I-90 | Initial issuance or replacement | Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 9.5 months |
- Every I-485 category and all family-based field offices: I-485 processing time
- All field offices for naturalization: N-400 processing time
- Removing conditions, and the 48-month extension while you wait: I-751 processing time
What the number means
For each form, category and office, USCIS shows one figure: the 80th percentile. It is how long it took USCIS to complete 80% of the cases it decided over the prior six months. So 8 in 10 recent cases finished within that time; the slowest 2 in 10 took longer.
USCIS describes the figures as a reference point, not a guarantee of how long your case will take, and it updates them. Every figure on this page carries the date USCIS published it.
How to find the figure for your own case
- Open USCIS’s Check Case Processing Times page.
- Choose your form, then your category: the reason you filed, such as family-based or employment-based for an I-485.
- Choose the office shown on your most recent USCIS notice.
- Compare USCIS’s figure with how long it has been since the receipt date on your receipt notice.
When you can ask USCIS about a slow case
USCIS’s glossary says it will only research your case if it is taking longer than the current processing time. On the Check Case Processing Times page you enter the receipt date from your receipt notice, and the tool tells you whether you can contact USCIS yet. When you can, it links you to submit an inquiry online.
That inquiry is a service request for a “case outside normal processing time.” You can make one online or through the USCIS Contact Center. USCIS’s general goal is to resolve a service request within 15 business days of creating it.
What the figure cannot tell you
- Where your case is in the queue. The figure describes cases USCIS already finished.
- Whether your case will be approved.
Your case status message is the better signal of what is happening now: see every USCIS case status explained.
4 steps · Checklist
Check your case against USCIS’s processing time
Find the receipt date on your receipt notice, and the office on your most recent USCIS notice
Look up your form, category and office on USCIS’s Check Case Processing Times page
Compare USCIS’s figure with how long your case has been pending
If USCIS says your case is outside normal processing time, submit an inquiry
Free, and yours to edit — tick items off on the web or in the MyCheck app.
Frequently asked questions
What does the USCIS processing time number mean?
It is the 80th percentile: how long it took USCIS to complete 80% of the cases it decided over the prior six months. USCIS calls it a reference point, not a guarantee.
My case is past the processing time. What can I do?
Enter your receipt date on USCIS’s Check Case Processing Times page. If your case is outside normal processing time, it links you to submit an inquiry, a service request, which you can also make through the USCIS Contact Center. USCIS’s goal is to resolve service requests within 15 business days.
Why are processing times different by office?
USCIS publishes a separate figure for each office that handles a form, and some forms are decided at local field offices. The figure for your case is the one for the office on your most recent notice.
How often does USCIS update processing times?
USCIS updates its figures; the ones on this page were published September 17, 2026. Check USCIS’s page for the latest before relying on a date.
Read more
Sources
MyCheck is not affiliated with USCIS or any government agency. Processing times are USCIS’s published figures as of the date shown and describe past cases, not a promise about yours. This page is general information, not legal advice.
