Employment-based green card
EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3, sponsored by an employer or self-petitioned.
PERM labor certification
For most EB-2 and EB-3 cases, your employer first gets a prevailing wage and a PERM labor certification from the Department of Labor. Department of Labor processing times.
USCIS decides the I-140 petition
Most likely 3–6 months after you file
Your employer, or you, files Form I-140. Premium processing, for an extra fee, gets a decision within 15 business days (45 for some). I-140 processing times.
How we worked this out
Based on USCIS’s median time of 3.9 months for the I-140 cases (Apr–Jun 2026 data), and on how far real waits landed from the median in past quarters: about half landed in the most likely range and 8 in 10 in the wider one.
The median counts premium and regular cases together. With premium processing, USCIS acts within weeks; without it, expect the later end of the range, or longer.
Your priority date becomes current
Choose your category and country of birth above
Green cards are limited by category and country of birth, so people wait in line by their priority date: the day the PERM was filed, or the I-140 if there was no PERM. Visa Bulletin dates.
In the US: USCIS decides the I-485
USCIS’s median for the ones it decided was 6.0 months.
Once the Visa Bulletin lets you, you file the I-485, usually with the I-765 and I-131. I-485 processing times.
How we worked this out
USCIS's median for the ones it decided was 6.0 months, but it can approve one only once the priority date is current, so how long yours takes depends on your priority date:
The next step counts from your priority date, not from this decision.
Work permit (I-765)
Most likely 6–11 months after the step before
Usually filed with the I-485, at no extra fee. You can work once it is approved. I-765 processing times.
How we worked this out
Based on USCIS’s median time of 6.4 months for I-765 (Adjustment of Status) cases (Apr–Jun 2026 data), and on how far real waits landed from the median in past quarters: about half landed in the most likely range and 8 in 10 in the wider one.
Travel document (I-131)
Most likely 5–10 months after the step before
Usually filed with the I-485. Leaving the US before it is approved can cancel your I-485, unless you hold H or L status. I-131 processing times.
How we worked this out
Based on USCIS’s median time of 5.8 months for I-131 (Advance Parole) cases (Apr–Jun 2026 data), and on how far real waits landed from the median in past quarters: about half landed in the most likely range and 8 in 10 in the wider one.
Abroad: NVC and the interview at your consulate
Outside the US, your case goes to the National Visa Center and then to an interview at your consulate. NVC wait times.
Newest numbers: USCIS: Apr–Jun 2026; Visa Bulletin: October 2026. Your case can take longer: a request for evidence or a background check can add months.