Employment-based green card
EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3.
PERM labor certification
Your employer first gets a prevailing wage and a PERM labor certification from the Department of Labor. See 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. See 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
You wait in line by your priority date: the day the PERM was filed, or the I-140 if there was no PERM. See Visa Bulletin dates.
In the US: USCIS decides the I-485
USCIS’s median: 6.0 months, once your date is current
Once the Visa Bulletin lets you, you file the I-485, usually with the I-765 and I-131. See I-485 processing times.
How we worked this out
USCIS can approve the I-485 only once your priority date is current, so your wait depends on it. USCIS’s median counts only cases whose dates were already current.
Work permit (I-765)
Most likely 6–11 months after you file
You can work once it is approved. See 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 you file
Leaving the US before it is approved can cancel your I-485, unless you hold H or L status. See 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.
Newest numbers: USCIS: Apr–Jun 2026; Visa Bulletin: November 2026. Your case can take longer: a request for evidence or a background check can add months.