I-140 processing times

Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers. Newest: Apr–Jun 2026.

If you file today, most likely

3–6 months

could be 2.4–12.1 months

How we worked this out

The range starts from USCIS’s median of 3.9 months for Apr–Jun 2026 and widens it by how far real waits landed from the median in past quarters. In past quarters, the typical wait fell in the most likely range about half the time, and in the could-be range 8 times in 10.

Premium and regular processing together: with premium processing, USCIS acts within weeks.

Time to clear backlog

14 months

up from 10 months

Pending applications

203,204

+10% vs. previous quarter

Decided in Apr–Jun 2026

45,044

−18% vs. previous quarter

Approval rate

84%

−3 pts vs. previous quarter

Special cases:

Next: your priority date in the Visa Bulletin, then the I-485 in the US or an interview at a consulate. The employment green card timeline puts the whole wait as dates.

If you file today

Category	Most likely (50%)	Could be (80%)	USCIS median
I-140	3–6 months premium and regular together	2.4–12.1 months	3.9 months

What happened to the applications

Approved
Denied
Pending at quarter end
Filed

Last 6 years

All years

Source: USCIS’s quarterly All USCIS Application and Petition Form Types reports, via the Immigration and Citizenship Data page. A diamond marks a pending count that doesn't match the quarter before's count plus the quarter's filings minus its decisions: it is what USCIS reported, but USCIS doesn't say why they differ, so the pages draw no conclusions from it.

USCIS median and backlog over time

Time to clear backlog is how long USCIS would need to decide every pending case if it kept deciding them at the same speed. It is not your wait: the pile includes cases on hold and cases USCIS cannot decide yet.

How to read the chart

For Apr–Jun 2024, USCIS published the quarter before's medians again, so the chart has none for Apr–Jun 2024.

Time to clear backlog
USCIS median processing time

Last 6 years

All years

USCIS’s median is how long the cases it decided in the quarter had taken. A diamond marks a pending count that doesn't match the quarter before's count plus the quarter's filings minus its decisions: it is what USCIS reported, but USCIS doesn't say why they differ, so the pages draw no conclusions from it.