I-485 processing times

Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. Newest: Aug 2026.

If you file today, most likely

6–12 months

could be 4–22 months

How we worked this out

The range starts from USCIS’s median of 7.0 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. We make the range wider when USCIS decides far fewer cases than usual. But in past slowdowns like this, the typical wait fell inside the could-be range only about 2 times in 3.

Time to clear backlog

19 months

about the same (was 18 months)

Pending applications

601,751

unchanged vs. previous month

Decided in Aug 2026

31,162

−9% vs. previous month

Approval rate

81%

−1 pts vs. previous month

If you file today

Category	Most likely (50%)	Could be (80%)	USCIS median
Family	6–12 months	4–22 months	7.0 months
Employment	Depends on your priority date: see today’s cutoff dates.		6.0 months
Asylum	22–42 months	16–79 months	25.6 months
Refugee	No range: USCIS has nearly stopped deciding these (95% fewer than usual)		17.6 months
Cuban	No range: USCIS has nearly stopped deciding these (91% fewer than usual)		16.3 months
Other	18–35 months	13–65 months	21.0 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.

Month by month:

Month	Filed	Decided	Pending
Aug 2026	29,085	31,162	601,751
Jul 2026	29,317	34,310	604,449
Jun 2026	30,431	25,406	610,101
May 2026	31,095	17,426	604,796
Apr 2026	33,780	24,973	591,298
Mar 2026	59,202	30,984	582,487

Pending is counted on the last day of each month. USCIS counts months and quarters separately, so these can differ a little from the chart. Source: USCIS’s Application Processing Data reports.

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.

By category, Apr–Jun 2026

Category	Received	Approved	Denied	Pending	USCIS median
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Family)	95,175	54,678	12,240	611,067	7.0 months
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Employment)	97,501	42,076	3,160	268,408	6.0 months
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Asylum)	15,141	2,350	292	126,267	25.6 months
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Refugee)	16,819	103	45	149,470	17.6 months
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Cuban)	6,279	139	447	342,360	16.3 months
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Other)	12,074	2,222	614	62,718	21.0 months