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I-485 processing at Columbus, OH

USCIS’s own quarterly numbers for this office. Newest: Apr–Jun 2026.

Time to clear backlog

35 months

up from 17 months

Pending applications

2,622

+11% vs. previous quarter

Decided in Apr–Jun 2026

225

−47% vs. previous quarter

Approval rate

79%

−12 pts vs. previous quarter

Over the last four quarters, this office has cleared its pile of these cases about as fast as all field offices together.

Recent news:
Special cases:

USCIS publishes no times per office. Nationally, I-485 (Family) cases filed today are most likely decided in 6–12 months. See the national ranges.

For now, from our reading of the numbers:

USCIS decided 46% fewer of these cases in Apr–Jun 2026 than usual. Plan for the later end of the range.

By category, Apr–Jun 2026

CategoryReceivedDecidedPendingTime to clear backlog
Family4752252,62235 months
Employment5733032,03320 months
Humanitarian19153,297not shown: too few decisions
Other2145not shown: too few decisions
All categories1,2415347,99745 months

What happened to the applications

  • Approved
  • Denied
  • Pending at quarter end
  • Filed
02k4k6k8k10k202120222023202420252026cases moved incases moved out
Source: USCIS’s quarterly I-485 by Category, Case Status, and USCIS Field Office Location reports, via the Immigration and Citizenship Data page. A dashed line ("cases moved in"): In Oct–Dec 2024, USCIS moved these cases to the Columbus office: its pile, and the time to clear it, changed for that reason, not because the office sped up or fell behind. A dashed line ("cases moved out"): In Apr–Jun 2025, USCIS moved these cases away from the Columbus office: its pile, and the time to clear it, changed for that reason, not because the office sped up or fell behind.

Backlog over time

Time to clear backlog is how long the office would need to decide every pending case at last quarter’s pace. It is not your wait: the pile includes cases on hold and cases USCIS cannot decide yet.

How to read the chart

USCIS sometimes moves pending cases between offices. A dashed line marks a quarter in which it did: the pile, and the time to clear it, then include the cases moved in (or leave out those moved away), so they don't show the office falling behind or catching up. The line under the boxes on the office’s pace compares the time to clear its pile at the pace of its last four quarters with the same for all field offices together; it says slower or faster only where one is more than 1.5 times the other.

Time to clear backlog
010203040months202120222023202420252026cases moved incases moved out
A dashed line ("cases moved in"): In Oct–Dec 2024, USCIS moved these cases to the Columbus office: its pile, and the time to clear it, changed for that reason, not because the office sped up or fell behind. A dashed line ("cases moved out"): In Apr–Jun 2025, USCIS moved these cases away from the Columbus office: its pile, and the time to clear it, changed for that reason, not because the office sped up or fell behind.