I-140 Processing Time (Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers)

Form I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers): At a typical office, half of I-140 cases finish within about 19.5 months and 8 in 10 within about 21 months. The full range across case types and offices runs from 2.5 months to 2.8 years (USCIS data, July 15, 2026).

Trend: a year ago, a typical office's median for I-140 was 14 months; today it is 19.8 months — about 5.8 months slower than last year.

Advanced degree or exceptional ability (E21)

OfficeHalf of cases withinNearly all (93%) within
Service Center Operations (SCOPS)2.5 months8 months

Advanced degree or exceptional ability requesting a National Interest Waiver (NIW)

OfficeHalf of cases withinNearly all (93%) within
Service Center Operations (SCOPS)about 2.3 yearsabout 2.6 years

Extraordinary ability (E11)

OfficeHalf of cases withinNearly all (93%) within
Service Center Operations (SCOPS)about 2.5 yearsabout 2.8 years

Multinational executive or manager (E13)

OfficeHalf of cases withinNearly all (93%) within
Service Center Operations (SCOPS)about 2.2 yearsabout 2.3 years

Outstanding professor or researcher (E12)

OfficeHalf of cases withinNearly all (93%) within
Service Center Operations (SCOPS)15.5 months19.5 months

Schedule A Nurses

OfficeHalf of cases withinNearly all (93%) within
Service Center Operations (SCOPS)23.5 monthsabout 2.1 years

Skilled worker or professional (E31; E32)

OfficeHalf of cases withinNearly all (93%) within
Service Center Operations (SCOPS)4 months8 months

Unskilled worker (EW3)

OfficeHalf of cases withinNearly all (93%) within
Service Center Operations (SCOPS)6 months10.5 months

Use the Processing Times tool to add your filing date and see a personalized estimate for your pending case, or explore the Department of Labor queues and the Visa Bulletin waiting line on the same page.