I-485 (employment) processing time
Adjustment of Status, employment-based
Data as of · Source: USCIS monthly report to Congress
Average, Aug 2026
11.8 months
A year earlier
9.5 months
Pending
270,857
Received this month
13,797
Average processing time by month
USCIS calculates the average processing time from receipt to completion using all cases completed in that month. It can differ from the processing times shown on the USCIS Check Case Processing Times page, which are by office.
Pending cases by month
Monthly data
| Month | Average (months) | Received | Approved | Denied | Pending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 11.8 | 13,797 | 11,694 | 1,323 | 270,857 |
| July 2026 | 10.5 | 14,109 | 12,927 | 1,169 | 269,963 |
| June 2026 | 10.0 | 16,657 | 12,216 | 1,076 | 270,157 |
| May 2026 | 9.3 | 35,787 | 12,848 | 863 | 266,656 |
| April 2026 | 8.9 | 45,289 | 16,890 | 1,268 | 244,568 |
| March 2026 | 8.1 | 22,301 | 20,885 | 1,047 | 217,374 |
| February 2026 | 9.0 | 13,391 | 12,239 | 919 | 217,117 |
| January 2026 | 9.5 | 11,946 | 8,801 | 785 | 216,923 |
| December 2025 | 10.3 | 14,907 | 7,513 | 591 | 214,585 |
| November 2025 | 13.2 | 22,923 | 5,107 | 662 | 207,737 |
| October 2025 | 11.8 | 27,938 | 9,171 | 822 | 190,583 |
| September 2025 | 14.1 | 5,739 | 2,662 | 980 | 172,563 |
| August 2025 | 9.5 | 6,937 | 11,827 | 1,044 | 170,429 |
| July 2025 | 9.6 | 11,991 | 12,520 | 954 | 176,266 |
| June 2025 | 10.1 | 9,383 | 11,199 | 968 | 177,711 |
| May 2025 | 11.1 | 6,563 | 8,040 | 1,091 | 180,445 |
| April 2025 | 11.9 | 6,973 | 7,906 | 1,453 | 182,819 |
| March 2025 | 12.0 | 6,505 | 7,336 | 1,398 | 185,050 |
| February 2025 | 11.3 | 8,484 | 8,892 | 1,519 | 186,955 |
| January 2025 | 11.7 | 9,334 | 8,733 | 1,291 | 201,863 |
| December 2024 | 11.5 | 10,847 | 6,453 | 1,000 | 189,370 |
| November 2024 | 10.6 | 13,575 | 9,820 | 1,096 | 185,831 |
| September 2024 | 25.3 | 6,801 | 1,637 | 1,626 | 182,313 |
| August 2024 | 12.4 | 11,152 | 14,043 | 1,766 | 178,644 |
| July 2024 | 11.2 | 9,514 | 16,231 | 1,460 | 183,441 |
| December 2023 | 13.0 | 11,701 | 5,225 | 742 | 204,631 |
| October 2023 | 16.2 | 14,943 | 6,963 | 1,014 | 191,561 |
| September 2023 | 14.1 | 4,181 | 11,380 | 1,768 | 184,021 |
| May 2023 | 12.9 | 9,479 | 10,723 | 1,361 | 205,465 |
| February 2023 | 12.3 | 8,343 | 10,761 | 1,207 | 213,796 |
| January 2023 | 14.0 | 14,162 | 9,863 | 1,421 | 217,157 |
| December 2022 | 13.7 | 16,602 | 10,741 | 1,030 | 213,085 |
| November 2022 | 12.8 | 12,210 | 14,565 | 938 | 186,407 |
FAQ
How long does I-485 (employment) take in August 2026?
USCIS reported an average of 11.8 months from receipt to decision for Form I-485 (employment) cases completed in August 2026. USCIS calculates the average processing time from receipt to completion using all cases completed in that month. It can differ from the processing times shown on the USCIS Check Case Processing Times page, which are by office.
How many I-485 (employment) cases are pending?
270,857 cases were pending at the end of August 2026, of which 137,354 had been pending for more than six months.
What share of I-485 (employment) decisions were approvals?
In August 2026, USCIS approved 11,694 and denied 1,323 cases, so 89.8% of decisions that month were approvals. This is one month of decisions, not the chance for any single case.
Other forms
Source: USCIS, Immigration and Citizenship Data (monthly report to Congress). For your own case, use USCIS Case Status Online and the USCIS processing times page.