Employment-Based Visa Processing Times
Processing times for employment-based immigration petitions, including immigrant worker petitions, EB-5 investor visas, and related applications.
9 forms tracked. Data from Sep 17, 2026. Lowest single-office average upper bound: I-129CW at 11.0 mo.
Employment-Based Immigration Trends
Upper bound of processing time range shown. Source: USCIS.
Employment-Based Immigration Forms
9Status labels are relative to each form's own historical processing-time distribution, based on the current average upper-bound estimate. They are not absolute rankings across forms.
| Form | Avg. Processing Time | Status |
|---|---|---|
| I-129CW | 7.0 mo – 11.0 mo | Very Slow |
| I-129 (H-1B / L-1) | 9.0 mo – 12.3 mo | Slow |
| I-485 — Green Card (AOS) | 17.6 mo – 32.7 mo | Slow |
| I-956F | 11.5 mo – 15.0 mo | Fast |
| I-140 (EB-1 / EB-2 / EB-3) | 18.3 mo – 21.6 mo | Slow |
| I-526E | 35.0 mo – 38.5 mo | Very Slow |
| I-526 | 36.5 mo – 40.5 mo | Fast |
| I-956 | 25.0 mo – 44.5 mo | Very Slow |
| I-526(L) | 103.0 mo – 116.0 mo | Slow |
Frequently Asked Questions
Current employment-based immigration average processing times range from 11.0 mo for I-129CW to 116.0 mo for I-526(L) depending on the form.
Among currently reporting offices, I-129CW (Petition for a CNMI-Only Nonimmigrant Transitional Worker) has the lowest single-office average upper bound at 11.0 mo. This compares each form at its fastest reporting office; the table reports each form's average across all of its offices.
Cite This Data
Citation
ImmigrationTimes.org. (2026). Employment-Based Immigration Processing Times (data as of Sep 17, 2026). Retrieved Sep 27, 2026, from https://immigrationtimes.org/employment-based/
Compare by service center — see how wait times for these forms vary by USCIS office.
See all green card processing times — compare family-based, employment-based, and other pathways.
Source: USCIS. Data from Sep 17, 2026. Permanent link.