I-765 (EAD) Processing Times
Application for Employment Authorization
11.8 mo – 16.3 mo
avg. across USCIS source rows
Current I-765 Processing Time
As of , USCIS I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) processing times average 11.8 mo to 16.3 mo across current USCIS source rows, with full range 11.8 mo to 17.3 mo across all offices. Service Center Operations has the lowest average upper bound at 15.9 mo (average range 11.8 mo to 15.9 mo). Processing times have been increasing over the past three months. Source data is checked daily; USCIS publishes new estimates about monthly.
Category-specific source pages report the exact USCIS source row and history for a single I-765 eligibility category:
- (c)(26) Based on being an H-4 spouse of an H-1B nonimmigrant (filed with I-539 H4)
- (a)(18) Based on being an L-2 spouse of an L-1 nonimmigrant
- (a)(3) Based on being admitted as a Refugee
- (a)(5)
- (c)(10) Application for Suspension of Deportation/Sec.244/NACARA/Cancel of Removal
- Based on parole
- (c)(18) Alien with Final Order of Deportation Under an OSUP
- (c)(26) Based on being an H-4 spouse of an H-1B nonimmigrant (Standalone; not filed with I-539 H4)
- (c)(3)
- (c)(8) renewal/replacement
- (c)(8) initial application
- (c)(9) Based on a pending I-485 adjustment application
- (c)(19), (a)(12) Based on TPS for El Salvador
- All other applications for employment authorization
Processing Time Trend
Upper bound of processing time range shown. Source: USCIS Processing Times.
The chart includes historical office series (California Service Center, Vermont Service Center, and Nebraska Service Center and 2 other offices) from offices that previously reported this form. The current table below lists only offices with current USCIS estimates.
Dashed lines are offices that no longer report this form; each ends at its last published date.
Chart series show upper-bound processing times for All other applications for employment authorization, one of 14 current USCIS categories with a published range. The office comparison table uses office-level averages across current USCIS categories.
<iframe src="https://immigrationtimes.org/embed/i-765.html" width="600" height="400" style="width:100%;max-width:600px;border:0;" frameborder="0" title="I-765 Processing Times"></iframe> <p>Source: <a href="https://immigrationtimes.org/forms/i-765/">I-765 Processing Times — ImmigrationTimes.org</a></p>
USCIS Service Center Consolidation
As of , USCIS publishes I-765 processing times at 2 reporting levels (National Benefits Center and Service Center Operations), down from 7 as recently as September 2025 — when reporting included individual service centers (e.g., California and Nebraska) that now roll up to the divisional level. Source: USCIS published processing times.
I-765 Processing Times by Office
2 offices| Office | Min | Max | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCD) Lowest average upper boundLowest upper | 11.8 mo | 15.9 mo | Slow |
| National Benefits Center (NBC) | 11.9 mo | 17.3 mo | Slow |
Cite This Data
Citation
As of Aug 17, 2026, USCIS processing times for I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) range from 11.8 mo to 17.3 mo across all offices and all filing categories (full range; source-row average 11.8 mo–16.3 mo). Source: https://immigrationtimes.org/forms/i-765/. Dataset version DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21311840
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<iframe src="https://immigrationtimes.org/embed/i-765.html" width="600" height="400" style="width:100%;max-width:600px;border:0;" frameborder="0" title="I-765 Processing Times"></iframe> <p>Source: <a href="https://immigrationtimes.org/forms/i-765/">I-765 Processing Times — ImmigrationTimes.org</a></p>
Frequently Asked Questions
Current USCIS I-765 processing times range from 11.8 mo to 17.3 mo across all offices (full range; source-row average 11.8 mo–16.3 mo). Figures come from USCIS official processing time estimates, which USCIS publishes about monthly; this page is rebuilt daily.
Based on current data, Service Center Operations has the lowest average upper bound for I-765 at 15.9 mo (average range 11.8 mo to 15.9 mo). See the full comparison in the table above.
Based on data from the last three months, I-765 processing times are increasing. Processing times have risen compared to three months ago. View the trend chart above for the full historical picture.
You can check official processing times on the USCIS website at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times. Select your form (I-765), the office or service center that is processing your case, and your filing category. ImmigrationTimes.org tracks these same times with historical trends and comparisons.
Processing times for I-765 vary by office, filing category, case complexity, and current USCIS workload. Security checks, requests for evidence (RFEs), and application volume can all affect how long a case takes. The office comparison table above shows how times differ by location.
EAD renewals are filed using Form I-765 under specific eligibility categories. USCIS does not publish one processing-time range for all EAD renewals, and the current DACA (c)(33) row does not currently publish a numeric processing time. The form-wide range elsewhere on this page combines multiple filing categories and is not a renewal estimate. Check the filing category for your application on the USCIS processing-times page.
I-765 applications are used to request an EAD (Employment Authorization Document). Current Form I-765 processing times range from 11.8 mo to 17.3 mo across all offices (full range; source-row average 11.8 mo–16.3 mo). This form-wide range combines multiple filing categories, which USCIS publishes about monthly; this page is rebuilt daily.
Get Alerts
Two mailings: an email when I-765 processing times change, and a monthly briefing on USCIS processing time trends.
Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Data aggregated from 63 USCIS processing time publications, issued monthly. Each office's range averages only the filing categories for which USCIS publishes both a lower and an upper bound, so both endpoints cover the same categories. Data last updated . See our data sources and methodology. Permanent link. Verify on USCIS.gov.
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