USCIS processing times for green card and citizenship forms
Pick a form and an office, add the receipt date from your notice, and see where your case stands against the latest range USCIS published.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
N-400 naturalization
Within normal time
Too early for a case inquiry.
| Published range, Houston, TX | 12.0 to 14.0 months |
|---|---|
| Time since your receipt date | 12.4 months |
| USCIS takes inquiries for receipts on or before | August 25, 2025 |
| National average to a decision (August 2026) | 12.7 months |
How this was calculated
- USCIS published these ranges on September 17, 2026. The upper figure is the time within which USCIS completed 80% of cases; the lower one is the median.
- The national average is a different measure: all cases completed in the month, from receipt to decision, as reported to Congress.
Processing-time data: ImmigrationTimes.org (CC BY 4.0), from USCIS; selected and reformatted. Check your own case on egov.uscis.gov.
Estimate from public data, not legal advice. Your case may differ (cross-chargeability, CSPA, waivers). For advice, see a licensed immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative. Not affiliated with USCIS or the Department of State. Method and past error
USCIS puts out two kinds of processing-time figures, and they rarely match. The first is the range on its Check Case Processing Times tool, refreshed about once a month; the edition used here is dated September 17, 2026. Each range has a lower figure, the median case, and an upper figure, the point by which four cases in five at that office had been decided. The second is the average in the monthly report USCIS sends to Congress, which takes every case completed in the month, from receipt to decision, and averages them. For August 2026, that average was 12.7 months for naturalization, 12.4 months for family-based adjustment of status and 18.1 months for the I-130 relative petition. Both figures are true and they answer different questions. This page leads to one page per form, with the published range at each office, the national average where USCIS reports one, and a checker that places your receipt date against both.
Two official numbers, two different questions
Take naturalization. The report to Congress for August 2026 puts the average at 12.7 months from receipt to decision. Yet across the 90 field offices, the upper end of the published N-400 range runs from 11 months in San Juan, PR to 31.5 months in San Jose, CA. The family green card spreads even wider, from 12.5 months in Burlington, VT to 60.5 in Spokane, WA, against a national average of 12.4. The report averages every file closed that month, including some that waited for years and some decided in weeks. The published range describes one office: its median case and the point by which 80% of its cases were done. The office range is closer to your own situation; the average describes the system.
Where each form is decided
Two queues are published office by office: Form N-400 and family-based Form I-485, both of which normally end with an interview. The rest are published by the unit that handles them. Service Center Operations covers the I-140, the I-129F, the I-90 and the advance parole application. The I-130 is split between the National Benefits Center, Service Center Operations and the Field Office Directorate, and the I-526E sits with the Immigrant Investor Program Office. The table further down lists each one.
How many cases are waiting
| Form | Received in the month | Pending | Average months to decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-400 | 54,492 | 813,453 | 12.7 |
| I-485 family | 29,085 | 601,751 | 12.4 |
| I-485 employment | 13,797 | 270,857 | 11.8 |
| I-130 | 54,973 | 2,475,445 | 18.1 |
| I-765 | 130,329 | 1,921,541 | 6.8 |
| I-751 | 14,018 | 360,671 | 21.9 |
The I-130 line stands apart: 2,475,445 petitions pending, about 45 times what USCIS received in the month. The I-765 work permit has the largest monthly intake, 130,329 applications.
Reading your own case
Use the receipt date printed on Form I-797C, not the day you mailed the package. The checker shows the months elapsed, the published range for the office and whether USCIS would already accept an inquiry. Each form page explains what is specific to that queue. Processing-time data: ImmigrationTimes.org (CC BY 4.0), from USCIS; national averages: USCIS report to Congress.
N-400 at the 20 largest field offices
| Field office | Published range | Rank of 90 (1 = fastest) | Inquiries accepted for receipts up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City, NY | 10.0 to 12.5 months | 7 | September 28, 2025 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 12.0 to 13.0 months | 11 | September 12, 2025 |
| San Antonio, TX | 11.5 to 13.5 months | 18 | September 9, 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 10.5 to 14.0 months | 23 | August 13, 2025 |
| Houston, TX | 12.0 to 14.0 months | 21 | August 25, 2025 |
| Washington, DC | 11.5 to 14.5 months | 32 | August 12, 2025 |
| Miami, FL | 10.0 to 15.0 months | 38 | July 25, 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 11.5 to 15.0 months | 39 | July 22, 2025 |
| Newark, NJ | 11.5 to 15.5 months | 43 | July 6, 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | 13.5 to 15.5 months | 46 | July 4, 2025 |
| Boston, MA | 13.5 to 15.5 months | 41 | July 12, 2025 |
| Dallas, TX | 13.0 to 16.5 months | 54 | June 10, 2025 |
| Tampa, FL | 13.5 to 16.5 months | 59 | May 31, 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | 13.5 to 17.0 months | 61 | May 19, 2025 |
| Denver, CO | 14.0 to 18.0 months | 72 | April 21, 2025 |
| Orlando, FL | 13.5 to 19.0 months | 79 | March 28, 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | 13.0 to 19.5 months | 81 | March 10, 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | 14.5 to 22.5 months | 87 | December 4, 2024 |
| San Diego, CA | 15.5 to 23.0 months | 88 | November 15, 2024 |
| San Jose, CA | 16.0 to 31.5 months | 90 | February 29, 2024 |
Every form we track
| Form and category | Published range |
|---|---|
| N-400 naturalization | by field office, see below |
| I-485 family-based | by field office, see below |
| I-485 employment-based | Field Office Directorate: 9.5 to 19.0 months |
| I-130 citizen for spouse, parent or child under 21 | Field Office Directorate: 83.5 to 113.0 months |
| I-130 green card holder for spouse or child under 21 (F2A) | Field Office Directorate: 139.0 to 300.5 months |
| I-130 citizen for unmarried son or daughter 21+ (F1) | Field Office Directorate: 195.0 to 268.0 months |
| I-130 green card holder for unmarried son or daughter 21+ (F2B) | Field Office Directorate: 188.5 to 340.0 months |
| I-130 citizen for married son or daughter (F3) | Field Office Directorate: 110.5 to 159.0 months |
| I-130 citizen for brother or sister (F4) | Field Office Directorate: 286.5 to 306.5 months |
| I-765 work permit with a pending I-485 (c)(9) | National Benefits Center: 12.0 to 16.5 months |
| I-131 advance parole | Service Center Operations: 26.5 to 34.0 months |
| I-131 re-entry permit or refugee travel document | Service Center Operations: 16.5 to 21.5 months |
| I-140 extraordinary ability (EB-1A) | Service Center Operations: 32.5 to 35.5 months |
| I-140 advanced degree (EB-2) | Service Center Operations: 3.0 to 6.5 months |
| I-140 national interest waiver | Service Center Operations: 30.0 to 33.0 months |
| I-140 skilled worker or professional (EB-3) | Service Center Operations: 4.0 to 8.0 months |
| I-751 remove conditions | Field Office Directorate: 36.0 to 58.5 months |
| I-90 ten-year card renewal | Service Center Operations: 10.5 to 13.0 months |
| I-90 replacement or first card | Service Center Operations: 6.0 to 9.5 months |
| I-129F fiancé(e) petition (K-1) | Service Center Operations: 13.0 to 16.5 months |
| I-526E regional center investor | Immigrant Investor Program Office: 35.0 to 38.5 months |