I-140 processing time by employment category
Pick your I-140 category and enter the receipt date to see how the petition compares with the range USCIS publishes for it.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
I-140 advanced degree (EB-2)
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| Published range, Service Center Operations | 3.0 to 6.5 months |
|---|---|
| Time since your receipt date | 12.4 months |
| USCIS takes inquiries for receipts on or before | March 31, 2026 |
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 publishes Form I-140, the immigrant petition for alien workers, in eight separate lines at Service Center Operations, and the spread between them is wider than for almost any other form. In the edition of September 17, 2026, the advanced degree category (EB-2) shows 3 to 6.5 months and the skilled worker category (EB-3) 4 to 8 months. The national interest waiver, which lets an EB-2 applicant skip the labor certification, shows 30 to 33 months, and extraordinary ability (EB-1A) 32.5 to 35.5 months. In each pair, the first figure is the median case and the second the point by which 80% were decided. The monthly report to Congress gives no national average for the I-140, so the published ranges are the only official measure. USCIS does not explain the differences between categories on its tool. The petition is only the first clock: for applicants born in India or China, the Visa Bulletin wait that follows is usually far longer than any I-140 range.
Eight lines, from months to years
Sorted from fastest to slowest, the published I-140 lines run from 6.5 months for advanced degree or exceptional ability (E21) to 35.5 months for extraordinary ability (E11). The last column shows where the matching Visa Bulletin queue stands this month for people born outside India, China, Mexico and the Philippines.
| Category as published | Published range | Inquiries for receipts up to | Final Action Date, all other countries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced degree or exceptional ability (E21) | 3 to 6.5 months | March 31, 2026 | EB-2: January 1, 2025 |
| Skilled worker or professional (E31; E32) | 4 to 8 months | February 21, 2026 | EB-3: May 15, 2024 |
| Unskilled worker (EW3) | 9 to 15 months | July 20, 2025 | EB-3 Other Workers: January 1, 2022 |
| Outstanding professor or researcher (E12) | 15 to 18.5 months | April 9, 2025 | EB-1: Current (C) |
| Schedule A Nurses | 25.5 to 26.5 months | July 31, 2024 | depends on the petition |
| Multinational executive or manager (E13) | 27.5 to 29.5 months | May 1, 2024 | EB-1: Current (C) |
| Advanced degree or exceptional ability requesting a National Interest Waiver (NIW) | 30 to 33 months | January 20, 2024 | EB-2: January 1, 2025 |
| Extraordinary ability (E11) | 32.5 to 35.5 months | November 6, 2023 | EB-1: Current (C) |
Labor certification against self-petition
The employer petitions that follow an approved labor certification show EB-2 at 6.5 months and EB-3 at 8 at the top of their ranges. The categories where the applicant can petition without a job offer, extraordinary ability at 35.5 and the national interest waiver at 33, sit at the slower end. That reverses a common assumption: filing without a labor certification saves the time that step takes, but on today’s figures the petition itself is longer.
The petition sets the place in line
The I-140 approval notice shows the priority date that the green card queue uses. If that queue is current, the next step is Form I-485 and its own processing time. If it is not, as for most Indian and Chinese applicants in EB-2 and EB-3, the wait moves to the Visa Bulletin. Our green card calculator adds both clocks.
Published processing times
| Form and category | Office | Range (median to 80% of cases) | Inquiries for receipts up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-140 extraordinary ability (EB-1A) | Service Center Operations | 32.5 to 35.5 months | November 6, 2023 |
| I-140 advanced degree (EB-2) | Service Center Operations | 3.0 to 6.5 months | March 31, 2026 |
| I-140 national interest waiver | Service Center Operations | 30.0 to 33.0 months | January 20, 2024 |
| I-140 skilled worker or professional (EB-3) | Service Center Operations | 4.0 to 8.0 months | February 21, 2026 |