Employment-based I-485 processing time
Choose the unit handling your adjustment of status and enter your receipt date to compare the case with the range USCIS currently publishes.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
I-485 employment-based
Within normal time
Too early for a case inquiry.
| Published range, Field Office Directorate | 9.5 to 19.0 months |
|---|---|
| Time since your receipt date | 12.4 months |
| USCIS takes inquiries for receipts on or before | March 24, 2025 |
| National average to a decision (August 2026) | 11.8 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 publishes the employment-based Form I-485 in two lines rather than office by office. In the edition of September 17, 2026, cases with the Field Office Directorate show a range of 9.5 to 19 months, while cases with Service Center Operations show 42.5 to 48.5 months. In each pair the first figure is the median case and the second is the time by which 80% were decided. The report to Congress for August 2026 gives one national average for all employment adjustments, 11.8 months, with 13,797 applications received that month and 270,857 pending. That average is shorter than the service-center range because it blends every decision of the month, quick and slow. None of these clocks includes the wait for a visa number: an employment I-485 can only be approved once the priority date from the I-140 is earlier than the Final Action Date for the applicant’s category and country of birth.
Two published lines, far apart
Most forms on this site come with one range, or with one per field office. The employment adjustment is unusual: two lines, published separately, with a gap of 29.5 months at the 80% mark. The Field Office Directorate line reads 9.5 to 19 months and accepts inquiries for receipts up to March 24, 2025. The Service Center Operations line reads 42.5 to 48.5 months, with inquiries for receipts up to September 30, 2022. USCIS does not explain the split on its tool, and we do not guess at it. What it means in practice is that two people who filed the same month can sit on very different clocks.
Smaller queue, smaller backlog
For August 2026, USCIS received 13,797 employment adjustments against 29,085 family ones, and holds 270,857 pending against 601,751. Measured in months of intake, the employment backlog equals about 20 months of new filings and the family one about 21. The average time to decision is 11.8 months for employment and 12.4 for family.
Where the Visa Bulletin takes over
For applicants born in India or China, the processing range is rarely the binding clock. USCIS lets them file when the Dates for Filing chart allows it, then holds the case until the Final Action Date catches up, as the EB-2 India page shows. During that time, the I-485 has value of its own: a work permit, a travel document, and after 180 days the job portability described in our portability guide. The approved I-140 that comes before it has its own published times, which depend heavily on the category.
What an inquiry can and cannot do
Enter the receipt date from your Form I-797C in the checker. If it is on or before the inquiry date of your line, USCIS treats the case as outside normal processing time and accepts a case inquiry. An inquiry asks USCIS to look at a file; it cannot make a visa number available. When the priority date is not yet current, no inquiry changes that.
Published processing times
| Form and category | Office | Range (median to 80% of cases) | Inquiries for receipts up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-485 employment-based | Field Office Directorate | 9.5 to 19.0 months | March 24, 2025 |
| I-485 employment-based | Service Center Operations | 42.5 to 48.5 months | September 30, 2022 |