I-765 (c)(9) processing time: the work permit while your green card is pending
Pick the unit handling your work permit and enter its receipt date to see where the application stands against the latest published range.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
I-765 work permit with a pending I-485 (c)(9)
Within normal time
Too early for a case inquiry.
| Published range, National Benefits Center | 12.0 to 16.5 months |
|---|---|
| Time since your receipt date | 12.4 months |
| USCIS takes inquiries for receipts on or before | June 10, 2025 |
| National average to a decision (August 2026) | 6.8 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
The employment authorization document many green card applicants request is the (c)(9) category, filed on Form I-765 because Form I-485 is pending. In the USCIS edition of September 17, 2026, it is published at two units, the National Benefits Center and Service Center Operations, with upper bounds between 16 and 16.5 months; the upper bound is the time by which 80% of those applications were decided. The report to Congress for August 2026 shows a much shorter national average for Form I-765, 6.8 months. Both are accurate. The national figure averages every work permit decided in the month, across all categories, including some that USCIS publishes in weeks; the (c)(9) range describes only adjustment applicants. USCIS received 130,329 work permit applications that month, more than any other form we track, and had 1,921,541 pending. The fee for a (c)(9) request filed with or after an I-485 submitted since April 1, 2024 is $260.
Where (c)(9) sits among work permit categories
USCIS publishes 16 work permit lines with a figure. Sorted by upper bound, the (c)(9) line ranks 5 of 16, counting from the fastest.
| Category as published | Unit | Upper bound |
|---|---|---|
| Based on a pending asylum application [(c)(8)] – Initial Application | SCD | 1 month |
| Based on a request by a qualified F-1 academic student [(c)(3)] | SCD | 6.5 months |
| Based on being an H-4 spouse of an H-1B nonimmigrant (filed with I-539 H4) [(c)(26)] | SCD | 10 months |
| All other applications for employment authorization | NBC | 14.5 months |
| Based on a pending I-485 adjustment application [(c)(9)] | SCD | 16 months |
| Based on a pending I-485 adjustment application [(c)(9)] | NBC | 16.5 months |
| Based on an approved asylum application [(a)(5)] | SCD | 17 months |
| Based on parole | NBC | 18 months |
| Alien with Final Order of Deportation Under an OSUP [(c)(18)] | NBC | 18.5 months |
| Based on being an H-4 spouse of an H-1B nonimmigrant (Standalone; not filed with I-539 H4) [(c)(26)] | SCD | 19 months |
| All other applications for employment authorization | SCD | 19 months |
| Based on TPS for El Salvador [(c)(19), (a)(12)] | SCD | 19.5 months |
| Based on being admitted as a Refugee [(a)(3)] | SCD | 21.5 months |
| Based on a pending asylum application [(c)(8)] -renewal/replacement | SCD | 21.5 months |
| Application for Suspension of Deportation/Sec.244/NACARA/Cancel of Removal [(c)(10)] | NBC | 24 months |
| Based on being an L-2 spouse of an L-1 nonimmigrant [(a)(18)] | SCD | 28 months |
Why the average looks optimistic
The report to Congress for August 2026 gives 6.8 months for all work permits. Lines that clear in weeks pull that average down; the (c)(9) line, at 16 to 16.5 months at the top of its range, does not. For an adjustment applicant, the relevant clock is the (c)(9) range, measured from the receipt date of the I-765 itself, which may differ from the I-485 receipt date when the two were not filed together.
Timing a renewal
Because the published range is long, a renewal filed late can leave a gap between the old card and the new one. The Form I-765 page gives the current rules for when a renewal can be filed. The fee depends on when the I-485 was filed, as the I-765 fee page shows.
Published processing times
| Form and category | Office | Range (median to 80% of cases) | Inquiries for receipts up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-765 work permit with a pending I-485 (c)(9) | National Benefits Center | 12.0 to 16.5 months | June 10, 2025 |
| I-765 work permit with a pending I-485 (c)(9) | Service Center Operations | 12.5 to 16.0 months | June 21, 2025 |