I-130 processing time

What the data says today

USCIS reports I-130s for immediate relatives separately from all other relatives. The two groups wait very differently.

Source: USCIS, All Forms by Quarter, FY2026 Q3. “Decided” means approved plus denied. The medians are for cases USCIS finished in April to June. Cases still waiting are not in them, so someone at the back of a long line can wait longer than the median says.

The monthly report gives a second view. In August 2026 the average for all I-130s was 18.1 months. USCIS received 54,973 I-130s that month, approved 28,025 and denied 14,704. It had 2,475,445 pending, and 2,165,902 of them (87.5%) had waited more than six months (USCIS monthly report, Aug 2026). An average and a median measure different things, and they cover different periods. Do not subtract one from the other.

Your relationship sets the clock

An immediate relative always has a visa available. Everyone else waits in line for a visa number. The USCIS pages list who is who (immediate relatives, preference categories).

Your place in the line is your priority date: the day USCIS properly received the I-130. A visa is available when that date is earlier than the cut-off for your category and country in the monthly Visa Bulletin. After approval, the petition waits at the National Visa Center until a number is available, USCIS says. See also how USCIS explains visa availability.

Service centers and receipt prefixes

Our data has no per-center I-130 times. USCIS shows one processing time for each form and office on its processing times page. That page sits behind a security check, so we link it and do not copy it.

The first three letters of the receipt number show where USCIS first received the case. USCIS’s own guide gives these meanings:

Source: USCIS Congressional Inquiries guide, and the USCIS glossary for the receipt number format (three letters and ten numbers).

One filing note. On Oct. 7, 2026, USCIS changed the filing location for I-130s sent by mail. Its I-130 page says it accepts forms postmarked on or before Nov. 9, 2026 that went to any prior location. See the I-130 direct filing addresses.

What happens after approval

Approval does not give your relative a green card. What comes next depends on where they are.

• Outside the U.S., or choosing a consulate. USCIS sends the approved petition to the State Department’s National Visa Center (NVC). The NVC collects fees and documents. It tells you when a visa number is about to be available. A consulate then schedules the interview (USCIS consular processing).
• Inside the U.S. Your relative can file the I-485. Immediate relatives can file it together with the I-130. Preference relatives can once a visa number is immediately available (concurrent filing). The I-485 has its own medians by category: see I-485 processing time.

Which route the petition takes depends on what was filed. USCIS says it generally looks at the relative’s address that the petitioner gave on the I-130 when it decides whether to send an approved petition to the NVC or keep it for adjustment of status (USCIS I-130 page).

An EAD requested with that I-485 has its own wait: see I-765 processing time.

If your case is outside normal processing time

USCIS does not research cases that are within expected times, so first compare your filing date with the time shown for your office on the processing times page. Then:

1. No receipt after 30 days. If you mailed the I-130 to USCIS more than 30 days ago and have no receipt, USCIS says to contact it.
2. Case inquiry. Use the e-Request tool to ask about a case taking longer than expected.
3. Contact Center. Call the USCIS Contact Center with your receipt number.
4. Expedite. USCIS can expedite a case for reasons such as severe financial loss, an emergency or urgent humanitarian situation, or a clear USCIS error. The decision is at USCIS’s sole discretion, and it generally requires documents (expedite requests).
5. Changes. Tell USCIS if you move (change of address), or if you filed the I-130 as a green card holder and then became a U.S. citizen. Both are listed on While My Case Is Pending.

You can read what each message in your online case status means in our status index. The YourCaseStatus app (coming soon) will alert you when your status changes. For all forms, see the processing times hub.

Official links

• USCIS Form I-130
• Check your case status
• USCIS processing times
• Case inquiry (e-Request)
• Visa Bulletin, State Department