Once an I-485 is in, two smaller forms decide whether the wait is livable: the I-765 for a work permit and the I-131 for permission to travel and come back. USCIS publishes how long each is taking. Here's what the file says, what "pending" does and doesn't let you do, and one change from Aug 2026 that anyone planning a trip needs to read.
The two forms
USCIS's employment authorization page, https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/employment-authorization-document (last reviewed Oct 30, 2025), lists a pending I-485 as one of the reasons you have to apply for permission to work. You "are required to apply for permission to work (that is, you need to request employment authorization itself) because: You have a pending Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status." The card you get is the Employment Authorization Document, the EAD.
The I-131 page, https://www.uscis.gov/i-131, is the travel side. For someone with a pending adjustment application the document USCIS issues is the Advance Parole Document, Form I-512L.
People call a single card that serves both purposes a combo card. Neither of those two USCIS pages, read Sep 22, 2026, uses that term or describes how a combined card is issued, so this guide doesn't either.
How long they're taking
USCIS's quarterly file for Apr 1 to Jun 30, 2026, https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/quarterly_all_forms_fy2026_q3_v1.xlsx, gives receipts, decisions, pending and a median processing time per form. The median is defined in USCIS's historical fact sheet as "the time it took to complete half of the cases in a given time period"; median vs 80% explains why it's lower than the figure on USCIS's processing times page.
| Form, FY2026 Q3 | Received | Approved | Denied | Pending at Jun 30 | Median months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-765, adjustment of status based | 153,039 | 46,405 | 35,767 | 671,362 | 6.4 |
| I-765, all other categories | 212,410 | 125,656 | 19,787 | 1,098,913 | 3.3 |
| I-131, advance parole document, inside the US | 113,627 | 43,791 | 18,200 | 425,511 | 5.8 |
Two things in that table are worth reading twice. The I-765 tied to a pending I-485 is slower than the other I-765 categories, 6.4 months against 3.3. And its denial count is high relative to approvals: 35,767 denied against 46,405 approved in the quarter. The file doesn't say why, and this guide won't guess.
Where that sits historically
USCIS's fact sheet, https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/fact-sheets/historical_pt_factsheet_fy16_to_fy24.pdf (data as of Mar 5, 2024), gives the same median by fiscal year:
| Fiscal year | I-765 on a pending I-485 | I-131 advance parole |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2.5 | 2.3 |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 |
| 2018 | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| 2019 | 5.1 | 4.5 |
| 2020 | 4.8 | 4.6 |
| 2021 | 7.1 | 7.7 |
| 2022 | 6.7 | 7.3 |
| 2023 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| 2024 | 3.6 | 4.4 |
So 6.4 and 5.8 in the quarter to Jun 2026 are back near the FY2021 and FY2022 peaks, after two years of improvement. The fact sheet's own note says these historical figures aren't comparable to the processing times webpage, which uses a different method. This site's USCIS processing times page carries the file medians with the quarter each describes.
What pending means for work
A pending I-765 isn't work authorization; it's a request for it. The EAD page is explicit that with a pending I-485 you need to request employment authorization itself.
For renewals, USCIS says: "We encourage you to file your renewal application as soon as possible once your EAD is within 180 days of its expiration date to reduce the possibility of a gap in your employment authorization and/or documentation." The page also links its "Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension" rules, which apply to some renewal categories. Read them on USCIS's page, because whether your category is one of them and for how long is exactly the kind of fact this guide shouldn't paraphrase.
What pending means for travel
USCIS's travel documents page, https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/travel-documents (last reviewed Aug 21, 2026), on a pending green card application: "if you are applying for adjustment of status (a Green Card) and leave the United States without the appropriate travel documentation (for example, an advance parole document), you may not be allowed to reenter the United States when you return. Even if you are allowed to reenter, you may be found to have abandoned your pending application for adjustment of status."
A pending I-131 is not an advance parole document. The document is what you carry.
And then the Aug 2026 change. The I-131 page carries this alert: "On Aug. 13, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) issued a precedent decision, Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, 29 I&N Dec. 830 (BIA 2026), that overruled Matter of Arrabally and Yerrabelly, 25 I&N Dec. 771 (BIA 2012)." The consequence, in USCIS's words: "As of Aug. 13, 2026, departing the United States after obtaining an Advance Parole Document is a departure for purposes of inadmissibility under section 212(a)(9)(B)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)." That section, the alert continues, covers people who "accrue more than 180 days of unlawful presence in the United States, depart the United States, and then again seek admission within the relevant 3- or 10-year statutory period".
If you have never accrued unlawful presence, the alert doesn't describe you. If you might have, a trip on advance parole is now a question for a lawyer before it's a question for an airline.
Which approval was it
An I-765 or I-131 approval arrives as its own notice with its own receipt number. It's the most common thing an agent means by "an approval notice was sent" to someone whose I-485 can't be approved yet. What Emma told you covers telling them apart, and the receipt number guide covers the notice itself.
What this can't tell you
- Your card's date. A median is half of last quarter's completions, not your case.
- Whether an automatic extension covers you. USCIS's own page decides that by category; read it there.
- Whether leaving is safe for you. The Aug 13, 2026 alert turns on unlawful presence, which is a question about your history, and a lawyer's.
- Fees. Both forms carry fees that change; the green card fees tool tracks them separately from this guide.
- Why the I-765 denial count is what it is. The file gives the number and no reason.
