Updated
I-140 queue calculator
How many petitions are waiting in your category, and how that compares to the processing time USCIS publishes.
How deep is the I-140 queue?
Pick your petition type. The counts are USCIS's own, published quarterly.
Petitions waiting
8,644
4% of every I-140 USCIS has pending.
Decided last quarter
12,477
Approvals and denials both, since either one clears a petition.
USCIS published time
3 months
80% of the petitions USCIS decided over the past six months finished within this.
USCIS quarterly median, all I-140s
3.9 months
Half of every I-140 decided in FY2026 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2026) took less, over 45,044 decisions. One median across every subtype; the figure beside it is per subtype and covers 80% of cases. Every form's median.
With premium processing
15 business days
USCIS commits to a decision or refunds the fee. Check today's exact time on USCIS's page.
This queue is growing. 15,476 arrived last quarter against 12,477 decided, so the pile got 2,999 longer.
Where the backlog sits
Every I-140 petition type USCIS reports, and how many are waiting on each.
- NIW National interest waiver 96,297
- E31 Skilled worker 39,674
- E11 Extraordinary ability 28,874
- E13 Multinational executive or manager 12,657
- EW3 Unskilled worker 9,102
- E21 Advanced degree or exceptional ability 8,644
- E32 Professional with a bachelor's degree 6,269
- E12 Outstanding professor or researcher 1,687
What this can’t tell you
- More Advanced degree or exceptional ability petitions arrived than left in FY2026 Q3: 15,476 in against 12,477 out. The queue grew by 2,999, so a clearing time computed from today's pile understates the wait for a petition filed now.
- USCIS does not publish pending petitions by month of receipt, so how many sit ahead of any particular case is not something this can tell you.
USCIS counts for FY2026 Q3, from i140_fy2026_q3_v1.xlsx.
When premium processing is worth $2,965
It buys a first decision within 15 business days (45 for multinational managers and national interest waivers). It doesn't move the priority date, and a request for evidence stops the clock. It tends to pay for itself in three situations:
The H-1B six years are running out
An approved I-140 is what lets H-1B status continue past six years, in steps of up to three years, when no visa number is available (8 CFR 214.2(h)(13)(iii)(E)). Work out the date
The worker might change jobs
After 180 days of approval, the employer withdrawing the I-140 doesn't undo it (8 CFR 205.1(a)(3)(iii)(C)), and the priority date carries to a new petition (8 CFR 204.5(e)). Premium processing starts that clock sooner. Check a priority date
The priority date is about to be current
If the bulletin reaches the date before a regular I-140 would be decided, premium can be the difference between filing the green card application this month or later. Is it current?
Otherwise, a priority date that is years from current gains little from a faster I-140. The fee is the one in force since March 1, 2026 (91 FR 1059). This is general information, not advice on a particular case.
FAQs
Why does the queue imply a longer wait than the processing time USCIS publishes?
How many I-140 petitions are pending?
Can you tell me how many petitions are ahead of mine?
Does premium processing skip the queue?
The I-140 comes after the part you control
A petition can only be filed once the labor certification is approved, and that certification has to be filed inside a window fixed by the prevailing wage determination. Miss the window and the recruitment starts again, months before USCIS ever sees the case.
Work out your filing windowI-140 times: USCIS processing-times page (egov.uscis.gov), dated mirror · data through Aug 17, 2026 · checked on update; uscis revises monthly
What this data includes
I-140 times: USCIS's published I-140 processing times, which are their own service-centre figures rather than anything measured here.
Cite this page
The rules behind these numbers
Waiting on a PERM case?
- When it'll likely be decided
- An email when DOL moves it