Updated
I-129 processing time
Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
An employer files it for an H-1B, L-1, O-1 and other temporary workers, new or extending.
USCIS decided half its I-129s within 9.5 months in FY2026 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2026), its median.
Median, FY26 Q3
9.5 months
2.4 months slower than FY26 Q2Half were decided sooner
Waiting at the quarter's end
192,712
60% more than FY26 Q2Every I-129 line, FY26 Q3
Received in the quarter
220,566
69% more than FY26 Q2FY26 Q3
Approved, of those decided
78%
11 points below FY26 Q2143,748 approved, 39,560 denied
Median months, quarter by quarter
Half of each quarter's decided I-129s took less time than this. FY2024 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2023) to FY2026 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2026).
Every I-129
FY24 Q1 FY26 Q3- No record for this period
I-129, Every I-129: median months to a decision, each quarter Period months FY2024 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2023) 2.7 FY2024 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2024) No record FY2024 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2024) 2.4 FY2024 Q4 (Jul to Sep 2024) 2.3 FY2025 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2024) 3.5 FY2025 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2025) 4.4 FY2025 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2025) 2.7 FY2025 Q4 (Jul to Sep 2025) 3.6 FY2026 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2025) 4.5 FY2026 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2026) 7.1 FY2026 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2026) 9.5
A dashed frame is a quarter whose workbook no one kept: USCIS keeps only its last four quarters, and the Internet Archive holds no copy of FY24 Q2.
What USCIS took in, decided and had waiting
Every I-129 line together, each quarter.
Received
242,593
FY24 Q1 FY26 Q3- No record for this period
I-129: received, each quarter Period received FY2024 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2023) 113,939 FY2024 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2024) No record FY2024 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2024) 205,338 FY2024 Q4 (Jul to Sep 2024) 142,999 FY2025 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2024) 122,514 FY2025 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2025) 131,375 FY2025 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2025) 242,593 FY2025 Q4 (Jul to Sep 2025) 140,984 FY2026 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2025) 96,769 FY2026 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2026) 130,202 FY2026 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2026) 220,566 Decided
183,308
FY24 Q1 FY26 Q3- No record for this period
I-129: decided, each quarter Period decided FY2024 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2023) 133,319 FY2024 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2024) No record FY2024 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2024) 160,043 FY2024 Q4 (Jul to Sep 2024) 179,704 FY2025 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2024) 148,423 FY2025 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2025) 171,060 FY2025 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2025) 172,772 FY2025 Q4 (Jul to Sep 2025) 169,624 FY2026 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2025) 135,127 FY2026 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2026) 149,730 FY2026 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2026) 183,308 Waiting at the quarter's end
192,712
FY24 Q1 FY26 Q3- No record for this period
I-129: waiting at the quarter's end, each quarter Period waiting FY2024 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2023) 69,866 FY2024 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2024) No record FY2024 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2024) 117,448 FY2024 Q4 (Jul to Sep 2024) 99,966 FY2025 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2024) 89,852 FY2025 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2025) 63,452 FY2025 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2025) 154,684 FY2025 Q4 (Jul to Sep 2025) 150,876 FY2026 Q1 (Oct to Dec 2025) 129,909 FY2026 Q2 (Jan to Mar 2026) 120,477 FY2026 Q3 (Apr to Jun 2026) 192,712
Medians from FY2016
The only longer history USCIS has published for its medians, one figure a fiscal year.
Every I-129
FY2016 FY2024- Still filling
I-129, Every I-129: median months each fiscal year, FY2016 to FY2024 Period months FY2016 5.1 FY2017 3.4 FY2018 3.8 FY2019 4.7 FY2020 2.3 FY2021 1.8 FY2022 2.3 FY2023 2.5 FY2024 2.7 so far
FY2024 there covers October 2023 to January 2024 only (hatched), as USCIS's factsheet says. The factsheet is dated 2024-03-05.
Where to go next
Why USCIS's own case page shows a different time
This is USCIS's median: half of the cases it finished in a quarter took less time than this. Its processing-times page prints a different figure, the time within which it finished 80% of recent cases, so it reads longer. Both are USCIS's, and the hub sets them side by side for the I-140.
USCIS quarterly form data through Jun 30, 2026. How these figures are counted. Spotted an error? Tell us; every fix is dated in the corrections log.
The sources in full
USCIS quarterly form data: USCIS quarterly all-forms performance data (uscis.gov) · data through Jun 30, 2026 · quarterly
What this data includes
USCIS quarterly form data: Every USCIS form's receipts, approvals, denials, pending count and MEDIAN months to a decision, per quarter, as USCIS publishes them. The median isn't the 80th-percentile figure on USCIS's processing-times page.
Cite this page
Waiting on a PERM case?
- When it'll likely be decided
- An email when DOL moves it