I-129 processing times: every category and processing location
Last updated 2026-10-02 · General information, not legal advice
USCIS processing times for I-129 as published on 2026-09-17, this site's 2026-10-02 snapshot: 15 categories at 1 processing location. The slowest line is 137-E at Service Center Operations (SCOPS), 20 months; the fastest is 137-H2AN at Service Center Operations (SCOPS), 15 days. Each row gives the 80% line, the 93% line date that opens a case inquiry, and the change against a year ago. The figures refresh every week; I-129 covers several classifications, so find how long before you can sue in the delay guide for yours.
Every I-129 category and processing location
137-E: E - Treaty traders and investors
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 20 months | 22.5 months receipt date before | slower by 10.5 months |
137-E3: E3 - Specialty occupation workers from Australia
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 5 months | 7.5 months receipt date before | slower by 1.5 months |
137-H1B1: H-1B - Specialty occupation - Visa to be issued abroad
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 11 months | 13 months receipt date before | slower by 3 months |
137-H1B2: H-1B - Specialty occupation - Change of status in the U.S.
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 10 months | 11.5 months receipt date before | slower by 6.5 months |
137-H1B3: H-1B - Specialty occupation - Extension of stay in the U.S.
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 11.5 months | 12.5 months receipt date before | slower by 4 months |
137-H2AN: H-2A - Temporary agricultural workers - Named Beneficiary
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 15 days | 4 months receipt date before | faster by 14.5 months |
137-H2AU: H-2A - Temporary agricultural workers - Unnamed Beneficiary
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 15 days | 4 months receipt date before | faster by 3 months |
137-H2B: H-2B - Temporary nonagricultural workers
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 4 months | 8 months receipt date before | slower by 1.5 months |
137-H3: H-3 - Temporary trainees
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 17 months | 19.5 months receipt date before | slower by 4.5 months |
137-L: Intracompany transferees and blanket L
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 6.5 months | 10.5 months receipt date before | slower by 1.5 months |
137-O: O - Extraordinary ability
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 14.5 months | 17.5 months receipt date before | slower by 7.5 months |
137-P: P - Athletes, artists, and entertainers
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 13 months | 15 months receipt date before | slower by 6 months |
137-Q: Q - Cultural exchange visitors
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 7 months | 19.5 months receipt date before | faster by 22.5 months |
137-R: R - Religious occupation
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 9.5 months | 12 months receipt date before | slower by 5.5 months |
137-TN: TN - United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, formerly NAFTA) professional
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 4.5 months | 7 months receipt date before | slower by 1 month |
I-129 since 2022
Representative line: 137-E · Service Center Operations (SCOPS); the 80% line from the last snapshot of each quarter.
| Quarter | 80% line |
|---|---|
| 2025-Q3 | 9.5 months |
| 2025-Q4 | 10.5 months |
| 2026-Q1 | 11.5 months |
| 2026-Q2 | 17.5 months |
| 2026-Q3 | 20 months |
| 2026-Q4 | 20 months |
How to read the two columns
The 80% line is the time within which 80% of the cases completed in the previous six months were decided; USCIS calls it the "normal range". The 93% line is the case-inquiry gate: only a receipt date earlier than it lets you file an "outside normal processing time" inquiry. Neither is the court's test: a court weighs the six TRAC factors on your case, see when you can sue. This site's threshold for each form is in its guide.
Questions about the I-129 data
Why does the I-129 table show a single location?
USCIS publishes I-129 per processing center, with no office-by-office breakdown. USCIS decides where the file is handled; the figure for your category is the one shown.
My category is past the 80% line. Can I sue?
The 80% line describes the agency's own output, and no statute makes it the threshold for a suit. I-129 covers several different classifications with different thresholds; find yours in the delay guides; past the 93% line, file a case inquiry first.
How often is this updated, and where is the history?
Source: the USCIS processing-times page, snapshot 2026-10-02 (USCIS publication date 2026-09-17), fetched and archived by this site every week; raw data and every past snapshot are on the USCIS data page. The "receipt date before" cutoff moves forward one day per day under the USCIS rule (today minus a fixed number of days); the page computes it for the day you open it, and without scripts it shows the snapshot-day date.
After the numbers
Get a free case review Find the guide for your classification