I-140 processing times: every category and processing location
Last updated 2026-10-02 · General information, not legal advice
USCIS processing times for I-140 as published on 2026-09-17, this site's 2026-10-02 snapshot: 8 categories at 1 processing location. The slowest line is 136A-E11 at Service Center Operations (SCOPS), 32.5 months; the fastest is 136A-E21 at Service Center Operations (SCOPS), 3 months. 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; how long before you can sue is in the I-140 immigrant worker petition guide.
Every I-140 category and processing location
136A-E11: Extraordinary ability (E11)
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 32.5 months | 35.5 months receipt date before | slower by 16 months |
136A-E12: Outstanding professor or researcher (E12)
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 15 months | 18.5 months receipt date before | faster by 3.5 months |
136A-E13: Multinational executive or manager (E13)
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 27.5 months | 29.5 months receipt date before | slower by 7.5 months |
136A-E21: Advanced degree or exceptional ability (E21)
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 3 months | 6.5 months receipt date before | faster by 6.5 months |
136A-E31: Skilled worker or professional (E31; E32)
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 4 months | 8 months receipt date before | faster by 2.5 months |
136A-EW3: Unskilled worker (EW3)
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 9 months | 15 months receipt date before | faster by 4.5 months |
136A-NIW: Advanced degree or exceptional ability requesting a National Interest Waiver (NIW)
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 30 months | 33 months receipt date before | slower by 12.5 months |
136A-NUR: Schedule A Nurses
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 25.5 months | 26.5 months receipt date before | slower by 7 months |
I-140 since 2022
Representative line: 136A-E11 · Service Center Operations (SCOPS); the 80% line from the last snapshot of each quarter.
| Quarter | 80% line |
|---|---|
| 2025-Q3 | 16.5 months |
| 2025-Q4 | 20 months |
| 2026-Q1 | 23.5 months |
| 2026-Q2 | 28.5 months |
| 2026-Q3 | 32.5 months |
| 2026-Q4 | 32.5 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-140 data
Why does the I-140 table show a single location?
USCIS publishes I-140 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. This site's threshold for I-140 and the reasoning are in the I-140 immigrant worker petition guide; 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 Read the I-140 immigrant worker petition guide