I-526E processing times: every category and processing location
Last updated 2026-10-02 · General information, not legal advice
USCIS processing times for I-526E as published on 2026-09-17, this site's 2026-10-02 snapshot: 1 categories at 1 processing location. The slowest line is 526IP at Immigrant Investor Program Office, 35 months; the fastest is 526IP at Immigrant Investor Program Office, 35 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-526E investor petition guide.
Every I-526E category and processing location
526IP: Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immigrant Investor Program Office | 35 months | 38.5 months receipt date before | slower by 21 months |
I-526E since 2022
Representative line: 526IP · Immigrant Investor Program Office; the 80% line from the last snapshot of each quarter.
| Quarter | 80% line |
|---|---|
| 2025-Q3 | 14 months |
| 2025-Q4 | 16 months |
| 2026-Q1 | 25.5 months |
| 2026-Q2 | 34.5 months |
| 2026-Q3 | 35 months |
| 2026-Q4 | 35 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-526E data
Why does the I-526E table show a single location?
USCIS publishes I-526E 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-526E and the reasoning are in the I-526E investor 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-526E investor petition guide