I-539 processing times: every category and processing location
Last updated 2026-10-02 · General information, not legal advice
USCIS processing times for I-539 as published on 2026-09-17, this site's 2026-10-02 snapshot: 15 categories at 2 processing locations. The slowest line is 139B-T at Service Center Operations (SCOPS), 22 months; the fastest is 139A-OTH at National Benefits Center, 1 week. 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-539 covers several classifications, so find how long before you can sue in the delay guide for yours.
Every I-539 category and processing location
139A-B: Change of status to B nonimmigrant
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 8 months | 9 months receipt date before | slower by 4.5 months |
139A-FMJ: Change of status to F or M student or J exchange visitor category
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 8.5 months | 10 months receipt date before | slower by 4 months |
139A-H: Change of status to H4 dependents
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 10.5 months | 14 months receipt date before | slower by 4 months |
139A-L: Change of status to L dependent
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 14.5 months | 16 months receipt date before | slower by 7 months |
139A-OTH: All other change of status applications
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 14 months | 16 months receipt date before | slower by 7 months |
| National Benefits Center | 1 week | 2.5 months receipt date before | unchanged |
139AC-H: Change of status to H4 dependent with I-765
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 7.5 months | 9.5 months receipt date before | slower by 3 months |
139B-B: Extension of stay for B nonimmigrant
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 8.5 months | 10 months receipt date before | slower by 5 months |
139B-FMJ: Extension of stay for F or M students and J exchange visitor category
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 6.5 months | 8 months receipt date before | slower by 3 months |
139B-H: Extension of stay for H4 dependents
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 10.5 months | 13.5 months receipt date before | slower by 3.5 months |
139B-L: Extension of stay for L dependents
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 8.5 months | 12 months receipt date before | slower by 3.5 months |
139B-OTH: All other extension of stay applications
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 11 months | 15.5 months receipt date before | slower by 4.5 months |
| National Benefits Center | 3 weeks | 2.5 months receipt date before | faster by 1.3 months |
139B-T: Extension of stay for T nonimmigrant
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 22 months | 25.5 months receipt date before | faster by 0.5 months |
139B-U: Extension of stay for U nonimmigrant
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 20.5 months | 23 months receipt date before | unchanged |
139BC-H: Extension of stay for H4 dependents with I-765
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 5 months | 9 months receipt date before | slower by 1.5 months |
139C: Reinstatement to student status
| Office | 80% line | Case inquiry opens (93% line) | Versus a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 15 months | 17.5 months receipt date before | slower by 9 months |
I-539 since 2022
Representative line: 139A-OTH · National Benefits Center; the 80% line from the last snapshot of each quarter.
| Quarter | 80% line |
|---|---|
| 2022-Q1 | 1 week |
| 2022-Q2 | 1 week |
| 2022-Q3 | 1 week |
| 2022-Q4 | 1 week |
| 2023-Q1 | 2 weeks |
| 2023-Q2 | 2 weeks |
| 2023-Q3 | 2 weeks |
| 2023-Q4 | 2 weeks |
| 2024-Q1 | 1 week |
| 2024-Q2 | 1 week |
| 2024-Q3 | 1 week |
| 2024-Q4 | 1 week |
| 2025-Q1 | 1 week |
| 2025-Q2 | 1 week |
| 2025-Q3 | 1 week |
| 2025-Q4 | 1 week |
| 2026-Q1 | 1 week |
| 2026-Q2 | 1 week |
| 2026-Q3 | 1 week |
| 2026-Q4 | 1 week |
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-539 data
Why does the I-539 table show only 2 locations?
USCIS publishes I-539 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-539 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