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Form I-130 · family petition

I-130 processing time

The average i-130 processing time was 18.1 mo in August 2026, counted from receipt to decision across all cases USCIS completed that month. That is +3.3 months compared with August 2025; over the last 12 months the monthly average had a median of 16.6 mo.

VisaBulletin.org editorial teamUpdated 5 sources

I-130 processing time by month

Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, is how a U.S. citizen or permanent resident starts a family-based green card case.[4] It is one of USCIS's largest queues. USCIS defines the figure as "the number of months it took for an application, petition, or request to be processed from receipt to completion," averaged over all cases completed in the month, and notes it "may differ from processing times reported on other USCIS.gov webpages."[1]

I-130 (family petition): monthly USCIS figures, last 12 reports
MonthReceivedApprovedDeniedPendingPending >6 moAvg. time
Aug 202654,97328,02514,7042,475,4452,165,90218.1 mo
Jul 202654,47530,4305,4802,451,9212,142,02617.7 mo
Jun 202654,50328,9455,3622,431,6622,119,02117.1 mo
May 202656,32026,7515,5102,424,1012,108,15318.4 mo
Apr 202658,22235,17414,7082,383,9982,062,98319.1 mo
Mar 202660,56044,77123,2322,366,2042,036,40618.1 mo
Feb 202650,53442,8136,6692,357,1582,020,09814.8 mo
Jan 202653,73258,9164,7462,354,2092,003,55516.1 mo
Dec 202563,45353,9324,7012,362,6511,993,34116.1 mo
Nov 202558,63258,49312,2002,356,4261,975,73015.7 mo
Oct 202572,83076,1229,9022,361,5761,961,32815.0 mo
Sep 202571,56886,6239,4612,369,9371,955,34814.3 mo

Since November 2022 the monthly average ranged from 13.2 mo (October 2023) to 35.5 mo (November 2022).[3]

Trend since Nov 2022

I-130 (family petition) and related forms: average months to completion
010203040Nov '222023202420252026
  • I-130 (family petition)
  • I-751 (remove conditions)

Approvals, denials and the pending I-130 queue

In August 2026 USCIS approved 28,025 I-130s, denied 14,704 and had 2,475,445 pending, of which 2,165,902 had waited more than six months.[1] The I-751 petition to remove conditions on a two-year green card is shown in the chart for comparison.

I-130 approval is only the first step

For spouses, minor children and parents of U.S. citizens, an approved I-130 leads straight to a green card application. For preference relatives, approval only reserves a place in line: the priority date then has to become current in the Visa Bulletin.[4] See the green card wait time by category, the F2A visa bulletin for spouses of permanent residents, and the full USCIS processing times table.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an I-130 take?

Completed I-130s averaged 18.1 mo from receipt to decision in August 2026, +3.3 months compared with a year earlier.

Are I-130s for spouses of citizens faster?

USCIS reports I-130s as one group in this monthly report. Its online case processing tool lists separate times by relationship and office, so check there for a spouse-of-citizen petition at your service center.

Does my priority date start when I file the I-130?

Yes. For family petitions the priority date is generally the date USCIS properly receives the I-130, shown on the receipt notice.

Sources

  1. Number of Service-Wide Forms by Month, Form Status, and Processing Time: August 2026 (report to Congress, CSV) · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, August 2026
  2. Number of Service-Wide Forms by Month, Form Status, and Processing Time: August 2025 (report to Congress, CSV) · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, August 2025
  3. Number of Service-Wide Forms by Month, Form Status, and Processing Time: November 2022 (report to Congress, CSV) · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, November 2022
  4. I-130, Petition for Alien Relative · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, accessed November 13, 2026
  5. Check Case Processing Times · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, updated monthly