USCIS backlog: how much work is in the queue
From USCIS's official quarterly report — FY2026 Q2 (January 1, 2026 - March 31, 2026)
Pending cases
12.13M
+478,893 since FY2025 Q4
Received this quarter
2,135,145
Completed this quarter
1,510,594
net inflow: +624,551 (queue grew)
Biggest movers since FY2025 Q4
I-730
+166.8%
pending: 37,779
I-821D
+71.9%
pending: 223,522
I-914
+56.3%
pending: 106,957
I-821
-51.1%
pending: 574,448
I-131
+28.0%
pending: 546,459
By form
FY2026 Q2 quarter figures; "backlog months" = pending ÷ (completions ÷ 3). Pending change vs FY2025 Q4.
| Form | Received | Completed | Pending | Backlog months | Pending change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-130 | 164,474 | 173,787 | 2,359,470 | 40.7 | +0.1% |
| I-765 | 588,642 | 385,222 | 1,917,467 | 14.9 | +13.0% |
| I-485 | 237,191 | 133,271 | 1,437,210 | 32.4 | +15.5% |
| I-589 | 29,261 | 43,414 | 1,414,955 | 97.8 | -1.4% |
| N-400 | 140,767 | 98,481 | 660,692 | 20.1 | +23.6% |
| I-821 | 839 | 9,216 | 574,448 | 187 | -51.1% |
| I-90 | 227,316 | 190,022 | 558,086 | 8.8 | +10.2% |
| I-131 | 145,333 | 84,426 | 546,459 | 19.4 | +28.0% |
| I-918 | 16,256 | 6,687 | 461,200 | 206.9 | +9.3% |
| I-751 | 42,372 | 17,372 | 299,880 | 51.8 | +13.7% |
| I-360 | 62,410 | 16,220 | 297,394 | 55 | +27.8% |
| I-821D | 84,857 | 18,638 | 223,522 | 36 | +71.9% |
| I-140 | 51,110 | 54,647 | 184,209 | 10.1 | +2.1% |
| I-129 | 130,202 | 149,730 | 120,477 | 2.4 | -20.1% |
| I-539 | 62,388 | 47,486 | 109,156 | 6.9 | +25.2% |
| I-914 | 14,759 | 651 | 106,957 | 492.9 | +56.3% |
| I-601A | 8,545 | 9,092 | 71,985 | 23.8 | -1.9% |
| N-600 | 15,260 | 11,350 | 57,163 | 15.1 | +18.8% |
| I-730 | 2,805 | 2,184 | 37,779 | 51.9 | +166.8% |
| I-129F | 8,676 | 11,443 | 34,676 | 9.1 | -10.2% |
| I-290B | 7,803 | 7,314 | 26,407 | 10.8 | +4.9% |
| N-565 | 10,103 | 8,362 | 25,339 | 9.1 | +12.1% |
| I-824 | 4,142 | 3,136 | 15,208 | 14.5 | +15.5% |
| G-325A | 3,045 | 197 | 12,999 | 198 | +13.3% |
| I-526E | 1,699 | 980 | 10,453 | 32 | +16.1% |
| I-829 | 1,136 | 806 | 7,171 | 26.7 | +4.9% |
| I-102 | 720 | 628 | 4,447 | 21.2 | +40.0% |
| N-336 | 971 | 863 | 3,548 | 12.3 | +12.8% |
| I-929 | 361 | 227 | 2,005 | 26.5 | +7.0% |
| I-526 | 73 | 95 | 1,806 | 57 | +2.1% |
| N-648 | 7,148 | 7,511 | 1,548 | 0.6 | +21.3% |
Forms with annual visa caps (I-130 preference categories, for example) have queues limited by visa availability, not just USCIS speed — their backlog months reflect that wait.
Outlook: how much could times lengthen?
Two measures, side by side: what USCIS already reported (its median processing time, FY2025 Q4 → FY2026 Q2) and what the queue implies if current receipt and decision rates hold for 12 months. The second is an arithmetic scenario, not a prediction.
| Form | USCIS median FY2025 Q4 | USCIS median FY2026 Q2 | Reported change | Implied wait today | +12-month scenario* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-130 | 16.4 mo | 16.2 mo | -0.3 mo | 40.7 mo | 40.1 mo |
| I-765 | 1.7 mo | 2.5 mo | +0.8 mo | 14.9 mo | 21.3 mo |
| I-485 | 7.1 mo | 6.2 mo | -0.9 mo | 32.4 mo | 41.7 mo |
| N-400 | 5.7 mo | 7.3 mo | +1.7 mo | 20.1 mo | 25.3 mo |
| I-821 | 7 mo | 12.6 mo | +5.6 mo | 187 mo | 176.1 mo |
| I-90 | 4.6 mo | 9.3 mo | +4.7 mo | 8.8 mo | 11.2 mo |
| I-131 | 8.5 mo | 8.1 mo | -0.4 mo | 19.4 mo | 28.1 mo |
| I-918 | 14.9 mo | 15.2 mo | +0.3 mo | 206.9 mo | 224.1 mo |
| I-751 | 18.8 mo | 25 mo | +6.2 mo | 51.8 mo | 69.1 mo |
| I-360 | 5 mo | 6.1 mo | +1.1 mo | 55 mo | 89.2 mo |
| I-821D | 0.4 mo | 3.9 mo | +3.5 mo | 36 mo | 78.6 mo |
| I-140 | 6.4 mo | 3.4 mo | -3 mo | 10.1 mo | 9.3 mo |
| I-129 | 3.6 mo | 7.1 mo | +3.5 mo | 2.4 mo | 0.8 mo |
| I-539 | 2.9 mo | 3.4 mo | +0.5 mo | 6.9 mo | 10.7 mo |
| I-914 | 24.2 mo | 28.6 mo | +4.4 mo | 492.9 mo | 752.9 mo |
| I-601A | 25.2 mo | 24 mo | -1.2 mo | 23.8 mo | 23 mo |
| N-600 | 3.8 mo | 6.1 mo | +2.3 mo | 15.1 mo | 19.2 mo |
| I-129F | 7.9 mo | 7.5 mo | -0.4 mo | 9.1 mo | 6.2 mo |
| I-290B | 2.4 mo | 3.9 mo | +1.5 mo | 10.8 mo | 11.6 mo |
| N-565 | 4.7 mo | 6.9 mo | +2.2 mo | 9.1 mo | 11.6 mo |
* Pending + 4 × (latest quarter's received − completed), expressed as months of work at the current decision pace. Assumes both rates hold — USCIS can speed up (this period I-131's median FELL while its queue grew 28.0%). The queue measures pressure; the median measures what got decided — when they point in opposite directions, we show it as-is.
Methodology
Source. USCIS's official quarterly report "All USCIS Application and Petition Form Types", FY2026 Q2, published at uscis.gov. We normalize the published workbook and verify that per-column sums reconcile against the report's own TOTAL row before publishing. Original file (SHA-256 4a5c2471aa93dff0…).
Formulas. Backlog months = pending ÷ (quarterly completions ÷ 3). Net inflow = received − completions. Change = comparison against the previous ingested quarter, identified in each table. +12-month scenario = (pending + 4 × net inflow) ÷ (completions ÷ 3), with the constant-rates assumption stated explicitly. Nothing else: no models, no seasonality adjustment, no individual predictions.
Limitations. The report lands a month or two after each quarter; completions vary with staffing and policy, so "backlog months" is a snapshot of the current pace, not a destiny; and some forms group categories with very different waits — office- and category-level detail lives on our processing-times pages.
Cadence. Updated when each quarterly report is released. Quarters ingested so far: FY2025 Q4, FY2026 Q2.
For journalists
The data and derived figures on this page may be freely cited with attribution:
"Arrive Legal (arrivelegal.com), analysis of USCIS quarterly data, FY2026 Q2."
The CSV includes every form's received, completed, pending, backlog months and quarterly changes, plus source URLs.
Each quarter's full analysis is published as a permanent report: quarterly workload reports.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the USCIS backlog right now?
As of FY2026 Q2 (January 1, 2026 - March 31, 2026), USCIS reports 12,129,905 pending cases across all forms. It received 2,135,145 and completed 1,510,594 during the quarter — the backlog grew by 624,551 cases.
What does 'backlog months' mean?
It is the pending queue divided by the current decision pace: pending ÷ (quarterly completions ÷ 3). If USCIS holds its current pace, that is how many months of work sit in the queue. It is not a prediction about any individual case.
Where does this data come from?
From USCIS's official quarterly report ('All USCIS Application and Petition Form Types'), published at uscis.gov a month or two after each quarter ends. Every derived figure on this page is simple arithmetic on that report — reproducible in a spreadsheet.
Does this predict how long my case will take?
No. It measures the whole queue, not your place in it. For your form and office, see the current posted times — and subscribe to alerts to know when they change.
Waiting on a case? See current times by office · free alerts