Reports · FY2026 Q2

USCIS Workload Report — FY2026 Q2

What happened to the immigration queue, where capacity stands against intake, what that implies for wait times, and which documented rule changes intersect the data. Built from USCIS's official quarterly report (January 1, 2026 - March 31, 2026) and our weekly archive of posted processing times.

1 · What happened

In FY2026 Q2, USCIS received 2,135,145 applications and completed 1,510,594 — the queue grew by 624,551 cases in a single quarter. The fastest-growing queues since FY2025 Q4: I-821D (+71.9%), I-914 (+56.3%), I-131 (+28.0%), I-360 (+27.8%). Moving the other way: I-821 (-51.1%), I-129 (-20.1%).

2 · Capacity and intake

"Capacity," measured by the only thing the public data shows directly: decisions per quarter. USCIS completed 1,510,594 cases in FY2026 Q2 (-1,030,870 vs FY2025 Q4, which was the fiscal year-end — historically a high-output quarter). Intake (2,135,145) exceeded decisions by 624,551 cases. As long as that gap is positive, the queue grows.

What this data does NOT show: staffing levels, hiring, or per-officer productivity — USCIS does not publish those alongside this report. When the agency shifts staff or priorities, it appears here only as a change in decisions per quarter. We treat decisions as the capacity measure and say so plainly.

3 · Processing outlook

Two measures per form, one realized and one scenario: the change in USCIS's own reported median, and the implied wait if current intake and decision rates hold for 12 months. The scenario is arithmetic with a stated assumption — not a prediction, and never about an individual case.

Full caveats (fiscal year-end seasonality, visa-capped categories, queue-vs-median divergences) live in the backlog tracker's methodology. See methodology →

4 · Documented rule changes

We record only documented changes that intersect this data, with source and date — no political commentary and no predictions about policy.

• The April 1, 2024 fee rule: I-485s filed on or after that date pay separate I-765 and I-131 fees. USCIS's official fee schedule (G-1055) still distinguishes applications by their filing date relative to that rule — its effect remains active in this period's fee structure. Source: G-1055
• Public Law 119-21: introduces an immigration parole fee collected at the port of entry for certain parole approvals (documented in G-1055, edition 05/29/26); it cannot be waived. Relevant to several I-131 categories in the table above.
• A data-coverage change: starting FY2026, USCIS's I-730 figures include cases adjudicated both domestically and overseas (footnote 9 of the quarterly report) — one example of why we compare quarters carefully and cite the report's own footnotes.

Arrive Legal is an independent information service; we are not a law firm, we do not provide legal advice, and we are not affiliated with USCIS. Nothing in this report is a prediction about any individual case.