USCIS · FORM I-526
I-526 processing time
Immigrant Petition by Standalone Investor. Below is every processing time USCIS publishes for this form, then USCIS's own quarterly counts.
Immigrant Petition by Standalone Investor
USCIS publishes 36.5–40.5 months for this category, handled at Immigrant Investor Program Office.
USCIS note for this category: “ALERT: In general, USCIS will first process Form I-526 petitions for investors for whom a visa is available or will soon be available. Processing times for Form I-526 are typically based on an analysis of the completed cases for the prior months.”
| Office | Processing time | Receipt date for a case inquiry | Data period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immigrant Investor Program Office | 36.5–40.5 months | June 16, 2023 | March 2026 to August 2026 |
How USCIS describes these numbers: “We generally process cases in the order we receive them. This processing time is based on how long it took us to complete 80% of adjudicated cases over the past six months. Each case is unique, and some cases may take longer than others. Processing times should be used as a reference point, not an absolute measure of how long your case will take to be completed.”
Source: USCIS, Check Case Processing Times, published September 17, 2026; recorded by greencardline October 17, 2026. USCIS shows a range for most forms; what the range means and how the inquiry date is used are explained, with quotes from USCIS, in How USCIS processing times work.
USCIS quarterly counts for I-526
| Quarter | Received | Approved | Denied | Pending | Processing time (months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Q1 | 0 | 694 | 388 | 8,539 | 51.83008015 |
| FY2024 Q3 | 0 | 1,266 | 426 | 5,017 | 52.5369287 |
| FY2024 Q4 | 0 | 903 | 388 | 3,744 | 57.5341835 |
| FY2025 Q1 | 0 | 595 | 196 | 2,668 | 70.9 |
| FY2025 Q2 | 0 | 456 | 200 | 1,854 | 71.7 |
| FY2025 Q3 | 0 | 368 | 312 | 1,248 | 77.4 |
| FY2025 Q4 | 0 | 98 | 95 | 1,105 | 78.5 |
| FY2026 Q2 | 0 | 15 | 57 | 1,030 | 94.1 |
| FY2026 Q3 | 0 | 17 | 80 | 960 | 99.2 |
| Quarter | Received | Approved | Denied | Pending | Processing time (months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Q1 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 214 | — |
| FY2024 Q3 | 35 | — | withheld | 307 | — |
| FY2024 Q4 | 43 | 14 | 14 | 377 | — |
| FY2025 Q1 | 63 | withheld | withheld | 380 | 10.1 |
| FY2025 Q2 | 94 | 0 | withheld | 516 | 12 |
| FY2025 Q3 | 96 | withheld | — | 574 | 25 |
| FY2025 Q4 | 91 | — | withheld | 664 | 11.2 |
| FY2026 Q2 | 73 | 11 | 12 | 776 | 23.7 |
| FY2026 Q3 | 66 | 5 | 11 | 858 | 32.3 |
Source: USCIS, "Number of Service-wide Forms by Quarter, Form Status, and Processing Time" (each quarter links to its file on uscis.gov). Fiscal years start October 1. "Withheld" means USCIS suppressed a small number.