USCIS publishes a processing time for Form I-765 at 2 offices. The published upper bound runs from 0.9 months at Service Center Operations (SCOPS) to 28.0 months at Service Center Operations (SCOPS). Each office also carries a case inquiry date — the date USCIS uses to decide whether a case is outside normal processing times. If the receipt date on your Form I-797C receipt notice is earlier than it, USCIS will accept a case inquiry (a service request) on the case; if it is later, USCIS treats the case as still within normal processing times. At the September 17, 2026 revision, 11 of these 17 entries had that date moved backward.
I-765 processing time at each USCIS office that adjudicates it
| Office | Subtype | Processing time | Case inquiry date |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Benefits Center | 147-C10 Application for Suspension of Deportation/Sec.244/NACARA/Cancel of Removal [(c)(10)] | 10–24 months+1.0 mo | October 18, 2024−31 d |
| National Benefits Center | 147-C11 Based on parole | 13.5–18 months | April 20, 2025 |
| National Benefits Center | 147-C18 Alien with Final Order of Deportation Under an OSUP [(c)(18)] | 16.5–18.5 months+1.0 mo | April 07, 2025−21 d |
| National Benefits Center | 147-C9 Based on a pending I-485 adjustment application [(c)(9)] | 12–16.5 months+1.5 mo | June 07, 2025−40 d |
| National Benefits Center | 147-OTH All other applications for employment authorization | 10.5–14.5 months+1.5 mo | July 27, 2025−48 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-539C26 Based on being an H-4 spouse of an H-1B nonimmigrant (filed with I-539 H4) [(c)(26)] | 6.5–10 months | December 18, 2025 |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-A18 Based on being an L-2 spouse of an L-1 nonimmigrant [(a)(18)] | 18–28 months | June 14, 2024−6 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-A3 Based on being admitted as a Refugee [(a)(3)] | 18.5–21.5 months−1.0 mo | December 27, 2024+25 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-A5 Based on an approved asylum application [(a)(5)] | 2.5–17 months | May 21, 2025−0 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-C26 Based on being an H-4 spouse of an H-1B nonimmigrant (Standalone; not filed with I-539 H4) [(c)(26)] | 17.5–19 months+0.5 mo | March 14, 2025−18 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-C3 Based on a request by a qualified F-1 academic student [(c)(3)] | 5–6.5 months+0.5 mo | April 06, 2026−4 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-C33 Based on an approved, concurrently filed, I-821D [(c)(33)] | — | — |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-C8 Based on a pending asylum application [(c)(8)] -renewal/replacement | 18.5–21.5 months+2.5 mo | December 31, 2024−69 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-C8I Based on a pending asylum application [(c)(8)] – Initial Application | 1–4 weeks | September 14, 2026 |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-C9 Based on a pending I-485 adjustment application [(c)(9)] | 12.5–16 months+0.5 mo | June 18, 2025−15 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-ELSAL Based on TPS for El Salvador [(c)(19), (a)(12)] | 18.5–19.5 months+1.0 mo | March 09, 2025−31 d |
| Service Center Operations (SCOPS) | 147-OTH All other applications for employment authorization | 16–19 months+0.5 mo | March 13, 2025−21 d |
How to read the I-765 figures
Processing time is the range USCIS itself publishes for Form I-765. It is an estimate of how long the agency is taking overall, not a measurement of any individual case, and USCIS revises it roughly monthly without announcing the change.
Case inquiry date is the one that decides what you can do. Find your office in the table above and compare that date against the receipt date printed on your Form I-797C receipt notice. If your receipt date is earlier, USCIS treats the case as outside normal processing times and will accept a case inquiry, also called a service request. If it is later, USCIS treats the case as still within normal processing times and will not act on an inquiry.
The coloured figures show what moved at the most recent revision. Next to a processing time, a red figure means USCIS raised the published upper bound. Next to a case inquiry date, a red figure means the date moved backward — cases that had become eligible to inquire are once again treated as within normal processing times.
What USCIS changed for I-765
Every revision this archive has recorded that touched Form I-765. USCIS publishes no history of its own revisions, so this is the only record that these figures were ever different.
| Observed | USCIS posting date | Inquiry date moved back | Slower | Faster |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-18 | August 17, 2026 → September 17, 2026 | 11 | 10 | 1 |
| 2026-08-18 | July 15, 2026 → August 17, 2026 | 14 | 12 | 0 |
| 2026-07-16 | June 23, 2026 → July 15, 2026 | 13 | 13 | 2 |
| 2026-06-24 | May 22, 2026 → June 23, 2026 | 12 | 8 | 2 |
Get alerted when this changes
USCIS revises these figures without notice and announces nothing. Tell us which office is handling your case for Form I-765 and we will email you when that exact combination moves — never for the routine daily shift.
We send one email asking you to confirm. Nothing else is sent until you click it. Every alert has a one-click unsubscribe.
Processing times for other forms
Every form USCIS publishes a processing time for.
I-90 I-102 I-129 I-129CW I-129F I-130 I-131 I-140 I-212 I-360 I-407 I-485 I-526 I-526(L) I-526E I-539 I-600 I-600A I-600A3 I-601 I-601A I-612 I-730 I-751 I-765V I-800 I-800A I-800A3 I-817 I-821 I-821D I-824 I-829 I-914 I-918 I-929 I-956 I-956F N-400 N-565 N-600 N-600K
← All forms and offices, and what changed at the last revision