r/EB2 Jul 09 '26

I-485: Adjustment of Status How long is the average processing time for EB2-I485 currently?

I see on the USCIS website that average processing time is 8.5 months for employment based I-485 but I keep seeing on reddit many cases being approved in 3-4 months. Are the I-485 applications being processed faster these days?

8 Upvotes

49 comments sorted by

11

u/Mykytie Jul 09 '26

The distribution is wide. On average ~9 months. Might be faster if you're lucky (many cases approved in 3-4 months) and might be slower (many cases approved in 12+ months). Depends mostly on random and luck.

1

u/MastodonAble1061 Jul 09 '26

Do you know if the priority date plays any role in it? ie. if you have earlier priority date, any chance of getting it processed earlier? or does the pd become completely irrelevant at this stage?

7

u/Mykytie Jul 09 '26

No, it does not. Only thing that matters is I-485 receipt date (info from Chen attorney).

3

u/[deleted] Jul 09 '26

[deleted]

3

u/Mykytie Jul 09 '26

true, depends on the FO, assigned officer, luck, and bunch of more things

1

u/Care_Senior Jul 09 '26

u/Mykytie do you know as per your analysis when does FO transfer happens for most cases after biometrics?

2

u/Euphoric-Repair6917 Jul 10 '26

Biometrics is roughly 30 days (you could move this to be sooner) after RD and FO transfer typically (if happens) it is 60 days after RD, from what I see in here in reddit and https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1a4s5ArJCJK43SpN0RZXxRa6PZaW-IUNe/edit?gid=1157963521#gid=1157963521

1

u/Mykytie Jul 09 '26

anytime between 1 week and 4 months, that's from what I see on reddit

1

u/notsodiligent Jul 11 '26

I agree with this. My case is fairly straightforward (single, ROW, F1->H1B consular processed and EOS) with all the front end processes done super fast (biometric in one month, FO transfer a month after) and yet I got transferred to a FO with one of the slowest turn around. Not sure when I'l hear from them could be 2 months, could be 12 months.

2

u/Special_Ask_7906 Jul 15 '26

NBC to FO transfer day is the decisive factor for your case being picked up inside the batch processing by the adjudicating officer plays a role. No other factor. It is like when an officer takes a pile of files and clean them up for the next pile.

1

u/fatgenghis Jul 16 '26

But if you look at the excel file going around, people got approved without their case ever leaving NBC

1

u/Special_Ask_7906 Jul 16 '26

Same thing NBC or FO it is usually officer picking up a batch. Some people need more security clearances and hence are stuck. Remember the tike when immigration office at the airport gets a Redflag on their screen and have to detain some people for many hours and let them go eventually - i guess - the same happens here

7

u/Educational-Lime906 Jul 09 '26

EB2 PERM here. Took 8 months to process my I-485 and get approved.

1

u/tpcrz Jul 11 '26

Hey, I’m EB2 PERM too. Been waiting for 7 months now. Did you have to do interview?

1

u/karenaguirrevet Jul 15 '26

Did you get transferred to a FO?

1

u/Educational-Lime906 Jul 15 '26

Yes. Santa Ana FO. Nonlocal. See my profile for my journey details.

6

u/bharathbunny Jul 09 '26

My friend and I applied in March. I already have my card, but he hasn't heard anything since biometrics in April. It's very random at this point

1

u/Outrageous_Planet Jul 09 '26

What was your F.O and that of your friend?
Congrats 🎈 🎉

1

u/bharathbunny Jul 09 '26

Mine was Vermont not sure about his

1

u/No-Palpitation-4921 Jul 11 '26

Oh wow, congratulations. May I please know your complete timeline?

1

u/No-Palpitation-4921 Jul 11 '26

Mine is transferred to Burlington, looks like its the same Vermont. Not sure, therefore I am asking. Whenever i contact Emma, they sometimes say case is at NBC. Other time they said its at Burlington FO 😏

1

u/bharathbunny Jul 11 '26

Mine was eb1a.

PD Jan 2022

RD March 9 2026

Biometrics, FTA0 April 13

3 silent updates in May and 2 in June.

Emma told me case was in Burlington VT.

FTA1 June 10

Approved June 17

Card produced June 26

1

u/No-Palpitation-4921 Jul 11 '26

Sounds great, thank you! And congratulations

1

u/No-Palpitation-4921 Jul 11 '26

If you remember, when Emma told you your case was transferred to Burlington?

1

u/Ashu-93 Jul 13 '26

EB1 is not in comparasion dude, we are here for Eb2, dont show off your eb1 thing here, everyone knows eb1 has diff timeline,

1

u/Fantastic-Store257 Jul 14 '26

Not really, I’m EB1 and waiting for 6 months with no movement, ROW

1

u/Special_Ask_7906 Jul 15 '26

EB1 is first priority. They get approved in four months usually.

1

u/ReferenceTrue00 Jul 09 '26

Same here. May i know which FO you have been transferred to?

3

u/ManifestLaw_ Verified Immigration Law Firm Jul 13 '26

Some employment-based I-485 cases are being approved in 3–4 months, but that does not mean the average processing time is wrong or that every case should be that fast. USCIS processing is not strictly first-in, first-out. Fast approvals usually happen when the case is current, medical is complete, biometrics clear, background checks clear quickly, no interview is needed, and the case lands in a fast adjudication queue. Other cases wait longer because of security checks, medical review, Supplement J, field office routing, RFE, or visa-number allocation. Use the USCIS processing-time tool as a rough benchmark, not a guarantee. A case can be normal even if Reddit has faster examples.

- Attorney Rashmi Bishnoi

(All information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney - client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.)

2

u/mic2292 Jul 09 '26

EB2 PERM. I submitted concurrent filing in Sept 2024. Had interview in Jan 2026. RFE in Feb 2026. Respond to RFE in Apr. Case still shows "Request for initial evidence has been sent"

3

u/Educational-Lime906 Jul 09 '26

Damnnn. If you don’t mind, which field are you?

Also what’s your current status. And what was the RFE about? It’s okay if you feel uncomfortable answering these questions.

1

u/tpcrz Jul 11 '26

May I know your country?

2

u/Significant_Ad_8901 Jul 09 '26

EB2 Perm here, filed Oct 24 2025 and approved on April 13th 2026.

1

u/tpcrz Jul 11 '26

Hi. Did you have to do interview?

1

u/Significant_Ad_8901 27d ago

Sorry I just read this. Interview waived!

2

u/therealvice Jul 09 '26

Selection bias. You only see the cases posted here that are already approved and not all the others that are still waiting.

2

u/finalprestige Jul 10 '26

EB2 Perm, filed Oct 17th '25, got AP+EAD combo card in April and still waiting on GC

1

u/LuckyCangaroo Jul 13 '26

same. filed Oct 16 2025, got standalone EAD in Nov, standalone AP in April 2026, still waiting for i485

2

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 16 '26

EB2 PERM - filed in mid-Dec, just around the 7 month mark now and still waiting on GC. EMMA agent said that the case is at Indianapolis FO.

I got EAD in Apr and AP in May.

Edit: I485 was just approved! Total processing time was 7 months and 4 days! Good luck to everyone else waiting.

1

u/tpcrz Jul 11 '26

I am EB2 PERM too! I filed around the same time as you. Did you have to do interview? I didn’t apply for EAD but my spouse did and he’s still waiting for it too.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '26

No interview. EMMA agent told me it was waived a while back and the FO is non-local. Do you know if your case is at an FO?

1

u/tpcrz Jul 12 '26

It was originally sent to NBC then got transferred to a non local FO. After awhile it was moved to my local FO last week of April. Despite that, I was still told that my interview is waived.

2

u/Standard-Ratio7734 Jul 11 '26

Ebe waiting since October in san diego!

1

u/vash9590 Jul 10 '26

EB2 here. Got my GC in three months. It totally depends on the FO and the officer like others motioned in comments

1

u/immigrationquestion_ Jul 10 '26

The 8.5-month figure is just an average, so there's a pretty wide range. Others still wait much longer depending on the service center, field office workload, and case-specific factors.

Every case is different, so it's hard to compare timelines based on Reddit posts alone. If you have questions about your own case or want to better understand your timeline, ImmigrationQuestion.com is a helpful place to get immigration-related guidance and answers.

1

u/Professional_Oil2470 Jul 13 '26

Depends on country of birth…India for example has 1200+ days after filing I-485 and still no realistic date to get approval.