Form I-129 processing time
Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
Typical range
3-7 months
As of 2026-06-12; source: USCIS Form G-1055 (effective April 1, 2024); uscis.gov/i-129
High-end rank
#16
of 19 processing-time routes; -11 months vs median high end
Historical USCIS trend for I-129
USCIS fiscal-year medians · FY2016-FY2024The live USCIS tool answers "what is the current posted range?" The historical series answers a different question: whether this form's median wait has been rising, falling, or coming off a prior backlog peak.
Nonimmigrant Petition (non-Premium filed)
Latest 2.7 mo (FY2024) · peak 5.1 mo (FY2016) · flat
| Basis for filing | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant Petition (non-Premium filed) | 5.1 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.7 |
Median months from receipt to completion. National median months from receipt to completion across all USCIS offices. FY2024 reflects Oct 1, 2023 – Jan 31, 2024 (partial year). Historical fiscal-year medians use a different methodology than the live USCIS processing-times tool and are not directly comparable. Source: USCIS Historical Processing Times Trends.
Live USCIS check
USCIS updates processing times monthly. Select your form, service center, and case type in the official tool before relying on any estimate. Historical fiscal-year medians and live monthly ranges use different methods.
egov.uscis.gov/processing-timesEstimate your timeline
Use the received date from your Form I-797 receipt notice. The calculator adds the low and high ends of this range and shows the estimated completion window and inquiry date.
Common questions
- What is the processing time for Form I-129?
- USCIS reports a typical processing range of 3-7 months for Form I-129 as of 2026-06-12. This varies by service center, case type, and current USCIS workload. Always check egov.uscis.gov/processing-times for the current live range.
- What is the case inquiry date for I-129?
- Your case inquiry date is your received date plus the high end of the published processing range (7 months). After this date, USCIS considers your case outside normal processing time and you may submit an inquiry.
- Does premium processing apply to I-129?
- Premium processing available for many I-129 visa types.
- Is I-129 processing getting faster or slower?
- USCIS historical fiscal-year medians show I-129 roughly flat recently: the latest median was 2.7 months in FY2024, compared with a peak of 5.1 months in FY2016. FY2024 is partial and should not be treated as the live monthly processing time.