USCIS Reports Over 1.5 Million Pending Form I-485 Applications

Data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shows that the inventory of pending Form I-485 applications stood at 1,560,290 at the close of June 2026. This figure represents applications awaiting a decision rather than a total count of all individuals worldwide seeking permanent residence.

Between April 1 and June 30, 2026, the agency received 242,989 applications while deciding 118,366 cases, resulting in higher incoming volumes than outgoing decisions for the quarter. Separate tracking data noted an 85.8% approval rate for the period, which is lower than the 88.4% recorded in the first quarter of 2026.

Completed cases included 54,678 family-based approvals and 12,240 denials, alongside 42,076 employment-based approvals and 3,160 denials. The median processing time for employment-based cases during the quarter was six months, though officials noted that medians reflect completed cases rather than individual wait times.

Additionally, USCIS announced updated mailing locations for paper Form I-485 submissions, offering a grace period through November 9, 2026, for applications sent to former addresses.