Green Card Applications Delays

Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C., has shared the results of its investigation into the processing times that immigrant workers now face when applying for green cards. In short, employer-sponsored green card applications average processing length had risen to 1,256 days, or 3.4 years, at the end of the second quarter of 2025—compared to 705 days (1.9 years) in 2016. In addition, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is dealing with an unprecedented backlog of immigration cases, reaching a record 11.3 million pending applications. According to the Cato Institute's report, even applicants who pay a $2,805 "premium processing fee" now wait almost two years on average before making it out of the "government's regulatory morass."

For additional information, please visit: Cato Institute, www.cato.org