After Form I-360 is approved, the wait for a green card runs from roughly 8 to 24 months if you qualify as an immediate relative, and several years if you sit in the EB-4 preference line, where the current cutoff is July 15, 2022.1U.S. Department of State. Visa Bulletin for April 2026 The category on your approved petition, not the approval date, is what sets the clock.
Which I-360 Category Are You In
Form I-360 covers several distinct classifications, and they do not share a single path to permanent residence.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. About Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant The dividing line is whether you are treated as an immediate relative (visa always available, no waiting for a number) or fall into a preference category with a capped annual supply.
- VAWA self-petitioners whose abuser is a U.S. citizen are treated as immediate relatives. A visa number is immediately available on I-360 approval.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for VAWA Self-Petitioner
- VAWA self-petitioners whose abuser is a lawful permanent resident fall into a family-based preference category and may need to wait for a number.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for VAWA Self-Petitioner
- Widows and widowers of U.S. citizens are also immediate relatives, provided the petition is filed within two years of the citizen spouse’s death.
- Special Immigrant Juveniles, religious workers, and most other special immigrants sit in the EB-4 preference category, which currently has a backlog affecting every country.
If you’re an immediate relative, you’re counting in months. If you’re in a preference category, you’re counting in years.
The EB-4 Backlog and What the Visa Bulletin Tells You
EB-4 applicants compete for a limited pool of visas each fiscal year. As of April 2026, the Final Action Date for EB-4 is July 15, 2022, across all countries.1U.S. Department of State. Visa Bulletin for April 2026 USCIS can only approve a green card if your priority date (the date your I-360 was filed) is earlier than that cutoff. Petitions filed after July 2022 sit and wait.
The Department of State’s monthly Visa Bulletin publishes two charts. Chart A, Final Action Dates, is when USCIS can actually approve your green card. Chart B, Dates for Filing, is when you can submit your I-485 to get into the queue even though final approval isn’t yet available.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Visa Availability and Priority Dates For EB-4 in April 2026, the Dates for Filing cutoff is January 1, 2023.1U.S. Department of State. Visa Bulletin for April 2026 USCIS announces each month which chart adjustment applicants should use.
Cutoff dates advance unpredictably. Some months they move by weeks, others by months, and sometimes they hold or retrogress. For Special Immigrant Juveniles who filed recently, the realistic wait from I-360 approval to a green card can stretch well beyond three years given where the line currently sits.
Concurrent Filing Shortens the Sequence
Some I-360 categories let you file Form I-485 at the same time as the I-360, rather than in sequence. USCIS permits concurrent filing for:5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Concurrent Filing of Form I-485
- Widows and widowers of U.S. citizens
- VAWA self-petitioners whose abuser is a U.S. citizen, or where a visa number is immediately available
- Special Immigrant Juveniles when an EB-4 number is immediately available
- Special Immigrant International Organization employees and their family members
Concurrent filing does not speed the I-360 itself. USCIS won’t approve the I-485 until the I-360 is approved. What it saves is the weeks or months you would otherwise lose between the two filings.
The Adjustment of Status Timeline Inside the U.S.
If you’re in the United States with an approved I-360 and a visa number available (or immediate-relative status), you’ll file Form I-485.
The package includes your I-360 approval notice, a birth certificate, government-issued photo ID, passport-style photographs, and Form I-693, the immigration medical exam completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Checklist of Required Initial Evidence for Form I-485 A missing or incomplete I-693 can lead USCIS to reject the whole filing. The medical exam itself typically runs $200 to $400 depending on the provider.
Once USCIS accepts the application, it collects biometrics for background checks. Many applicants are then scheduled for an interview with a USCIS officer. If everything checks out, the green card arrives by mail within a few weeks of approval.
What You’ll Pay
The standard I-485 fee is $1,440, but most I-360 categories pay nothing:7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
- VAWA self-petitioners, including derivatives: $0
- Special Immigrant Juveniles: $0
- Afghan and Iraqi special immigrants and derivatives: $0
- Religious workers and other special immigrants: $1,440 paper or $1,375 online
Biometric services are folded into the filing fee, so there’s no separate $85 charge. For categories that do pay, the fee also covers a concurrently filed work permit and advance parole document.
Time the Medical Exam Carefully
A Form I-693 signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, is valid only while the application it was submitted with remains pending.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Changes Validity Period for Any Form I-693 Signed on or after Nov. 1, 2023 If your I-485 is denied or withdrawn, the exam dies with it and you’d need a fresh one to refile. If you’re an SIJ applicant staring at a multi-year backlog, don’t get the exam early. Schedule it close to when you file.
If You’re Outside the U.S.: Consular Processing
Applicants abroad go through consular processing rather than adjustment. After USCIS approves the I-360, the case is forwarded to the National Visa Center.9U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visas – NVC Processing As of late March 2026, the NVC was creating cases within roughly two weeks of receiving approved petitions.10U.S. Department of State. NVC Timeframes
The NVC sends a Welcome Letter with your case number. You pay applicable fees, submit Form DS-260, and upload supporting documents. The NVC reviews the file for completeness and schedules an interview at the U.S. embassy or consulate in your country. If the consular officer approves the case, you receive an immigrant visa and enter the U.S. as a permanent resident.
NVC processing itself can take several months depending on how quickly you submit documents. Interview scheduling varies widely by post. Some consulates schedule within weeks of NVC completion; others carry backlogs of several months.
Working and Traveling While You Wait
VAWA self-petitioners with an approved I-360 are eligible for an Employment Authorization Document. If you checked the work authorization box on the I-360 itself, USCIS may issue an EAD on approval.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 3, Part D, Chapter 5 – Adjudication Otherwise, you can file a standalone Form I-765 under category (c)(31) after approval.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765, Instructions for Application for Employment Authorization A prima facie determination, issued earlier in the VAWA process, does not authorize work. USCIS has said it lacks statutory authority to grant employment authorization based on that alone.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. National Engagement – VAWA I-360 Self-Petition, T Visa and U Visa Q&A
If your I-485 is pending, you can also request an EAD through that application. For categories paying the full I-485 fee, the EAD is included at no extra cost.
Travel is a trap. If your I-485 is pending and you leave the country without an advance parole document (Form I-131), USCIS generally treats the green card application as abandoned.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While Your Green Card Application Is Pending with USCIS Get the travel document before booking any international flight.
Age-Out Risk for Children Nearing 21
Under immigration law, a “child” must be unmarried and under 21. Turning 21 during the wait can cost eligibility under the classification you were approved under, and marriage at any age ends child status.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)
The Child Status Protection Act gives some cover. For VAWA self-petitioners and immediate relatives, age is frozen on the date the I-360 is filed. If you were under 21 when the petition went in and you remain unmarried, you won’t age out. For preference categories like EB-4, the CSPA age is your age when a visa becomes available, minus the time the petition was pending. If that number is under 21, you still qualify as a child.
What to Do If Your Case Drags
USCIS publishes expected processing times by form type. If your case has been pending longer than the posted range and you haven’t received an update in the past 60 days, you can submit an inquiry through the USCIS e-Request tool. For form types not listed in the tables, USCIS aims to decide within six months and asks that you wait that long before inquiring.16U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Check Case Processing
Expedite requests are accepted case-by-case, and approval is discretionary. Qualifying grounds include severe financial loss beyond needing a work permit, emergencies or humanitarian crises such as serious illness or natural disasters, clear USCIS error, and government or national security interests.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Expedite Requests USCIS has said explicitly that needing work authorization, on its own, does not justify expedited processing. Compelling additional factors have to be shown.