U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data show average processing times of 5.8 months or six months for two categories of employment authorization documents. The figures cover October 2025 through July 2026.
The longest averages applied to applicants with a pending adjustment-of-status case filed on Form I-485 and to people seeking work authorization based on parole. Processing averaged 5.8 months for the first group and six months for the second.
These are historical averages, not guaranteed timelines for individual cases. USCIS measures from receipt of Form I-765 to completion and says the figures may differ from estimates in its online case tool because the methods differ. Historical data can also change as records are updated.
Applicants relying on a pending asylum case waited an average of 0.7 months. The average for DACA applicants filing Forms I-821D and I-765 together was 3.5 months. Other EAD applications averaged 3.9 months.
Compared with 2025, processing for parole-based applications rose from 0.9 to six months. For pending I-485 cases, the average increased from 2.2 to 5.8 months. USCIS advises applicants to check its current tool by form, category and the office handling the case.