How long is I-129 taking right now?
Each form has a published range for every office, and where yours is handled can change it by months.
I-129 · Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
I-129: fee, documents and who can fileChecked automatically
USCIS posts
5 to 7.5 months
E3 - Specialty occupation workers from Australia
USCIS approval rates · I-129 · Q2 2026 (Apr–Jun)
78.4%
I-129 approval rate
193K
I-129 cases pending
Across every I-129 USCIS decided in the quarter, not a prediction for any one case.
See all approval ratesI-129 by category - fastest first
Pick one to see its dates above.
- H-2A - Temporary agricultural workers - Named Beneficiary0.5–4 mo
- H-2A - Temporary agricultural workers - Unnamed Beneficiary0.5–4 mo
- TN - United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, formerly NAFTA) professional4.5–7 mo
- H-2B - Temporary nonagricultural workers4–8 mo
- E3 - Specialty occupation workers from Australia5–7.5 mo
- Intracompany transferees and blanket L6.5–10.5 mo
Form I-129 at a glance
Of the 15 categories USCIS lists for Form I-129, the shortest posted time is 0.5 to 4 months, for H-2A - Temporary agricultural workers - Named Beneficiary; the longest is 20 to 22.5 months, for E - Treaty traders and investors.
The last change ImmigraMate recorded to the posted range for I-129 at E3 - Specialty occupation workers from Australia was on September 17, 2026. It now reads 5 to 7.5 months.
I-129 is the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. I-129: fee, documents and who can file
Forms decided centrally, at the National Benefits Center or Service Center Operations. Here the category of work is what changes the answer, not the office.
USCIS publishes the time by which 80% and 93% of cases were completed. Confirm on USCIS's processing times page.
Questions about I-129 processing times
How long is Form I-129 taking right now?
For E3 - Specialty occupation workers from Australia, USCIS currently posts 5 to 7.5 months on Form I-129. These are the figures USCIS published in October 2026. Of the 15 categories USCIS lists for Form I-129, the shortest posted time is 0.5 to 4 months, for H-2A - Temporary agricultural workers - Named Beneficiary; the longest is 20 to 22.5 months, for E - Treaty traders and investors.
How much does Form I-129 cost?
The USCIS filing fee for Form I-129 is $780.
I-129: fee, documents and who can fileWhat if my I-129 is taking longer than the posted time?
Once your case is older than the upper end of the posted range, 7.5 months for E3 - Specialty occupation workers from Australia, USCIS accepts a case inquiry about it as outside normal processing times. Check your case status first: a recent update may already answer the question.
What each case status meansIf a case inquiry does not move it, you can ask your member of Congress to contact USCIS about the case for you.
How a congressional inquiry works