Green card backlog at record-high in US: Employer-sponsored PR card wait time at 3.44 years

US immigrant workers seeking employer-sponsored green cards are now facing the longest delays on record. By the end of the second quarter of 2025, the average processing time had reached 1,256 days, about 3.44 years, up sharply from 705 days (1.9 years) in 2016, according to a report by The Cato Institute. Even paying the $2,805 premium processing fee only reduces the wait to around 2.8 years.

These delays affect every stage of the green card process, from pre-filing documentation to the final adjustment, lengthening the wait before applications can even be formally submitted.

At its core, the green card system now spans years, not months, impacting hundreds of thousands of workers and their families while threatening US competitiveness for global talent. The Cato Institute warned, “America will lose the global talent competition when other countries grant green cards in a matter of a few weeks or months, not years.”

The process itself includes six key stages, each taking significantly longer than in 2016:

• Prefiling documentation – Gathering degrees, job history letters, and employer-pay evidence may take weeks or months.

• Prevailing wage determination – Department of Labour (DOL) sets wage levels based on job classification and location. 2025: 187 days (~6.1 months); 2016: 76 days (~2.5 months)

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• US worker recruitment – Employers advertise and interview qualified applicants. 2025: 141 days (~4.6 months); 2016: 131 days (~4 months)

• Labour certification (PERM) – DOL confirms no minimally qualified US worker applied. 2025: 483.4 days (~15.9 months); 2016: 180 days (~6 months)

• Employer petition (I-140) – DHS verifies worker qualifications and the employer's ability to pay. 2025: 234 days (~7.7 months) or 15 days with premium processing; 2016: 180 days (~6 months) or 15 days with premium

• Green card application (I-485) – Background, medical checks, and job offer confirmation. 2025: 210 days (~6.9 months); 2016: 165 days (~5.5 months)

These six stages total 3.44 years, not including pre-filing delays, cap-wait times, or temporary visa periods.

Backlogs are growing rapidly. At the end of fiscal Q2 2025, employer-sponsored cases pending with DOL and DHS had more than doubled from 2016, exceeding half a million. USCIS also manages 11.3 million total immigration applications, reflecting systemic delays. Over 90% of employer-sponsored applicants already reside in the US, typically on H-1B or other temporary visas while waiting for a green card.

The Cato Institute criticised the process as “redundant and burdensome,” noting that employees with green cards can fairly negotiate wages and employers are better positioned to judge worker qualifications than the government. It calls for a complete overhaul: “It is time for the US government to radically streamline its legal immigration system and eliminate unnecessary, burdensome procedures.”