Both queues are the same form, filed on the same paper, for the same purpose. In FY2026 Q2 USCIS decided 150,203 immediate relative petitions and 23,584 preference petitions — and the medians were 12.5 months and 39.4 months.
| Immediate relative | All other relative | |
|---|---|---|
| Median processing time | 12.5 months | 39.4 months |
| Filed this quarter | 126,666 | 37,808 |
| Decided this quarter | 150,203 | 23,584 |
| Still pending | 761,638 | 1,597,832 |
| Denials, of decisions | 11.5% | 43.2% |
USCIS I-130 figures, FY2026 Q2
The preference queue holds 1,597,832 petitions against 761,638 in the immediate relative queue, while deciding a fraction as many. That is the whole difference: a capped category has no reason to be adjudicated ahead of a visa queue that will not move for years.
The underlying pages
Source — USCIS quarterly data release, FY2026 Q2. Public domain.
Every figure above is read from the USCIS quarterly data release and rebuilt each time a new one is imported — this piece was last rebuilt 21 minutes ago. Nothing here is legal advice, and ImmigrationAll is not affiliated with USCIS or any government agency.