I-129 Final-Stage Wait Hits 12 Days, Down 30% From a Year Ago
Week 36 data shows the final-stage median holding at 12 days, near the low end of the 12-week range, with a strong regression trend pointing toward continued modest improvement through late September.
The I-129 final-stage wait held at 12 days this week, unchanged from last week and 30% below the same week last year (17 days, across 4,890 cases). The 12-week trailing average sits at 15 days, meaning this week's reading is at the low end of the recent range. The 8-week regression slope of -1.0 day per week, supported by an R² of 0.87, reflects a consistent, not erratic, downward drift through the summer. No anomaly flags fired. For applicants tracking their case status, the queue is moving meaningfully faster than it was in August 2025.
- The I-129 final-stage median held at 12 days in Week 36, down 30.1% from 17 days in the same week last year.
- The 8-week regression slope is -1.0 day per week at R²=0.87, one of the cleaner trend fits in recent months, pointing toward continued improvement.
- Cases that received an RFE (Request for Evidence) cleared in a median of 21 days versus 15 days for plain cases, a 6-day gap that is modest relative to overall queue speed.
- The June 2026 filing-month group is 63.0% approved at 14 weeks of age; the April 2026 group has reached 77.8% approved at 22 weeks.
- The active pending backlog across all filing cohorts shrank by 10,822 cases (13.6%) over the past 28 days, consistent with the improving final-stage medians.
Twelve days, and holding
The I-129 final-stage wait came in at 12 days for the week of August 31, flat relative to the prior week and 30.1% below the 17-day reading from the same week in 2025. The 12-week trailing average is 15 days, so this week sits at the low end of what has been a gradual but steady summer improvement. For applicants checking their case status, the practical takeaway is that cases entering the final stage are clearing faster now than at nearly any point in the past year.
From 18 days to 12: how the summer played out
Medians peaked near 18 days in the weeks of July 13 and July 20, then fell through August, reaching 12 days by mid-August and holding there through this week. The 8-week regression slope of -1.0 day per week, with an R² of 0.87, indicates this is a consistent downward move rather than a one-week fluctuation. The contrast with last August is notable: the same-week medians in 2025 ran from 44 days (week of August 3) to 69 days (week of August 24 and August 10), while this August has stayed in the 12-to-13-day range. The data does not tell us why the two summers differ so sharply, though the pattern appears to follow a broad improvement in case throughput.
Last August, the final-stage wait ran as high as 69 days. This August, it has not exceeded 13.
A year makes a difference
Cases that received an RFE (Request for Evidence, USCIS's standard letter asking for missing or insufficient documents) cleared in a median of 21 days this week, compared with 15 days for cases that went through plain processing without an evidence request. The 6-day gap is modest relative to the overall speed of the queue. Receiving an RFE does not by itself indicate that a petition will be denied; most cases that receive one are still approved.
0.70x RFE response cases clear slower than the plain processing cohort.
Preview
Unlock the full analysis for your case
See the complete outlook, a personalised lookup against this week's cohort, and your estimated approval window.
- Full premium analysis: outlook, what it means for you, and implications.
- Personalised case lookup against this week's cohort, with percentile and remaining days.
- Estimated approval window mapped to your filing date.
Cancel anytime. Plans from $5.99/month.