Archive · 14 Aug 2025
US Employer-Sponsored Green Card Delays Reach Record High
Imagine you're a worker from another country who wants to live and work in the US permanently.
You need a 'green card.'
Right now, it takes a super long time to get one, about 3.4 years!
This is because the government checks many things like your job and background.
Even if you pay extra money to speed things up, it still takes almost 3 years.
This long wait makes it harder for US companies to hire talented people.
The process has many steps, and each one takes longer than it used to.
The government is reviewing these delays.
Employer-sponsored green card processing times reached a record 3.44 years by the end of Q2 2025.
These delays impact multiple stages, from pre-filing documentation to the final application.
Paying a premium fee reduces the wait time to around 2.8 years, still substantial.
Backlogs are rapidly growing, with cases pending at DOL and DHS more than doubling since 2016.
The Cato Institute criticizes the process as burdensome and calls for a complete overhaul.
- Who
- US immigrant workers seeking employer-sponsored green cards and The Cato Institute.
- What
- Employer-sponsored green card processing times have reached a record high.
- When
- By the end of the second quarter of 2025, with comparison to 2016.
- Where
- United States
- Why
- The system is redundant and burdensome, causing significant delays in the process.
The Cato Institute
No opposing view present
Process Efficiency
The Cato Institute
Green card application process is redundant and burdensome, causing delays.
No opposing view present
Not explicitly mentioned.
- Average Processing Time (Q2 2025)
- 3.44 years
- Average Processing Time (2016)
- 1.9 years
- Premium Processing Fee
- $2,805
- Wait Time with Premium Processing
- 2.8 years
- Cases Pending (Q2 2025)
- Over half a million