Outstanding professor or researcher (E12) (I-140) Processing Time

USCIS reports 80% of Outstanding professor or researcher (E12) cases (Service Center Operations (SCOPS)) are completed within 15 months, per USCIS's own processing-times data.

USCIS data as of November 5, 2026not legal advice

USCIS reports 80% of cases in this category are completed within 15 months.

Processing office: Service Center Operations (SCOPS). Figure from USCIS's official processing times tool — check your own case's current estimate directly at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times, since USCIS updates these monthly and your specific receipt date affects where you fall in the range.

Outstanding professor or researcher (EB-1B): for academics with international recognition in a specific field who have at least 3 years of teaching/research experience and are entering a tenure-track or comparable permanent research position. Requires a job offer; cannot self-petition.

Other offices, same form

Already filing or about to?

AskDM's self-petition course and AI case builder help you match your own story against your own evidence — so your case is fully organized and ready the moment you're able to file, not left half-prepared while you wait.

See how it works →

This page is general information, not legal advice. AskDM is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation. The processing-time figure and the category description above are pulled directly from USCIS's own published data, current as of November 5, 2026. Processing times change — always confirm the current figure on USCIS's own site before making decisions based on it.