EB-2 NIW Processing Time and Cost Calculator (H-1B to NIW)
Plan the move from H-1B to an EB-2 National Interest Waiver green card. Enter your priority date and the cutoff date from this month's Visa Bulletin, choose premium processing or not, and the calculator shows whether a visa number is available, how far your date is from the cutoff, and the USCIS filing fees. Fees are from the USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055, edition 10/01/26). Visa Bulletin dates and regular processing times change every month, so you enter them — the page does not guess them.
EB-2 NIW processing time is the sum of three stages: USCIS deciding the I-140 petition, waiting until the Visa Bulletin shows a visa number for your priority date and country, and USCIS deciding the I-485 green card application. For an H-1B holder the first stage can be bought down to 45 business days; the second depends on country of birth and cannot be bought.
EB-2 NIW processing time by stage
| Stage | How long | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|
| I-140 with premium processing | 45 business days | USCIS: adjudicative action within 45 business days for E21 national interest waiver petitions (available since 30 January 2023) |
| I-140 regular processing | Varies by service center | USCIS processing-times page; enter the figure in months |
| Visa number available | Immediate if "C"; otherwise until the EB-2 Final Action Date passes your priority date | Monthly Visa Bulletin from the U.S. Department of State |
| I-485 adjustment of status | Varies by field office | USCIS processing-times page; enter the figure in months |
Other I-140 categories get premium action in 15 business days, but national interest waiver petitions get 45. The calculator shows the gap between your priority date and the cutoff in months. Read that as distance, not time: the cutoff can jump forward, stand still or move backwards from one bulletin to the next.
EB-2 NIW cost: USCIS filing fees
From the USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055, edition 10/01/26 (paper filing): Form I-140 is $715, plus a $300 Asylum Program Fee when you file as a self-petitioner, which is how a national interest waiver is filed. Premium processing for the I-140 (Form I-907) is $2,965. Form I-485 is $1,440 for each applicant aged 14 or over; a child under 14 filing with a parent pays $950. Worked example: one applicant with premium processing pays $715 + $300 + $2,965 + $1,440 = $5,420 in USCIS fees. A family of three adults without premium processing pays $715 + $300 + $4,320 = $5,335. Attorney fees are whatever you were quoted; the tool only adds them on.
How to read the Visa Bulletin for the H-1B to EB-2 NIW route
Your priority date is the day USCIS receives your I-140. Each month the Department of State publishes an employment-based table; find the 2nd preference row and the column for your country of chargeability, usually your country of birth. "C" means current: you can file or finish the I-485 now. A date means only people with an earlier priority date can move forward. Enter that date above. A national interest waiver removes the job offer and labor certification, not the visa queue, so the wait in an oversubscribed country is the same as for any other EB-2 case.
Limits of this estimate
The tool does not predict Visa Bulletin movement, requests for evidence, or approval odds, and it is not legal advice. Fees change; check the current G-1055 before you pay.
Sources: USCIS Fee Schedule, Form G-1055 (edition 10/01/26); USCIS, How Do I Request Premium Processing?; dates: Department of State Visa Bulletin and USCIS processing times. Last updated: October 2026.