Boston field office: New England’s main USCIS queue
Massachusetts is served by Boston and Lawrence, and Rhode Island by Providence; the three publish strikingly different times.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
N-400 naturalization
Within normal time
Too early for a case inquiry.
| Published range, Boston, MA | 13.5 to 15.5 months |
|---|---|
| Time since your receipt date | 12.4 months |
| USCIS takes inquiries for receipts on or before | July 12, 2025 |
| National average to a decision (August 2026) | 12.7 months |
How this was calculated
- USCIS published these ranges on September 17, 2026. The upper figure is the time within which USCIS completed 80% of cases; the lower one is the median.
- The national average is a different measure: all cases completed in the month, from receipt to decision, as reported to Congress.
Processing-time data: ImmigrationTimes.org (CC BY 4.0), from USCIS; selected and reformatted. Check your own case on egov.uscis.gov.
Estimate from public data, not legal advice. Your case may differ (cross-chargeability, CSPA, waivers). For advice, see a licensed immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative. Not affiliated with USCIS or the Department of State. Method and past error
USCIS publishes 13.5 to 15.5 months for Form N-400 at the Boston field office, rank 41 of 90, and 13.5 to 28.5 months for family-based Form I-485, rank 29. Within an hour’s drive, the Lawrence office, which covers parts of northeastern Massachusetts, is among the slowest for both queues, at 18 to 20 months and 20.5 to 39.5 months, while Providence is among the fastest, at 10 to 13 months and 12.5 to 21 months. Boston itself is close to the middle for naturalization and in the faster third for family adjustment. Since our first record, from March 14, 2022, Boston’s upper bounds have moved by -1 months for citizenship and +7 months for the family green card. USCIS accepts Boston case inquiries for N-400 receipts on or before July 12, 2025 and for family I-485 receipts on or before June 12, 2024. Source: USCIS publication of September 17, 2026.
Neighbors far apart
The upper bound for the family green card is 39.5 months at Lawrence, 28.5 at Boston and 21 at Providence. For naturalization the three run from 13 to 20 months. Two applicants in neighboring towns can therefore be on very different clocks.
Boston since 2022
Our first record shows 11 to 16.5 months for the N-400 and 10.5 to 21.5 months for the family I-485 at Boston. At the 80% mark naturalization is now slightly quicker, while the family green card queue has grown by +7 months.
Your own file
Enter the receipt date from your notice in the checker above. If you have moved since filing, check which office your latest notice names: a transfer between offices can change both the range and the inquiry date that apply to you.
Which Massachusetts office is yours
USCIS assigns Massachusetts addresses to either Boston or Lawrence, and the office on your interview notice is the one that matters. A move between the two areas can transfer the file, and with Lawrence among the slowest offices for both queues, the difference is large. Rhode Island residents file with Providence; New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont have their own offices, which also publish separate figures.
Boston, MA: latest published times
| Form | Range | Rank of 90 | Inquiries for receipts up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-400 | 13.5 to 15.5 months | 41 | July 12, 2025 |
| I-485 family-based | 13.5 to 28.5 months | 29 | June 12, 2024 |
Four years of published times
| Last publication of the year | N-400 | I-485 family |
|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2022 | 14.0 to 23.5 months | 20.0 to 33.0 months |
| December 27, 2023 | 7.5 to 10.5 months | 15.0 to 27.0 months |
| December 20, 2024 | 7.5 to 14.0 months | 14.5 to 22.5 months |
| December 18, 2025 | 8.5 to 11.0 months | 8.0 to 16.5 months |
| September 17, 2026 | 13.5 to 15.5 months | 13.5 to 28.5 months |