USCIS Los Angeles: citizenship and family green card timelines
Southern California is split between several USCIS field offices; this page is about the Los Angeles office and the three neighbors people most often confuse with it.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
N-400 naturalization
Within normal time
Too early for a case inquiry.
| Published range, Los Angeles, CA | 10.5 to 14.0 months |
|---|---|
| Time since your receipt date | 12.4 months |
| USCIS takes inquiries for receipts on or before | August 13, 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
Los Angeles residents are not all sent to the same USCIS building. The Los Angeles field office publishes 10.5 to 14 months for naturalization, rank 23 of 90, and 15 to 37 months for family-based adjustment of status, rank 63. Its neighbors publish different figures: Los Angeles County 10.5 to 14 months and 17.5 to 38.5 months, Santa Ana 14 to 17 months and 27.5 to 43.5 months, San Fernando Valley 13 to 15.5 months and 13 to 38.5 months, in the same order. Naturalization is broadly similar across the four; family green cards are where the gaps open, with Santa Ana among the slowest offices in the country. The upper figure in each range is the time within which USCIS completes 80% of cases. At Los Angeles, a case inquiry is accepted for N-400 receipts dated on or before August 13, 2025 and for family I-485 receipts on or before September 27, 2023, according to the USCIS publication of September 17, 2026.
How the Los Angeles numbers have moved
When our series begins, on March 14, 2022, the Los Angeles office published 6.5 to 18 months for naturalization and 7.5 to 28.5 months for family adjustment. Today’s figures are 10.5 to 14 months and 15 to 37 months. The upper bound has moved by -4 months for citizenship and by +8.5 months for the family green card.
Santa Ana and the Valley
Santa Ana, which serves Orange County, ranks 87 of 90 for family adjustment, one of the longest queues in the system. San Fernando Valley ranks 72. For naturalization the four offices are much closer together. This matters when friends compare timelines: the same form, filed the same week, can be on very different clocks across Southern California.
Before calling USCIS
Check that your case is older than the upper figure, and that your receipt date is on or before the inquiry date USCIS publishes for the office. The checker above does both with your date. If your family case depends on the Visa Bulletin, look at your priority date too: an interview can happen while the green card itself still waits for a visa number.
Los Angeles, CA: latest published times
| Form | Range | Rank of 90 | Inquiries for receipts up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-400 | 10.5 to 14.0 months | 23 | August 13, 2025 |
| I-485 family-based | 15.0 to 37.0 months | 63 | September 27, 2023 |
Four years of published times
| Last publication of the year | N-400 | I-485 family |
|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2022 | 18.0 to 26.0 months | 19.5 to 35.0 months |
| December 27, 2023 | 7.0 to 10.0 months | 16.0 to 26.5 months |
| December 20, 2024 | 7.0 to 9.5 months | 12.5 to 21.5 months |
| December 18, 2025 | 7.5 to 10.0 months | 9.5 to 25.0 months |
| September 17, 2026 | 10.5 to 14.0 months | 15.0 to 37.0 months |