San Diego field office: a slow citizenship line
San Diego is one of the few large offices where the typical naturalization case now takes longer than the typical family green card case.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
N-400 naturalization
Within normal time
Too early for a case inquiry.
| Published range, San Diego, CA | 15.5 to 23.0 months |
|---|---|
| Time since your receipt date | 12.4 months |
| USCIS takes inquiries for receipts on or before | November 15, 2024 |
| 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
San Diego partly reverses the usual pattern. USCIS publishes 15.5 to 23 months for Form N-400 at the San Diego field office, rank 88 of 90, one of the slowest in the country, and 13 to 31.5 months for family-based Form I-485, rank 42. The median, the first figure of each range, is shorter for the family green card than for naturalization, which is rare; at the 80% mark the family queue is still the longer one. In our first record, from March 14, 2022, naturalization stood at 10 to 16 months, so its upper bound has moved by +7 months, against +6 for the family queue. Imperial, which serves the Imperial Valley along the border, publishes 14.5 to 18 months for the N-400 and 12.5 to 33 months for the family I-485; Santa Ana, in Orange County, 14 to 17 months and 27.5 to 43.5 months. USCIS accepts San Diego inquiries for N-400 receipts dated on or before November 15, 2024 and family I-485 receipts on or before March 12, 2024. Source: USCIS publication of September 17, 2026.
Median against 80% mark
The two numbers USCIS publishes answer different questions. The median says how long a typical case takes: 15.5 months for naturalization at San Diego and 13 for the family green card. The 80% mark says how long the slow cases take: 23 and 31.5 months. At San Diego the family queue has the shorter median and the longer tail.
Southern California beyond Los Angeles
Imperial ranks 73 for naturalization and 46 for family adjustment; Santa Ana ranks 66 and 87. None of the three southern offices is quick for every form.
Your case
Enter your receipt date in the checker above to see the months elapsed and whether the inquiry window has opened.
A border region office
San Diego handles many family cases involving relatives from Mexico, and the Visa Bulletin often weighs more than the office for them: F3 and F4 Mexico cutoffs are among the oldest in the bulletin. For citizenship, on the other hand, the office queue is the whole wait, and at rank 88 of 90 it is long. Imperial, nearby, is quicker for naturalization but slower for the family green card at the 80% mark.
San Diego, CA: latest published times
| Form | Range | Rank of 90 | Inquiries for receipts up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-400 | 15.5 to 23.0 months | 88 | November 15, 2024 |
| I-485 family-based | 13.0 to 31.5 months | 42 | March 12, 2024 |
Four years of published times
| Last publication of the year | N-400 | I-485 family |
|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2022 | 19.0 to 25.5 months | 17.0 to 30.0 months |
| December 27, 2023 | 9.0 to 14.5 months | 18.5 to 24.0 months |
| December 20, 2024 | 7.0 to 10.0 months | 17.0 to 31.5 months |
| December 18, 2025 | 9.0 to 11.5 months | 10.0 to 19.0 months |
| September 17, 2026 | 15.5 to 23.0 months | 13.0 to 31.5 months |