Washington field office: times for the capital region
USCIS lists a Washington field office that serves much of the capital region; its family green card queue is among the shorter ones in the country.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
N-400 naturalization
Within normal time
Too early for a case inquiry.
| Published range, Washington, DC | 11.5 to 14.5 months |
|---|---|
| Time since your receipt date | 12.4 months |
| USCIS takes inquiries for receipts on or before | August 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
The USCIS Washington field office publishes 11.5 to 14.5 months for Form N-400, rank 32 of 90, and 18 to 24 months for family-based Form I-485, rank 17, which puts its family green card queue in the fastest fifth of the country. Its neighbors in the Mid-Atlantic are slower for the family green card: Baltimore publishes 19 to 32.5 months and Norfolk 19.5 to 41 months. For naturalization, Baltimore is among the slowest offices at 15 to 20.5 months, while Norfolk is quick at 10.5 to 13.5 months. In our first record, from March 14, 2022, the Washington office published 11.5 to 17.5 months for the N-400 and 11.5 to 27 months for family adjustment; the upper bounds have since moved by -3 and -3 months. USCIS accepts case inquiries for Washington N-400 receipts dated on or before August 12, 2025 and family I-485 receipts on or before October 19, 2024, per its publication of September 17, 2026.
A short family queue
Rank 17 of 90 for family adjustment means the Washington office completes 80% of these cases within 24 months, compared with 32.5 at Baltimore and 41 at Norfolk.
Baltimore and Norfolk
The three offices do not rank in the same order for the two forms. Norfolk is one of the quicker offices for naturalization and one of the slower ones for family adjustment; Baltimore is slow for naturalization and middling for family cases.
Checking your date
Put your receipt date in the checker above. If your green card is in a preference category, the Visa Bulletin also has to show your priority date as current before USCIS can approve.
Maryland and Virginia addresses
The capital region is served by several offices, and USCIS assigns each address to one of them. Washington, Baltimore and Norfolk publish very different figures, so neighbors on two sides of a county line can wait for different lengths of time. Naturalization at Norfolk ranks 17 of 90, while Baltimore ranks 86. Check the office on your notice before comparing with a neighbor’s timeline, and remember that a move across the line can transfer the file.
Washington, DC: latest published times
| Form | Range | Rank of 90 | Inquiries for receipts up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-400 | 11.5 to 14.5 months | 32 | August 12, 2025 |
| I-485 family-based | 18.0 to 24.0 months | 17 | October 19, 2024 |
Four years of published times
| Last publication of the year | N-400 | I-485 family |
|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2022 | 16.5 to 26.0 months | 17.0 to 39.0 months |
| December 27, 2023 | 8.0 to 11.5 months | 19.0 to 25.0 months |
| December 20, 2024 | 7.0 to 9.5 months | 22.0 to 31.0 months |
| December 18, 2025 | 8.5 to 10.5 months | 14.0 to 28.0 months |
| September 17, 2026 | 11.5 to 14.5 months | 18.0 to 24.0 months |