N-400 processing time
Form N-400, Application for Naturalization — the citizenship application, filed by permanent residents to become U.S. citizens. Official USCIS figures, updated when USCIS publishes new reports.
N-400 median processing time since 2021
Monthly average processing time
USCIS also reports to Congress every month. These are averages for cases completed in each month, so single slow cases pull them up; they are usually higher than the median.
| Form | Avg time | Received | Approved | Denied | Pending | Pending > 6 mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 12.7 mo | 54,492 | 15,349 | 4,213 | 813,453 | 513,462 |
Pending N-400 cases
N-400 backlog by USCIS field office
USCIS publishes pending and completed N-400 cases for every office each quarter. Dividing the pending cases by the office's average monthly completions over the last four quarters gives a rough backlog-clearance estimate: how long the current queue would take at the recent pace. It is our calculation, not a USCIS processing time; nationally it is about 16 months.
| Office | State | Pending | Completed / month | Backlog estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence | MA | 14,036 | 345 | 41 mo |
| Portland | OR | 8,599 | 303 | 28 mo |
| St. Paul | MN | 11,279 | 413 | 27 mo |
| San Jose | CA | 20,899 | 788 | 27 mo |
| Las Vegas | NV | 8,230 | 323 | 25 mo |
| Fresno | CA | 9,722 | 382 | 25 mo |
| San Francisco | CA | 18,645 | 736 | 25 mo |
| Boston | MA | 17,385 | 701 | 25 mo |
| Boise | ID | 1,714 | 73 | 24 mo |
| Indianapolis | IN | 7,616 | 326 | 23 mo |
| Jacksonville | FL | 6,351 | 274 | 23 mo |
| San Diego | CA | 12,567 | 552 | 23 mo |
| Imperial | CA | 2,042 | 91 | 22 mo |
| Oklahoma City | OK | 6,348 | 286 | 22 mo |
| Seattle | WA | 18,384 | 852 | 22 mo |
| Sacramento | CA | 15,918 | 750 | 21 mo |
| Santa Ana | CA | 14,054 | 669 | 21 mo |
| Buffalo | NY | 6,459 | 308 | 21 mo |
| Denver | CO | 11,333 | 542 | 21 mo |
| Omaha | NE | 3,840 | 186 | 21 mo |
| Dallas | TX | 28,662 | 1,405 | 20 mo |
| Kansas City | MO | 5,174 | 263 | 20 mo |
| Tampa | FL | 16,330 | 851 | 19 mo |
| Raleigh | NC | 7,901 | 417 | 19 mo |
| Fort Myers | FL | 6,523 | 351 | 19 mo |
| San Fernando Valley | CA | 11,337 | 622 | 18 mo |
| New Orleans | LA | 3,967 | 218 | 18 mo |
| Yakima | WA | 1,456 | 81 | 18 mo |
| Christiansted | VI | 116 | 6 | 18 mo |
| Houston | TX | 31,057 | 1,722 | 18 mo |
| Baltimore | MD | 16,716 | 935 | 18 mo |
| Salt Lake City | UT | 5,615 | 319 | 18 mo |
| San Antonio | TX | 18,999 | 1,100 | 17 mo |
| San Bernardino | CA | 12,397 | 722 | 17 mo |
| Newark | NJ | 17,757 | 1,051 | 17 mo |
| Honolulu | HI | 3,788 | 227 | 17 mo |
| Washington | DC | 14,473 | 866 | 17 mo |
| Albuquerque | NM | 1,672 | 102 | 16 mo |
| Spokane | WA | 909 | 57 | 16 mo |
| Phoenix | AZ | 10,819 | 685 | 16 mo |
| El Paso | TX | 5,737 | 367 | 16 mo |
| Orlando | FL | 13,964 | 896 | 16 mo |
| Anchorage | AK | 1,106 | 77 | 14 mo |
| Agana | GU | 901 | 62 | 14 mo |
| Fort Smith | AR | 1,322 | 92 | 14 mo |
| Detroit | MI | 12,808 | 896 | 14 mo |
| Atlanta | GA | 17,300 | 1,211 | 14 mo |
| Charleston | SC | 3,156 | 224 | 14 mo |
| Charlotte | NC | 7,643 | 554 | 14 mo |
| Helena | MT | 399 | 29 | 14 mo |
| Milwaukee | WI | 3,934 | 292 | 13 mo |
| Tucson | AZ | 2,225 | 166 | 13 mo |
| Philadelphia | PA | 17,912 | 1,337 | 13 mo |
| Nashville | TN | 6,037 | 453 | 13 mo |
| Wichita | KS | 1,177 | 89 | 13 mo |
| Los Angeles County | CA | 12,295 | 927 | 13 mo |
| Hartford | CT | 8,716 | 671 | 13 mo |
| Greer | SC | 4,055 | 313 | 13 mo |
| Chicago | IL | 23,623 | 1,839 | 13 mo |
| Louisville | KY | 4,176 | 326 | 13 mo |
| Reno | NV | 1,185 | 93 | 13 mo |
| Montgomery | AL | 5,043 | 398 | 13 mo |
| Miami | FL | 8,153 | 669 | 12 mo |
| Harlingen | TX | 3,359 | 279 | 12 mo |
| Long Island | NY | 9,878 | 845 | 12 mo |
| Oakland Park | FL | 6,260 | 537 | 12 mo |
| Los Angeles | CA | 11,703 | 1,020 | 11 mo |
| Memphis | TN | 2,253 | 200 | 11 mo |
| Norfolk | VA | 4,291 | 386 | 11 mo |
| Mount Laurel | NJ | 5,537 | 504 | 11 mo |
| Des Moines | IA | 3,091 | 285 | 11 mo |
| Albany | NY | 2,890 | 268 | 11 mo |
| St. Albans | VT | 485 | 46 | 11 mo |
| Hialeah | FL | 8,905 | 841 | 11 mo |
| West Palm Beach | FL | 7,286 | 710 | 10 mo |
| New Jersey Central | NJ | 8,437 | 825 | 10 mo |
| Portland | ME | 920 | 90 | 10 mo |
| Brooklyn | NY | 15,687 | 1,552 | 10 mo |
| Pittsburgh | PA | 2,046 | 215 | 10 mo |
| Kendall | FL | 9,546 | 1,014 | 9 mo |
| Cleveland | OH | 2,916 | 310 | 9 mo |
| New York | NY | 17,071 | 1,814 | 9 mo |
| St. Louis | MO | 3,318 | 357 | 9 mo |
| Columbus | OH | 3,622 | 414 | 9 mo |
| Manchester | NH | 1,215 | 139 | 9 mo |
| Queens | NY | 11,953 | 1,477 | 8 mo |
| Cincinnati | OH | 2,362 | 293 | 8 mo |
| Providence | RI | 2,105 | 265 | 8 mo |
| San Juan | PR | 930 | 125 | 7 mo |
| Charlotte Amalie | VI | 116 | 21 | 6 mo |
N-400 quarterly figures
| Quarter | Type | Median | Received | Completed | Pending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr–Jun 2026 | All applicants | 9.5 mo | 140,179 | 67,565 | 727,371 |
| Jan–Mar 2026 | All applicants | 7.4 mo | 135,586 | 95,984 | 648,583 |
| Oct–Dec 2025 | All applicants | 6.2 mo | 247,840 | 161,618 | 611,463 |
| Jul–Sep 2025 | All applicants | 5.7 mo | 236,898 | 233,528 | 524,972 |
| Apr–Jun 2025 | All applicants | 5.5 mo | 245,879 | 260,023 | 519,918 |
| Jan–Mar 2025 | All applicants | 5.6 mo | 260,621 | 254,306 | 527,837 |
| Oct–Dec 2024 | All applicants | 5.5 mo | 236,744 | 218,891 | 524,675 |
| Jul–Sep 2024 | All applicants | 4.7 mo | 271,180 | 220,503 | 507,412 |
| Apr–Jun 2024 | All applicants | 5.0 mo | 235,372 | 236,871 | 462,784 |
| Jan–Mar 2024 | All applicants | 5.0 mo | 277,909 | 231,636 | 455,661 |
| Oct–Dec 2023 | All applicants | 5.2 mo | 191,731 | 196,581 | 393,563 |
| Jul–Sep 2023 | All applicants | 5.4 mo | 209,475 | 251,043 | 400,908 |
Frequently asked questions
How long does N-400 take in 2026?
In Apr–Jun 2026, USCIS completed half of all N-400 (all applicants) cases within 9.5 months of filing (median, USCIS quarterly report). Military: 2.6 months. The monthly report for August 2026 shows an average of 12.7 months for cases completed that month. Your own case can take longer: half of all cases take longer than the median.
Is N-400 processing getting faster or slower?
Slower: the median was 5.5 months in Apr–Jun 2025 and 9.5 months in Apr–Jun 2026. The longest median since FY2022 was 12.0 months in Oct–Dec 2021.
How many N-400 cases are pending?
742,138 N-400 cases were pending at the end of Apr–Jun 2026. USCIS received 140,179 and completed 67,565 all applicants cases in that quarter.
Why is this different from the time on the USCIS website?
The USCIS Check Case Processing Times tool shows how long it took to complete 80% of cases at a specific office over the past six months, so it is usually longer than the median shown here. Use the USCIS tool for case inquiries; use the history here to see the trend.
Related processing times
- USCIS quarterly report, all forms (FY2026Q3)
- USCIS monthly report to Congress (August 2026)
- USCIS N-400 by field office (FY2026Q3)
- USCIS Check Case Processing Times (80th percentile by office)
Figures are copied from the official files without changes; derived numbers (changes, backlog estimates) are explained on the methodology page. Not legal advice.