Wait times by court
Immigration court wait times: first hearing to individual hearing
Days from a case's first master calendar hearing to its first individual (merits) hearing, for cases whose first individual hearing was held from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026. This is one stretch of a case, not the whole asylum process, and not a prediction for yours.
- 21 months
- typical court (median of 73 court medians)
- 2–39
- months: shortest to longest court median
- 376,213
- cases counted
Short answer
At the typical court, the wait from the first master calendar hearing to the individual hearing was about 21 months (639 days). Court medians ran from 2 months at Pearsall, TX to 39 months at Newark, NJ; at 51 of 73 courts the median was more than a year.
What this number leaves out
- The time before the first hearing.
- The time after the individual hearing: a decision can come that day or later, and an appeal adds more.
- Cases still waiting for an individual hearing. Only cases that reached one are counted, so cases in line today can wait longer.
The busiest courts
months from the first master calendar hearing
Every court with at least 50 cases
Sort or filter the table. Each court name opens that court's page with its grant rates and judges.
| Court | Median wait | Middle half of cases | 2–3 years earlier | Cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark, NJNEW | 39 mo1,184 days | 25–67 mo | 28 mo861 days38% longer | 10,308 |
| Kansas City, MOKAN | 35 mo1,078 days | 15–55 mo | 33 mo1,014 daysabout the same | 4,220 |
| Portland, OR (POO) | 34 mo1,042 days | 27–40 mo | 19 mo571 days82% longer | 189 |
| Boston, MABOS | 34 mo1,022 days | 22–49 mo | 24 mo740 days38% longer | 4,933 |
| New York City, NYNYC | 33 mo1,005 days | 23–44 mo | 19 mo565 days78% longer | 22,340 |
| New Orleans, LANOL | 32 mo966 days | 21–51 mo | 41 mo1,255 days23% shorter | 5,539 |
| Philadelphia, PAPHI | 32 mo965 days | 21–43 mo | 36 mo1,093 days12% shorter | 8,754 |
| Salt Lake City, UTSLC | 32 mo960 days | 22–38 mo | 17 mo519 days85% longer | 3,557 |
| Omaha, NEOMA | 32 mo959 days | 8–70 mo | 51 mo1,562 days39% shorter | 3,037 |
| San Francisco, CASFR | 30 mo911 days | 21–41 mo | 27 mo833 daysabout the same | 14,691 |
| Portland, OR (POR) | 30 mo904 days | 21–38 mo | 28 mo841 daysabout the same | 1,857 |
| Miami, FLMIA | 29 mo895 days | 19–46 mo | 25 mo772 days16% longer | 12,838 |
| Bloomington, MNBLM | 29 mo889 days | 18–38 mo | 41 mo1,240 days28% shorter | 5,555 |
| Hartford, CTHAR | 27 mo808 days | 19–38 mo | 26 mo785 daysabout the same | 2,675 |
| San Antonio, TXSNA | 27 mo808 days | 13–41 mo | 22 mo667 days21% longer | 5,621 |
| Las Vegas, NVLVG | 26 mo799 days | 16–34 mo | 20 mo611 days31% longer | 2,971 |
| Houston South, TXHSG | 26 mo797 days | 20–31 mo | 20 mo615 days30% longer | 6,500 |
| Denver, CODEN | 26 mo796 days | 17–38 mo | 12 mo356 days124% longer | 2,952 |
| Baton Rouge, LABTR | 25 mo773 days | 16–36 mo | 41 mo1,244 days38% shorter | 2,400 |
| Chicago, ILCHI | 25 mo769 days | 16–37 mo | 17 mo508 days51% longer | 12,985 |
| Orlando, FLORL | 25 mo746 days | 15–38 mo | 17 mo531 days40% longer | 10,144 |
| Sacramento, CASMO | 24 mo738 days | 21–30 mo | 23 mo706 daysabout the same | 1,919 |
| Charlotte, NCCHL | 24 mo727 days | 14–40 mo | 26 mo800 daysabout the same | 9,508 |
| Cleveland, OHCLE | 24 mo724 days | 16–30 mo | 17 mo512 days41% longer | 6,725 |
| Van Nuys, CAVNS | 24 mo723 days | 17–31 mo | 25 mo764 daysabout the same | 12,264 |
| Memphis, TNMEM | 24 mo722 days | 15–35 mo | 24 mo736 daysabout the same | 7,068 |
| North Los Angeles, CANLA | 23 mo714 days | 17–31 mo | 14 mo415 days72% longer | 9,074 |
| Seattle, WASEA | 23 mo713 days | 14–36 mo | 12 mo359 days99% longer | 5,557 |
| Houston, TXHOU | 23 mo710 days | 19–26 mo | 50 mo1,510 days53% shorter | 7,727 |
| Atlanta, GAATL | 23 mo695 days | 16–34 mo | 16 mo474 days47% longer | 6,662 |
| Honolulu, HIHON | 23 mo694 days | 16–27 mo | 9 mo286 days143% longer | 522 |
| Dallas, TXDAL | 22 mo678 days | 12–42 mo | 22 mo682 daysabout the same | 14,762 |
| Indianapolis, ININP | 22 mo676 days | 8–42 mo | 19 mo587 days15% longer | 2,911 |
| New York Broadway, NYNYB | 22 mo675 days | 17–27 mo | 12 mo370 days82% longer | 12,085 |
| Chelmsford, MACHE | 22 mo669 days | 16–39 mo | 28 mo854 days22% shorter | 7,894 |
| Sterling, VASTE | 22 mo660 days | 18–28 mo | 23 mo715 daysabout the same | 11,835 |
| Concord, CACCC | 21 mo639 days | 15–30 mo | 23 mo703 daysabout the same | 6,762 |
| Buffalo, NYBUF | 21 mo638 days | 14–27 mo | 14 mo422 days51% longer | 2,639 |
| Baltimore, MDBAL | 21 mo628 days | 15–28 mo | 42 mo1,274 days51% shorter | 5,872 |
| West Los Angeles, CAWLA | 20 mo617 days | 14–27 mo | 20 mo617 daysabout the same | 7,602 |
| Phoenix, AZPHO | 20 mo607 days | 14–26 mo | 20 mo607 daysabout the same | 5,063 |
| Detroit, MIDET | 20 mo595 days | 6–28 mo | 17 mo531 days12% longer | 4,111 |
| Harlingen, TXHLG | 20 mo595 days | 13–27 mo | 21 mo643 daysabout the same | 1,503 |
| New York Varick 5th, NYNYV | 20 mo594 days | 15–25 mo | 12 mo374 days59% longer | 5,862 |
| El Paso, TXELP | 19 mo573 days | 15–24 mo | 16 mo483 days19% longer | 3,694 |
| Santa Ana, CASNC | 18 mo563 days | 14–24 mo | 14 mo413 days36% longer | 14,729 |
| Hyattsville, MDHYA | 18 mo557 days | 15–22 mo | 17 mo527 daysabout the same | 8,115 |
| Arlington, VAANN | 16 mo484 days | 11–22 mo | 21 mo638 days24% shorter | 9,435 |
| San Diego, CASND | 14 mo430 days | 9–22 mo | 10 mo308 days40% longer | 1,483 |
| Ulster, NYULS | 14 mo426 days | 9–21 mo | 13 mo388 daysabout the same | 106 |
| Houston Greenspoint, TXHGP | 13 mo384 days | 7–19 mo | 13 mo400 daysabout the same | 6,243 |
| San Juan, PRSAJ | 12 mo351 days | 9–19 mo | 10 mo303 days16% longer | 239 |
| Tucson, AZTUC | 9 mo281 days | 6–17 mo | 8 mo254 days11% longer | 553 |
| Adelanto, CAADL | 6 mo189 days | 4–13 mo | 5 mo155 days22% longer | 2,176 |
| Otay Mesa, CAOTM | 6 mo181 days | 4–8 mo | 4 mo128 days41% longer | 771 |
| Imperial, CAIMP | 5 mo146 days | 3–10 mo | 6 mo194 days25% shorter | 603 |
| El Paso Detained, TXEPD | 4 mo136 days | 2–11 mo | 3 mo100 days36% longer | 1,341 |
| Atlanta Detained, GAATD | 4 mo132 days | 3–15 mo | 9 mo288 days54% shorter | 927 |
| Krome, FLKRO | 4 mo126 days | 3–7 mo | 4 mo109 days16% longer | 1,499 |
| Laredo, TXLRO | 4 mo125 days | 2–10 mo | 5 mo144 days13% shorter | 1,707 |
| Aurora, COAUR | 4 mo115 days | 2–17 mo | 4 mo118 daysabout the same | 1,939 |
| Otero, NMOTO | 4 mo115 days | 2–8 mo | 2 mo70 days64% longer | 1,580 |
| Conroe, TXCIC | 3 mo101 days | 2–6 mo | 3 mo89 days13% longer | 2,937 |
| Batavia, NYBTV | 3 mo84 days | 2–8 mo | 3 mo106 days21% shorter | 62 |
| Oakdale, LAOAK | 3 mo83 days | 2–8 mo | 3 mo105 days21% shorter | 2,256 |
| Stewart, GASDC | 3 mo80 days | 2–5 mo | 5 mo154 days48% shorter | 1,527 |
| Jena, LAJNA | 3 mo79 days | 2–8 mo | 3 mo105 days25% shorter | 2,730 |
| Port Isabel, TXPSD | 3 mo77 days | 2–8 mo | 3 mo92 days16% shorter | 3,348 |
| Tacoma, WATAC | 2 mo76 days | 2–6 mo | 4 mo133 days43% shorter | 1,005 |
| Elizabeth, NJELZ | 2 mo66 days | 1–10 mo | 5 mo141 days53% shorter | 2,729 |
| Florence, AZFLO | 2 mo64 days | 1–4 mo | 3 mo90 days29% shorter | 577 |
| Eloy, AZELO | 2 mo63 days | 1–5 mo | 3 mo105 days40% shorter | 1,232 |
| Pearsall, TXPEP | 2 mo56 days | 1–3 mo | 2 mo74 days24% shorter | 677 |
Two to three years earlier = cases whose first individual hearing was from Oct 2023 to Sep 2024. Compared with them, the median was more than 10% longer at 33 courts, more than 10% shorter at 22 and within 10% at 18.
Questions about immigration court wait times
How long does it take to get from the first hearing to the individual hearing?
At the typical court, about 21 months (639 days), counting cases whose first individual hearing was from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026. The shortest court median was 2 months at Pearsall, TX; the longest was 39 months at Newark, NJ. Half of the cases at a court waited less than its median and half waited longer.
Which immigration courts have the longest and the shortest waits?
Longest medians: Newark, NJ, 39 months; Kansas City, MO, 35 months; Portland, OR (POO), 34 months. Shortest: Pearsall, TX, 2 months; Eloy, AZ, 2 months; Florence, AZ, 2 months. Some courts, such as Atlanta Detained, GA and El Paso Detained, TX, hear cases of people held in immigration detention.
Are immigration court waits getting longer?
Compared with cases whose first individual hearing was from Oct 2023 to Sep 2024, the median was more than 10% longer at 33 courts, more than 10% shorter at 22 and within 10% at 18. More courts slowed down than sped up. Across those 73 courts, the typical court median went from 17 months to 21 months.
Does this tell me when my own individual hearing will be?
No. These are past cases, not a schedule. Your date is on your hearing notice and in EOIR's online case status, and it can move. The AsylumTracker app follows your case and shows your court's numbers.
How long does an asylum case take in immigration court?
There is no single number, and this page measures one stretch of it. Before the first master calendar hearing, a case waits for that hearing; after the individual hearing, the decision may come the same day or later, and an appeal adds more time. While you wait, the work-permit clock follows its own rules: the asylum clock calculator shows the earliest day to file Form I-765 under category (c)(8).
How we measured it
- Source: EOIR immigration court hearing schedules through Sep 30, 2026. AsylumTracker recomputes these figures when EOIR data changes; this version was computed on Oct 24, 2026.
- Measure: for each case, the days from its first master calendar hearing to its first individual (merits) hearing.
- Cases: those whose first individual hearing fell from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, counted at the court that holds the case's most recent hearing on record. A case with no earlier master calendar hearing on record counts in the case total but not in the wait.
- All case types, detained and not detained; not only asylum.
- Median: half of the cases waited less, half waited longer. Middle half: from the 25th to the 75th percentile.
- Change: the same median for cases whose first individual hearing fell from Oct 2023 to Sep 2024. Longer or shorter means more than 10% apart. The source has no case count for that earlier median, so at a court that opened recently it may rest on few cases.
- Courts with fewer than 50 cases in the window are left out (3 courts).
- Typical court: the median of the 73 court medians, so each court counts once whatever its size. It is not the median of all cases.
- Months: days ÷ 30.44, rounded, as in the AsylumTracker app.
This page is general information from public records. It is not legal advice and not a prediction for any case.