San Fernando Valley CA USCIS field office: I-485 and N-400 processing times, and when you can sue

Last updated 2026-10-02 · General information, not legal advice

USCIS publishes a processing time for each field office. For the San Fernando Valley CA field office, the figures USCIS published on 2026-09-17 (this site's 2026-10-02 snapshot) are: family-based I-485 13 months (a case inquiry opens for receipt dates before 2023-07-28), N-400 13 months (inquiry opens for receipt dates before 2025-06-20). Below: every line USCIS publishes for this office, how it has moved since 2022, how it compares with the median office, and what the numbers mean for a mandamus suit. The figures refresh every week from USCIS data.

Current processing times at this office

Among the 90 field offices USCIS publishes, San Fernando Valley is the 74th slowest (tied with 3 others) for a family-based I-485 and the 28th slowest (tied with 11 others) for an N-400 (of 90). The median across the field offices is 16 months for the I-485 and 12.5 months for the N-400.

How the wait moved since 2022

The 80% line from the last snapshot of each quarter.

What the two numbers mean

The first number is USCIS's 80% line: of the cases this office completed in the previous six months, 80% were decided within that many months, and USCIS calls it the "normal range". The second is the 93% line: USCIS accepts an "outside normal processing time" case inquiry only when your receipt date is earlier than that day. Both describe the agency's own output; neither is the test a court applies to whether a delay is unreasonable. A court weighs the six TRAC factors on the facts of your case: see when you can sue and how to read processing times.

When a case at this office can go to federal court

Our thresholds: an I-485 pending 12 months from the Received Date with a current priority date; an N-400 with no decision 120 days after the interview under 8 U.S.C. § 1447(b), or 12 months from the Received Date with no interview yet. A mandamus suit asks the court to order a decision; it cannot order an approval. Venue follows where you live under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(e)(1), whichever office holds the file; for most people this office serves, that is the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The defendants are USCIS, its Director and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in their official capacities, and the government has 60 days to respond after service on the United States Attorney (Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(2)).

Free steps before a lawsuit

• Receipt date before the 93% line above: file a case inquiry first.
• No result 60 days after the inquiry: the CIS Ombudsman.
• Ask your member of Congress: free, and it leaves a dated record.

Questions about this office

Is San Fernando Valley slower than other field offices?

Among the 90 field offices USCIS publishes, San Fernando Valley is the 74th slowest (tied with 3 others) for a family-based I-485 and the 28th slowest (tied with 11 others) for an N-400 (of 90). The median across the field offices is 16 months for the I-485 and 12.5 months for the N-400. The ranking moves every week with the data.

My I-485 is at San Fernando Valley. When can I file a case inquiry?

For a family-based I-485, a receipt date before the date in the "case inquiry opens" column of the table above; that date is computed for the day you open the page. Other categories are in the table above. An inquiry asks USCIS to look at the file; it does not change the threshold for a suit.

I moved. Does my case stay with this office?

USCIS routes an I-485 or N-400 to a field office by the ZIP code of your address. Report a move within 10 days, and USCIS may transfer the file to the office covering the new ZIP code; that office's figures then apply to your wait, while the Received Date a court counts from stays the same. Details in how moving affects processing time.

Where do these numbers come from?

Source: the USCIS processing-times page, snapshot 2026-10-02 (USCIS publication date 2026-09-17), fetched and archived by this site every week; raw data and every past snapshot are on the USCIS data page. The "receipt date before" cutoff moves forward one day per day under the USCIS rule (today minus a fixed number of days); the page computes it for the day you open it, and without scripts it shows the snapshot-day date.

What SpeedUpVisa does for a case at this office

• Free review: your receipt date against this office's 93% line and our threshold, and whether to file an inquiry or a suit now.
• The suit: an attorney drafts, files and serves it for a flat $3,500, court filing fee and service included.
• We track the government's 60-day response period and keep you informed in the client portal.

Get a free case review   Or take the 60-second check first