USCIS processing times
I-485 processing time at the San Francisco, CA field office
The current processing time for family-based green card (adjustment of status) applications at the San Francisco, CA field office, and every change USCIS has published since May 2022.
USCIS last updated this figure on Sep 17, 2026: 80% of family-based I-485 applications at the San Francisco, CA field office were decided within 18.5 months, and 93% within 41.5 months. Both numbers come from cases USCIS finished over the previous six months, so they describe how long recent applicants waited, not a deadline for your case.
San Francisco, CA ranks 62nd of 90 field offices, where 1st is the fastest. The median office is at 16 months. That puts San Francisco, CA 2.5 months slower than the median.
A year ago, on Oct 16, 2025, the figure was 11 months. It's up 7.5 months since. Since USCIS moved to the 80% measure in May 2022, San Francisco, CA has ranged from 9.5 months (Oct 2025) to 31 months (Feb 2023).
You can ask USCIS about a case once it's older than the 93% figure. As of Oct 16, 2026, that meant a receipt date before May 5, 2023. The cutoff moves forward about a day per day as long as the 93% figure holds.
This page tracks the family-based category, the only I-485 category USCIS still publishes per field office. Employment-based I-485 gets one figure for all field offices combined: 80% within 9.5 months, 93% within 19 months. USCIS published a separate employment-based figure for San Francisco, CA until Mar 3, 2025; that history is further down.
History
San Francisco, CA: the 80% figure over time
Every point is a figure USCIS published. The gray line is the median across all field offices for the same category, so you can tell whether this office is moving with everyone else or on its own.
Every change USCIS published
| Date | 80% decided | 93% decided | 80% change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18.5 months | 41.5 months | −2.5 mo | |
| 21 months | 43 months | −0.5 mo | |
| 21.5 months | 43 months | +6 mo | |
| 15.5 months | 39.5 months | +1.5 mo | |
| 14 months | 39 months | +2.5 mo | |
| 11.5 months | 32.5 months | +0.5 mo | |
| 11 months | 28 months | 0 | |
| 11 months | 27 months | +1 mo | |
| 10 months | 23.5 months | +0.5 mo | |
| 9.5 months | 21 months | 0 | |
| 9.5 months | 20 months | −1.5 mo | |
| 11 months | 25.5 months | −1 mo |
Show all 46 changes
| Date | 80% decided | 93% decided | 80% change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months | 29.5 months | −0.5 mo | |
| 12.5 months | 31 months | −2 mo | |
| 14.5 months | 34 months | −1.5 mo | |
| 16 months | 35 months | +1 mo | |
| 15 months | 31.5 months | +1 mo | |
| 14 months | 27 months | −0.5 mo | |
| 14.5 months | 29 months | −1 mo | |
| 15.5 months | 28.5 months | 0 | |
| 15.5 months | 28 months | −1 mo | |
| 16.5 months | 29.5 months | −1 mo | |
| 17.5 months | 30.5 months | −0.5 mo | |
| 18 months | 30.5 months | −0.5 mo | |
| 18.5 months | 30.5 months | +0.5 mo | |
| 18 months | 30.5 months | 0 | |
| 18 months | 31 months | +0.5 mo | |
| 17.5 months | 29.5 months | −0.5 mo | |
| 18 months | 30 months | −1 mo | |
| 19 months | 30.5 months | 0 | |
| 19 months | 28.5 months | 0 | |
| 19 months | 29 months | 0 | |
| 19 months | 25.5 months | +0.5 mo | |
| 18.5 months | 25 months | 0 | |
| 18.5 months | 24.5 months | 0 | |
| 18.5 months | 29 months | 0 | |
| 18.5 months | 32 months | 0 | |
| 18.5 months | 33.5 months | −4 mo | |
| 22.5 months | 36 months | −8.5 mo | |
| 31 months | 37.5 months | +2 mo | |
| 29 months | 36 months | +1 mo | |
| 28 months | 35 months | −1.5 mo | |
| 29.5 months | 34 months | +1 mo | |
| 28.5 months | 32.5 months | −0.5 mo | |
| 29 months | 32.5 months | −0.5 mo | |
| 29.5 months | 33 months | — |
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How the 80% figure moved
| Compared with | Then | 80% change |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months ago (Jul 16, 2026) | 21.5 months | −3 mo |
| 6 months ago (Apr 16, 2026) | 11 months | +7.5 mo |
| 12 months ago (Oct 16, 2025) | 11 months | +7.5 mo |
| 24 months ago (Oct 16, 2024) | 16.5 months | +2 mo |
Employment-based I-485 at San Francisco, CA (no longer published)
USCIS used to publish employment-based I-485 times per office too. After Mar 3, 2025 it posts only the combined figure. This is the office's history until then.
Other field offices in California
- Imperial, CA12.5 months
- San Diego, CA13 months
- San Fernando Valley, CA13 months
- Los Angeles, CA15 months
- Fresno, CA16 months
- Los Angeles County, CA17.5 months
- Sacramento, CA18 months
- San Bernardino, CA19 months
- Santa Ana, CA27.5 months
- San Jose, CA32.5 months
Fastest offices
- Burlington, VT8.5 months
- Tucson, AZ8.5 months
- Anchorage, AK9.5 months
- Helena, MT9.5 months
- Buffalo, NY10 months
Slowest offices
- Seattle, WA36 months
- San Jose, CA32.5 months
- Santa Ana, CA27.5 months
- Raleigh, NC24.5 months
- Portland, ME22.5 months
FAQ
Common questions
How long does an I-485 take at the San Francisco, CA field office?
As of USCIS's Sep 17, 2026 update, 80% of family-based I-485 applications at San Francisco, CA were decided within 18.5 months and 93% within 41.5 months. Both are measured on cases completed over the past six months.
When can I submit a case inquiry at San Francisco, CA?
When your receipt date is before May 5, 2023 (as of Oct 16, 2026). Use USCIS's e-Request tool for cases outside normal processing time. The date moves forward roughly a day per day.
Is San Francisco, CA faster or slower than other offices?
It ranks 62nd of 90. The median field office is at 16 months; the fastest is Burlington, VT at 8.5 months and the slowest is Seattle, WA at 36 months.
Can I move my case to a faster office?
Not by choice. Your home address decides the field office. If you actually move, update your address with USCIS, and the case may be transferred to the office that serves the new address.
How often does USCIS update these numbers?
USCIS says monthly. Since May 2022 the 80% figure for San Francisco, CA has changed 34 times.
Why does the history start in May 2022?
That's when USCIS switched its headline figure to the 80% measure. Before May 6, 2022 the smaller published number was the median, so earlier values aren't comparable.
USCIS processing times
What the two numbers mean
USCIS publishes two figures for each office. The headline one is how long it took to decide 80% of the cases completed over the last six months. The second is the 93% mark: once a case is older than that, USCIS treats it as outside normal processing time and lets you submit a case inquiry. The "receipt date for a case inquiry" USCIS shows is today minus that 93% figure.
Both describe cases USCIS already finished. They read recent throughput at that office. They're not a promise about your case.
Sources and method
Where these numbers come from
Every figure is USCIS's own, from its Case Processing Times tool. USCIS shows only today's number and overwrites it when it changes. It keeps no history.
The history comes from the open jzebedee/uscis project, which has saved a copy of USCIS's processing-time data every day since March 2022. We read that archive daily and string each office's and category's changes into one timeline.
On May 6, 2022 USCIS switched its headline number from the median to the 80% measure, so the 80% history starts that day.