Delays continue, but outlook brightens
Delays in processing naturalization cases have not changed markedly in the last couple of months. Average waiting times remain in the 10-12 month range. However, the outlook for pending and newly filed cases is a little better, as USCIS hires more staff and devotes more resources to clearing its backlog. In the year ending September 30, 2008, USCIS completed 1,171,140 naturalization applications, up from about 700,000 in the previous year.
The longest big-city waiting times are in Los Angeles (14.2 months) and Orlando. At the other end of the spectrum, a handful of smaller cities have wait times under 6 months. View the list of Wait Times by Field Office.