U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provides its services in three ways: uscis.gov, a phone service, and field offices and service centers. The field offices are where all non-asylum seekers are interviewed.
The USCIS has divided field offices by regions and districts. For example, the Los Angeles district has the Los Angeles field office, the San Bernardino field office, etc. Besides processing the applications of non-asylum seekers, field offices also arrange naturalization ceremonies and provide other services/ information.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
The Los Angeles Field Office
The USCIS LA field office is situated at:
300 North Los Angeles Street Los Angeles, CA 90012
The areas served by the USCIS LA office include:
- Santa Barbara
- Ventura
- San Luis Obispo
- Los Angeles
Case Processing Times
The case processing time for a form can vary do from one location to another. Here are the case processing times for three common applications at the LA field office.
- Naturalization (N-400): 12.5 months to 16 months
- Certificate of Citizenship (N-600): 7.5months to 16 months
- Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate Under Section 322 (N-600K): 8 months to 23.5 months
Processing Time Tool
The USCIS website has an online tool that allows you to find the case processing time at any field office. To find out the time, you select your form and office location.
If you see that the case processing time is given in the form of a time range – like the processing times given above – then these forms are part of a project for testing time ranges.
Both the 1st and 2nd numbers in the time range indicate specific milestones. Let’s take the example of time for the N-600K form given above. The 8 months mentioned there is the time for completing half of the cases, and the 23.5 months is the time for completing 93% of the cases.
Delay in Processing
When you use the processing time tool mentioned above, you not only get the estimated time range but also a ‘receipt date for a case inquiry.’ This date is an important bit of information because if your receipt date (given on your notice) is before this date, you can submit an inquiry to find out the reason for the delay.
The e-Request section is where you can find links to submit inquiries. Use the option to inquire about a case that’s outside normal processing times.
Case Filing and Checking Tools
Besides the case processing tool, the USCIS website also provides you tools to check the status of your case, calculate the fees associated with filing your form, make appointments, and file the form online. You can learn more about these tools from the following section.
Locator Tools
The resource section linked above also allows you to locate services. There’s a tool to find English and citizenship preparation classes. You can search for classes by providing a zip code or address. There are other tools to find field offices, asylum offices, international offices, and professionals such as doctors.