Case Types

Citizenship (N-400) Delays

Point to act: 120 days after the interview

You passed your naturalization interview — or filed long ago — and USCIS still has not scheduled a decision or oath ceremony.

How Soon Can a Mandamus Case Be Filed

When does a wait turn into a serious delay?

Benchmarks courts use, not rules — the review reads your actual file.

4 months
- Citizenship (after the interview)
6 months
- 221(g) consular
- Work permit (EAD)
1 year
- Marriage green card
- Employment green card
- Citizenship (N-400)
- EB-5 investor
5 years
- Asylum

All case types

The final step that never comes

Naturalization is supposed to end with an oath ceremony, not months of silence. Some applicants wait endlessly for an interview; others pass the interview and then hear nothing. Cases are often placed in vague "additional review" without explanation, leaving you unable to vote, obtain a U.S. passport, or petition for family members as a citizen.

A special advantage for N-400 applicants

Citizenship cases have a uniquely strong legal remedy. If USCIS fails to decide your case within 120 days of your naturalization interview, federal law — 8 U.S.C. § 1447(b) — lets you ask a district court to take jurisdiction and either decide your application itself or order USCIS to decide it promptly. Before the interview, a mandamus action under the Administrative Procedure Act can compel USCIS to move a stalled case forward.

Signs this is your case

Your N-400 interview is more than 120 days behind you and there is still no decision.
Your interview keeps being rescheduled or was never scheduled.
Posted processing times came and went some time ago.
You were told your case is in "extended review" with no timeline.

Run the 60-second pre-assessment or read how to tell a stuck case from a broken one.

After the interview, a different statute applies — see the 120-day rule for citizenship.

Where does your wait sit for this case type?

Pick the stage, how long it has been, and where you live; see which of the four readings it points to — then send it to the attorney.

The stage your file is at

The wait before the interview and the 120-day federal route after the interview are read separately.

Months at this stage

The result page shows which date the count starts from for the stage you picked.

State

Documentable impact of the delay Optional

Concrete harm is not required, but it can help explain what the delay is actually costing you.

Important: this tool shows no percentages and no odds. The reading is a qualitative view of preliminary suitability built from the wait, the stage of the file, visa availability where it applies, and your real federal-court connection. A mandamus case guarantees no particular outcome.