Question 1

What share of asylum cases do US immigration courts approve?

Accepted Answer

Over the last 5 years, judges granted asylum or other protection from removal in 23.3% of their grant-or-deny decisions; in 2026, in 8.1%. The rate depends heavily on the court and the judge: some courts approve most cases, others only a few. Pick your court or judge in the filters above.

Question 2

How is the approval rate calculated?

Accepted Answer

An approval is any protection from removal granted by the judge: asylum, withholding of removal, protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) or other relief. TPS is not counted. Approval rate = approved ÷ (approved + denied). In absentia removal orders and closed or terminated cases are not included. A family counts as one case, by the lead respondent.

Question 3

Does the asylum outcome depend on the judge?

Accepted Answer

Yes, a lot: even within one court, approval rates of different judges can differ several times over. Each judge’s page shows the approval rate, rank among active judges, decisions by country, the effect of an attorney and appeals.

Question 4

Does an attorney help win asylum?

Accepted Answer

According to EOIR data for the last 5 years, respondents with an attorney were approved in 37.5% of cases, without an attorney in 2.4%. An attorney does not guarantee the outcome, but the difference is clear.

Question 5

Where does the data come from and how often is it updated?

Accepted Answer

This is EOIR data (Executive Office for Immigration Review, US Department of Justice) released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). We update it monthly; the site currently shows data as of August 31, 2026.

Question 6

Can this data predict the outcome of my case?

Accepted Answer

No. These are statistics on past decisions, not a prediction for a specific case and not legal advice. The outcome depends on the facts and evidence; for advice, talk to an immigration attorney.

Asylum statistics in US immigration courts

Courts with the highest approval rates

Countries with the most cases

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