Asylum Grant Rate
48.7% of merits decisions
Asylum cases decided at Buffalo Immigration Court
Courts → Buffalo, NY
Immigration court · Buffalo, NY
Buffalo Immigration Court
48.7% asylum grant rate across 3,566 merits decisions (FY2015–2025) - roughly in line with the 48.2% national average.
Data updated 2026-06-21
- 48.7%
- Asylum grant rate
- 51.3%
- Asylum denial rate
- 8,119
- Pending cases
- 21 mo
- Time to decision
The verdict
The Buffalo Immigration Court granted asylum in 48.7% of the 3,566 cases it decided on the merits - roughly in line with the 48.2% national rate.
- 48.7%
- Asylum grant rate
- 3,566
- Merits decisions, FY2015–2025
- 7
- Judges with reported asylum decisions
- 8,119
- Pending cases (all types)
Statistical data only. Grant rates reflect historical case outcomes and are not predictive of any individual case result.
Consult a licensed immigration attorney for legal advice.
Case Insights: Buffalo Immigration Court
The Buffalo Immigration Court, based in Buffalo, NY, decided 3,566 asylum cases on the merits between FY2015 and FY2025 - out of 95,471 total proceedings of all case types it handled. Of those asylum decisions, 1,735 were granted (48.7%) and 1,831 were denied (51.3%). The court has 7 immigration judges with enough asylum decisions to report, whose individual grant rates shape the court-wide average shown above.
Between fiscal year 2015 and fiscal year 2025, the grant rate at Buffalo Immigration Court fell by 6.5 percentage points, moving from 59.1% to 52.6%. That window spans 11 fiscal years of reported data, covering shifts in bench composition, policy guidance, and nationality mix. The year-by-year table lower on this page shows the underlying annual case volume for every year in the series.
Outcomes vary substantially judge-to-judge. Judge WRU decided the most asylum cases here - 1,312 merits decisions (47.6% grant rate). The spread between the highest-grant and lowest-grant judges at this court is 32.1 percentage points - BIL at 59.0% versus RTD at 26.9%. These differences reflect case mix, nationality assignments, and docket type rather than any single factor, and they are why EOIR cautions readers against treating any judge's rate as predictive of an individual case.
48.7%
Asylum Grant Rate
51.3%
Asylum Denial Rate
3,566
Asylum Decisions
21 mo
Avg Time to Decision
Pending Cases
8,119
Open proceedings (all case types)
Asylum Decisions
3,566
Merits decisions, FY2015–2025
Grant rate over time
Asylum grant rate by fiscal year at Buffalo Immigration Court.
| Fiscal year | Decisions | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | 22 | 59.1% |
| FY2016 | 22 | 50.0% |
| FY2017 | 71 | 53.5% |
| FY2018 | 153 | 35.9% |
| FY2019 | 320 | 40.9% |
| FY2020 | 339 | 37.5% |
| FY2021 | 292 | 41.1% |
| FY2022 | 335 | 57.0% |
| FY2023 | 325 | 54.8% |
| FY2024 | 682 | 50.1% |
| FY2025 | 1,005 | 52.6% |
The judge lottery at Buffalo Immigration Court
7 judges with enough asylum decisions to report. Grant rates run from 59.0% (239 decisions) down to 26.9% (67 decisions) - a 32.1-point spread on the same bench. Rates based on smaller decision counts carry more statistical noise.
Judge names below are the anonymized judge codes EOIR assigns in its public case-data release, not verified public identities. EOIR does not publish immigration judges' full names in this dataset. See our methodology for detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the grant rate at the Buffalo Immigration Court immigration court? ▼
The Buffalo Immigration Court immigration court has an overall grant rate of 48.7% and a denial rate of 51.3%, based on 3,566 asylum merits decisions (FY2015–2025) from DOJ EOIR records.
How many immigration judges serve at Buffalo Immigration Court? ▼
Buffalo Immigration Court has 7 immigration judges on record. Grant rates vary significantly between judges, from 26.9% to 59.0%.
How long do cases take at Buffalo Immigration Court? ▼
The average wait time at Buffalo Immigration Court is approximately 21 months. Wait times vary based on case type, docket load, and whether continuances are granted.
Where is the Buffalo Immigration Court immigration court located? ▼
The Buffalo Immigration Court immigration court is located in Buffalo, NY. It is part of the DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) system.
Does the grant rate predict my case outcome at Buffalo Immigration Court? ▼
No. Grant rates are historical averages reflecting aggregate outcomes across all case types and judges. Individual outcomes depend on the specific facts of each case, the judge assigned, the type of relief sought, and whether you have legal representation. Always consult a licensed immigration attorney.
How has the Buffalo Immigration Court grant rate changed over time? ▼
Between FY2015 and FY2025, the grant rate at Buffalo Immigration Court decreased from 59.1% to 52.6%. Year-by-year data is shown in the trends table on this page.
Explore PlainImmigration
Data from the DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) via FOIA bulk case data. Statistical information only, not legal advice.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Source: U.S. EOIR, Immigration Court Statistics Immigration court outcomes by court and case type · 2025
Every figure on PlainImmigration is rendered directly from federal immigration court records, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on DOJ EOIR case-level records, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.