Asylum Grant Rate
48.8% of merits decisions
Asylum cases decided at Sterling Immigration Court
Courts → Sterling, VA
Immigration court · Sterling, VA
Sterling Immigration Court
48.8% asylum grant rate across 9,388 merits decisions (FY2015–2025) - roughly in line with the 48.2% national average.
Data updated 2026-06-21
- 48.8%
- Asylum grant rate
- 51.2%
- Asylum denial rate
- 18,079
- Pending cases
- 40 mo
- Time to decision
The verdict
The Sterling Immigration Court granted asylum in 48.8% of the 9,388 cases it decided on the merits - roughly in line with the 48.2% national rate.
- 48.8%
- Asylum grant rate
- 9,388
- Merits decisions, FY2015–2025
- 29
- Judges with reported asylum decisions
- 18,079
- 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: Sterling Immigration Court
The Sterling Immigration Court, based in Sterling, VA, decided 9,388 asylum cases on the merits between FY2015 and FY2025 - out of 86,179 total proceedings of all case types it handled. Of those asylum decisions, 4,577 were granted (48.8%) and 4,811 were denied (51.2%). The court has 29 immigration judges with enough asylum decisions to report, whose individual grant rates shape the court-wide average shown above.
Between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2025, the grant rate at Sterling Immigration Court rose by 42.0 percentage points, moving from 0.0% to 42.0%. That window spans 6 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 JNP decided the most asylum cases here - 766 merits decisions (37.6% grant rate). The spread between the highest-grant and lowest-grant judges at this court is 55.6 percentage points - CEL at 83.9% versus LMS at 28.3%. 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.
48.8%
Asylum Grant Rate
51.2%
Asylum Denial Rate
9,388
Asylum Decisions
40 mo
Avg Time to Decision
Pending Cases
18,079
Open proceedings (all case types)
Asylum Decisions
9,388
Merits decisions, FY2015–2025
Grant rate over time
Asylum grant rate by fiscal year at Sterling Immigration Court.
| Fiscal year | Decisions | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | 2 | 0.0% |
| FY2021 | 1 | 100.0% |
| FY2022 | 7 | 57.1% |
| FY2023 | 1,394 | 60.8% |
| FY2024 | 2,259 | 58.5% |
| FY2025 | 5,725 | 42.0% |
The judge lottery at Sterling Immigration Court
29 judges with enough asylum decisions to report. Grant rates run from 83.9% (31 decisions) down to 28.3% (538 decisions) - a 55.6-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.
| # | Judge | Decisions | Asylum grant rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Judge CEL | 31 | |
| 2 | Judge LAW | 401 | |
| 3 | Judge KAP | 314 | |
| 4 | Judge WPK | 32 | |
| 5 | Judge ENA | 323 | |
| 6 | Judge SBY | 638 | |
| 7 | Judge JG1 | 270 | |
| 8 | Judge MWG | 324 | |
| 9 | Judge LDC | 134 | |
| 10 | Judge XFR | 613 | |
| 11 | Judge GJW | 113 | |
| 12 | Judge JEE | 558 | |
| 13 | Judge RCH | 76 | |
| 14 | Judge MPD | 430 | |
| 15 | Judge KJB | 577 | |
| 16 | Judge JLK | 476 | |
| 17 | Judge JTD | 372 | |
| 18 | Judge MBH | 60 | |
| 19 | Judge JPI | 308 | |
| 20 | Judge LSA | 274 | |
| 21 | Judge BCM | 403 | |
| 22 | Judge MCV | 48 | |
| 23 | Judge KMC | 318 | |
| 24 | Judge JNP | 766 | |
| 25 | Judge LCB | 481 | |
| 26 | Judge CCC | 261 | |
| 27 | Judge KNH | 53 | |
| 28 | Judge CNP | 73 | |
| 29 | Judge LMS | 538 | |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the grant rate at the Sterling Immigration Court immigration court? ▼
The Sterling Immigration Court immigration court has an overall grant rate of 48.8% and a denial rate of 51.2%, based on 9,388 asylum merits decisions (FY2015–2025) from DOJ EOIR records.
How many immigration judges serve at Sterling Immigration Court? ▼
Sterling Immigration Court has 29 immigration judges on record. Grant rates vary significantly between judges, from 28.3% to 83.9%.
How long do cases take at Sterling Immigration Court? ▼
The average wait time at Sterling Immigration Court is approximately 40 months. Wait times vary based on case type, docket load, and whether continuances are granted.
Where is the Sterling Immigration Court immigration court located? ▼
The Sterling Immigration Court immigration court is located in Sterling, VA. It is part of the DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) system.
Does the grant rate predict my case outcome at Sterling 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 Sterling Immigration Court grant rate changed over time? ▼
Between FY2020 and FY2025, the grant rate at Sterling Immigration Court increased from 0.0% to 42.0%. 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.