Pending U.S. immigration appeals rise 61 percent

The U.S. immigration appeals system ended fiscal 2026 with 325,774 appeals pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals. The total was 61 percent higher than in the previous fiscal year even as immigration courts completed a record number of cases at the first level. The period therefore closed with more pending appeals alongside a historic number of matters completed by the courts.

The 61 percent figure expresses year-over-year growth in the appeals inventory, while 325,774 is the total remaining pending at the fiscal year's end. These are two ways of describing the same balance: one compares the change with the prior period, and the other establishes accumulated volume at closing. The increase shows that more appeals remained unresolved than a year earlier.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review reported that courts completed 973,669 cases during fiscal 2026, the highest number recorded. The total approaches 974,000 and refers to cases concluded by the courts. It does not, however, represent the number of appeals resolved by the BIA, which ended the same year with more than 325,000 still pending.

The figures correspond to different stages: completed cases reflect immigration-court activity, while the BIA number counts appeals still open at fiscal close. A record of concluded first-level cases therefore does not equal a reduction in pending appeals. The data show the two indicators moving in different directions during fiscal 2026.

The result leaves two central references for the period: 973,669 cases completed by the courts and 325,774 unresolved appeals before the board. The 61 percent rise in the latter shows growth from the previous fiscal year despite record first-level activity. The balance describes court resolution pace and accumulated appeals without confusing the measures.