When looking for a California immigration lawyer, two things matter most: where your case is handled, which depends on your ZIP code and your latest notice, and whether an out-of-state lawyer can help, which requires separating remote consultation from in-person attendance. California has about 1.54 million residents of Chinese descent (Census Bureau 2020-2024 estimates, not including Taiwanese descent), and the places where cases are handled differ greatly between the Bay Area and Southern California.
To be clear at the outset: Lu Xin Law Offices has offices in Flushing, New York and West New York, New Jersey, and has no office in California. Immigration is governed by federal law. Our responsible attorney, Michael R. Curran, is licensed in New York and New Jersey and does not hold a California license. Terms in this article such as "California immigration lawyer," "Los Angeles immigration lawyer," "Irvine immigration lawyer," "San Francisco immigration lawyer" and "San Jose immigration lawyer" are simply search terms readers commonly use and do not mean that our attorney holds a California license. California residents can consult remotely; any in-person court appearance or accompaniment to an interview would have to be arranged separately under the applicable rules. The information below is current as of November 6, 2026.
Statewide: 11 USCIS Offices in Three Districts
USCIS's August 2026 ZIP code chart shows:
- San Francisco District: San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno.
- Los Angeles District: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, San Fernando Valley (in Chatsworth).
- San Diego District: San Diego, Santa Ana, San Bernardino, Imperial.
Assignment depends on ZIP code, not county name: Oakland, in Alameda County, belongs to the San Francisco office, while Fremont, in the same county, belongs to the San Jose office. After one move, your office may change.
Asylum cases have only two offices: the southern counties, including Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego, belong to the Los Angeles Asylum Office (14101 Myford Road, Tustin), and most other counties belong to the San Francisco Asylum Office (75 Hawthorne Street, 7th floor).
The California courts EOIR currently lists are Adelanto, Concord, Imperial, three in Los Angeles, Otay Mesa, Sacramento, San Diego and Santa Ana. After a judge's decision, an appeal may be taken to the Board of Immigration Appeals and then to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Los Angeles: Offices Are Divided Finely
If you are searching for a Los Angeles immigration lawyer, first understand that Los Angeles County is very large. Los Angeles and Los Angeles County are two separate names on the ZIP code chart, and both use the address 300 North Los Angeles Street.
- Monterey Park, San Gabriel and Rosemead: Los Angeles County.
- Pasadena, Walnut and Diamond Bar: Los Angeles.
- Alhambra and Arcadia: both appear, depending on the specific ZIP code.
- Chino Hills: belongs to the San Bernardino office.
There are three immigration court locations: N. Los Angeles Street (300 North Los Angeles Street, Room 4330, the same address as USCIS, so do not confuse the two kinds of notices), West Los Angeles (5245 Pacific Concourse Drive) and Van Nuys Boulevard (6230 Van Nuys Blvd., 3rd floor, Room 300). The Adelanto court is located inside an ICE detention center at 10250 Rancho Road, which may be relevant if a family member is detained.
Los Angeles County has about 430,000 residents of Chinese descent (not including Taiwanese descent), but only about 77,000 live within the City of Los Angeles. About 46% of Monterey Park residents, about 38% of San Gabriel, about 37% of Arcadia and about 35% of Alhambra are of Chinese descent.
Irvine: All Three Locations Are in Orange County
Local information for an Irvine immigration lawyer search is relatively simple, and you do not need to go to Los Angeles:
- USCIS Santa Ana office: 34 Civic Center Plaza. All 13 Irvine ZIP codes belong here, and it also covers all of Orange County. Within USCIS, it is part of the San Diego district.
- Santa Ana Immigration Court: 1241 E. Dyer Road, Suite 200, open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Asylum: The Tustin office mentioned above is named for Los Angeles but is actually in Orange County.
About 48,000 residents of Irvine are of Chinese descent (not including Taiwanese descent), about 15% of the city. A student whose school is in another place may apply for naturalization where the school is located; a person who is financially dependent on their parents may also apply where the parents live.
San Francisco: Start with the Court Changes
If you are looking for information on a San Francisco immigration lawyer, start here: San Francisco no longer appears on EOIR's list of courts. On May 1, 2026, EOIR announced that the San Francisco Immigration Court will close permanently after business on September 4, and that the 630 Sansome Street location will become a hearing location administered by the Concord court. Parties whose cases are reassigned will receive new notices, and their cases will be heard in Concord or remotely. EOIR had also announced earlier that the 100 Montgomery Street location would stop holding hearings after business on May 1.
If you have a pending case in the Bay Area, enter your A-number in EOIR's Automated Case Information system to check the date and location, and follow the court's most recent written notice. If the search result and the notice do not match, do not assume on your own that a hearing has been canceled; ask a lawyer or the court first. If you have moved, update your address with the court. If you receive a notice and do not appear, you may be ordered removed in your absence. The Concord court's address is 1855 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 850.
The USCIS San Francisco office is still listed at 630 Sansome Street and covers San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, and ZIP codes in Oakland, Berkeley, Daly City and other places. About 170,000 residents of the City of San Francisco are of Chinese descent (not including Taiwanese descent), about 21% of the city.
San Jose: The Office Is Not in the City and There Is No Local Court
Behind searches for a San Jose immigration lawyer are often questions from Silicon Valley tech workers and their families. The USCIS San Jose office is at 1450 Coleman Avenue, which is actually in the city of Santa Clara. Its area includes essentially all ZIP codes in Santa Clara County, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, ZIP codes in Fremont, Dublin and Pleasanton, and southern San Mateo County, such as Menlo Park.
San Jose does not appear on EOIR's list of courts; the location depends on your latest notice and EOIR's search results. About 217,000 residents of Santa Clara County are of Chinese descent (not including Taiwanese descent), about 11% of the county, and about 86,000 in the City of San Jose. Based on the industry mix (an inference, not a statistic), questions that come up more often here include status after a layoff, changing jobs mid-PERM, H-4 and children aging out; for a self-filing route, see How to choose between EB-1A and EB-2 NIW.
Two California-Specific Points
State-court matters. Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification requires a state-court order. Section 1510.1 of the California Probate Code allows a court to appoint a guardian for an eligible unmarried young person aged 18 to 20. This is a state-law procedure and must be handled by a California lawyer. The same is true of other state-law matters such as divorce, guardianship and forming a company; our attorney does not have a California license.
Immigration consultants. Section 22440 of the Business and Professions Code places specific restrictions on immigration consultants who charge fees. A consultant is not a lawyer and cannot substitute for legal advice.
How to Work Together When You Are Not in the Same State
Organizing documents, preparing forms and responding to requests for evidence can all be done remotely. USCIS provides that, beginning May 18, 2026, an attorney generally must appear in person at a field office interview and can no longer join remotely, with a few exceptions. So before you sign, ask who will attend the interview, what it will cost and whether you need a local California lawyer. If you would prefer to have a local lawyer throughout, tell us directly; it does not affect the consultation.
Contact us
To find out which office your case belongs to and whether there is a state-court issue, call 347-618-3386 (California is 3 hours behind New York). Our services are described in Immigration Legal Services.
FAQ
Which USCIS office handles a case in Irvine?
USCIS's August 2026 ZIP code chart shows that all 13 Irvine ZIP codes belong to the Santa Ana office, at 34 Civic Center Plaza. Always follow the address on your notice.
Is the San Francisco immigration court still open?
On May 1, 2026, EOIR announced that the San Francisco Immigration Court will close permanently after business on September 4, and that 630 Sansome Street will become a hearing location administered by the Concord court. San Francisco no longer appears on the current list of immigration courts. If you have a pending case, enter your A-number in EOIR's Automated Case Information system to check, and follow the court's most recent written notice.
Does your firm have an office in California?
No. Lu Xin Law Offices is located in Flushing, New York. California residents can consult remotely, and any in-person court appearance or accompaniment to an interview would have to be arranged separately under the applicable rules.
Sources: uscis.gov, uscis.gov, justice.gov, justice.gov, uscis.gov, uscis.gov, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, selfhelp.courts.ca.gov, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, law.cornell.edu, censusreporter.org, justice.gov, justice.gov, justice.gov, censusreporter.org, justice.gov, censusreporter.org, uscis.gov, justice.gov, justice.gov, acis.eoir.justice.gov, law.cornell.edu, censusreporter.org, censusreporter.org. The information above is current as of November 6, 2026. Immigration rules and fees may change, so check the latest official requirements before you file.
Attorney Advertising. This article is general information and is not legal advice on any particular case. Eligibility, procedures and outcomes depend on the facts of each case, the applicable law and the decision of the government agency.