The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 27.8% historical asylum grant rate for Barbara A. Nelson at New York City, NY, based on 4,164 grants and 10,790 denials (14,954 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Barbara A. Nelson with New York City, NY. With an asylum approval rate of 27.8%, this judge is above average compared to the national average. Data sourced from EOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review). Historical listings do not by themselves establish a current assignment.
What This Profile's Data Shows
Same-court context
Its 27.8% historical rate is 2.9 percentage points below the 30.7% median among 77 same-court profiles with at least 100 decided outcomes.
Published yearly context
The latest qualifying published year is 2026: 5.2% across 1,151 decisions, 6.2 percentage points below the 2025 rate.
Largest nationality sample
The largest published nationality row is Ecuador: 790 decisions and a 3.9% grant rate in that row's stated scope.
These comparisons describe published historical aggregates; they do not measure judge quality,
control for case mix, establish a current assignment, or predict an individual outcome. Thresholds are applied only
to reduce unstable small-sample comparisons.
Community Discussion
DATAAsylumTracker Data
Judge Nelson (New York City, NY) data snapshot: China vs Colombia grant rates differ 27×, overall rate fell from 34% to 4% in 3 years
A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Nelson, Barbara A. (IJ code BAN, New York City, NY):
Overall track record
34 years on the bench (since 1993), 18,753 cases total, lifetime grant rate 28.5%
Last 3 years (2023–2026): 3,196 cases, grant rate 15.5% — 6.2pp below the New York City court average (21.7%)
Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)
Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Ecuador 670 2.4%
China 306 47.3%
Venezuela 277 3.7%
Colombia 241 1.7%
El Salvador 175 23.5%
Guatemala 155 20.4%
India 142 13.9%
Honduras 115 13.6%
Dominican Republic 101 11.5%
Mexico 99 15.1%
Peru 83 2.6%
China applicants see a 47.3% grant rate versus 1.7% for Colombia applicants — a 27.3× gap on this judge's docket.
Year-by-year
2023: 612 cases, 33.9% grant rate
2024: 800 cases, 17.5% grant rate
2025: 963 cases, 11.5% grant rate
2026: 821 cases, 3.5% grant rate
If you've appeared before Judge Nelson, I'd love to hear:
1. What's your nationality, and when was your most recent hearing?
2. How did your attorney prepare for this judge specifically?
Source: EOIR (U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review) public statistics, May 2026 release, compiled by AsylumTracker. A judge's historical pattern does not predict the outcome of any individual case; this is shared to help set realistic expectations. Real-experience accounts from the community are welcome.
Have experience with this judge? Open AsylumTracker to reply or read more responses from the community.
How to Interpret These Judge Statistics
Barbara A. Nelson is listed with the New York City, NY Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 27.8% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.
Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights Ecuador (790 decided, 3.9% grant rate), China (391 decided, 47.3% grant rate), and Venezuela (325 decided, 4.9% grant rate). Compare these rows with the judge's overall rate because nationality mix can materially change how the headline number should be read.
Grant rate is calculated as granted / (granted + denied). Other procedural outcomes, including terminated, withdrawn, administratively closed, or removed cases, are tracked separately where available and are not treated as asylum grants.
This page is based on public EOIR data last updated 2026-09-01. It is for research and information only, not legal advice.
What is Judge Barbara A. Nelson's asylum grant rate?
Judge Barbara A. Nelson granted asylum in 27.8% of 14,954 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
Does Judge Barbara A. Nelson grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The rate (27.8%) is above the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at New York City, NY grants 30.7%. It is a historical average, not a prediction for any one case.
How is this grant rate calculated?
Grants divided by grants plus denials. Terminations, withdrawals and administrative closures are not counted.
