The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 24.9% historical asylum grant rate for Steven M. Kirchner at San Francisco, CA, based on 974 grants and 2,934 denials (3,908 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Steven M. Kirchner with San Francisco, CA. With an asylum approval rate of 24.9%, 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.
Community Discussion
DATAAsylumTracker Data
Judge Kirchner (San Francisco, CA) data snapshot: India vs Nicaragua grant rates differ 14×, overall rate fell from 58% to 4% in 3 years
A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Kirchner, Steven M. (IJ code SMK, San Francisco, CA):
Overall track record
9 years on the bench (since 2018), 3,986 cases total, lifetime grant rate 27.4%
Last 3 years (2023–2026): 3,590 cases, grant rate 24.5% — 14.1pp below the San Francisco court average (38.6%)
Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)
Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Colombia 924 19.1%
Mexico 783 14.4%
Guatemala 499 29.8%
Peru 318 35.9%
El Salvador 234 34.8%
Honduras 195 25.0%
Nicaragua 133 4.7%
India 123 66.7%
Brazil 67 31.7%
Venezuela 37 18.2%
Turkiye 33 47.8%
India applicants see a 66.7% grant rate versus 4.7% for Nicaragua applicants — a 14.1× gap on this judge's docket.
Year-by-year
2023: 520 cases, 58.2% grant rate
2024: 562 cases, 43.0% grant rate
2025: 884 cases, 21.8% grant rate
2026: 1624 cases, 4.4% grant rate
If you've appeared before Judge Kirchner, 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, July 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
Steven M. Kirchner is listed with the San Francisco, CA Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 24.9% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.
Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights Colombia (1,010 decided, 17.7% grant rate), Mexico (829 decided, 17.5% grant rate), and Guatemala (552 decided, 29.0% 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 Steven M. Kirchner's asylum grant rate?
Judge Steven M. Kirchner granted asylum in 24.9% of 3,908 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
Does Judge Steven M. Kirchner grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The rate (24.9%) is above the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at San Francisco, CA grants 47.6%. 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.
