Massive and ever-growing backlogs in NYC immigration courts mean migrants who want to become US citizens have to wait about three years to have their cases heard — and up to a decade to complete the entire process.

At least 127,000 pending cases were mired in court at the start of the month and that number is expected to exponentially grow as the one-year deadline to file for asylum approaches for the more than 70,000 migrants who have arrived in New York City in recent months.

The backlog is fueled by New York’s sanctuary city status — and asylum applicants seek out the Big Apple because judges here are immigrant-friendly than anywhere else besides Puerto Rico and Honolulu, data shows.

NYC jurists approved asylum in 69% of all cases over the last two decades, and over a dozen judges ruled in favor of migrants in at least 80% of their cases in the last five years, according to data compiled by Syracuse University.

“Because there’s such high approval rates in New York, people are coming here just to get their cases here,” immigration lawyer Gadi Zohar told The Post. “You really need an address here and a little bit of proof that you live here.”

Judges in other cities deny asylum much more often, including in Orlando, Miami and New Orleans, where only 36%, 22%, and 20% of cases respectively ended with asylum being granted.

In Newark, NJ, judges approved asylum in 43% of cases.

In areas with dismal asylum acceptance rates like Houston — where only 13% of cases ended in favor of migrants — attorneys have reportedly told migrants to apply for asylum elsewhere.

“Their final destination may be L.A. or New York or some other venues that may have a higher rate of approval,” Houston immigration lawyer Leslie Giron Kirby told the Houston Chronicle last year. “If I see that the client may have an option or another possibility to go and apply somewhere else, I counsel them to do that, because of the denial rates here in Houston.”

Asylum is up to a judge’s discretion — and a judge can deny an application even if a person meets the requirements and proves they have a reasonable fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or a social group.

The ballooning backlog of cases in New York has led to staggering wait times for a decision — meaning migrants are stuck in limbo for years while remaining tethered to the city.

Zohar said he started an asylum case for a client a few months back and the date set for the final hearing is in 2026.

Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom said last week there are roughly 45,000 asylum seekers in the city’s care.

Dr. Jacques Jiha, director of the city Office of Management and Budget, said over $1 billion has been spent on that care since last July, including $360 million for housing, $73 million for food, $74 million for medical care, and $91 million in administrative costs.

Jiha said the spending is expected to increase to $2.9 billion in the next fiscal year.

The asylum-approval rate can also depend on the seekers’ nations of origin.

New York sees a higher portion of Chinese nationals, who often have an easier time meeting the requirements on a political basis.

Cities with higher numbers of South American asylum-seekers have notably lower approval rates because it is difficult to meet the requirements.

Many are fleeing violence, which is often not is not enough to secure asylum alone without political, religious, racial or other elements involved.

The backlog is also other immigration matters with US Citizen and Immigration Services, which processes visas, because asylum seekers are also applying for these documents.

Attorney Michael Quddus said the wait time for the relative of a U.S. citizen to obtain a visa has gone up from nine months to three years.

A work visa — which previously took two to three months to obtain for his clients — now takes upwards of nine months, Quddus added.

“Why? Because immigration has run out of manpower and resourses,” thelawyer said.

The waitlist appointments at New York City’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — which may file removal proceedings that eventually go before a judge — are even longer, with appointments “mostly booked” through March 2033.