Source: EOIR — Find an Immigration Court.
Recording an internet-based hearing is prohibited (8 C.F.R. § 1003.28). Respondents without a representative default to in-person hearings.
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Joyce Bakke Varzandeh earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 from Louisiana State University and a Juris Doctor in 1998 from Southern University Law Center. She served as an assistant district counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Los Angeles (1998-2003) and then held several positions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles, including assistant chief counsel (2003-2007), senior attorney (2007-2008), and deputy chief counsel (2008-2009). She is a member of the Louisiana State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,060
Completions per year
6,359 total
1.4%
Detained at decision
share of cases
24.4 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
25.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
6.7%
Appeals remanded or reversed
30 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
39%
287 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
4%
323 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
90.4%
115 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
98.6%
69 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
96.2%⚠
26 decisions Too few cases
39%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 287 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
39%
This court
32.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 32% of the 825 judges nationally with enough cases to compare.
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyerrepresented · 276 decisions since 2021
39.5%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 11 decisions since 2021
27.3%
Asylum grant rate over time
Each point is that calendar year's grant rate, back to 2015 where the judge was deciding cases — the longer career view. Dashed grey line = current national average (31.8%). Headline rates above use 2021 – today.
* 2026 is a partial year (data through 06/01/2026) and is incomplete.
Courts where this judge has decided cases
Hearing locations for cases this judge completed since 2021, by number of decisions.
Many judges hear cases from more than one court (detained facilities, video dockets, or reassignments).