Asylum

Asylum is for persons already physically in the U.S. with or without legal status. Requirements are:

• Submit a written application within your first year of arrival (from date of entry to one year anniversary)
  • If you fail to apply within the first year, you must justify the reason for delay…
    Conditions for delay are limited to: extraordinary circumstance beyond your control and changed country conditions
• Explain in a detailed account how you have been persecuted (harmed or will be harmed) in your country of origin on the basis of one or any combination of the following:
  • Race
  • Religion
  • Nationality
  • Political Opinion or Activity
  • Membership in a particular social group (narrowly defined)
• Demonstrate how and under what circumstances, your government has permitted the persecution or failed to act or protect you against your persecutors.
• Demonstrate that you are unable to escape the harm (i.e. unable to find safe haven or protection in any part of your country)
• You must be detailed in your account of events which lead you to believe that you specifically, or people with similar characteristics, are a target of violence because of one of the five reasons stated above.
• Items needed to complete the process:
  • Immigration Form I-589
  • There is no U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (U.S.C.I.S.) processing fee
  • Copies of Identity Documents: Birth and Marriage Certificates, Passports, etc.
  • Copies of Documents substantiating your claim: Police Reports, Hospital Reports, Eyewitness statements, News paper articles
• To review the requirements and an application on line… go to To review the requirements and an application on line… go to www.uscis.gov and click on Forms and Fees. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to display items.
• For information on the process procedure and work authorization contact the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service or a competent Immigration Attorney for further information.

For more information about asylum-refugee status:
U.N. High Commission for Refugees
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International