If you want to maximize your chances for winning asylum, where is the best place in the U.S. to apply?
It’s unfortunate that we even need to ask this question. In a perfect world, the approval rates for each Asylum Office would be about the same. But in the real world, approval rates vary–by quite a lot, it turns out.
Our team of mathematicians here at the Asylumist have been working hard to analyze the most recent data from the Asylum Office, and we’ve summarized our findings in the attached chart. You can see that the approval rate for the San Francisco office (76.5%) is significantly higher than for the other Asylum Offices. The next best offices are Arlington (51.8%) and Los Angeles (50.7%), followed by Chicago (38.3%), Miami (37.7%), and Newark (35.8%). The worst offices are Houston (27.6%) and New York (22.6%).
First, a word about methodology: We used monthly statistical information from the Asylum Division Quarterly Stakeholder Meeting to calculate the percentages. USCIS posts this information four times per year, and you can see the latest posting here. We looked at the numbers from the most recently available six month period: April to September 2015. To determine the approval rate, we removed from the mix (technically, from the denominator) asylum denials based on no-shows–in other words, where the applicant herself never attended the interview.
Just for fun, we added another column listing the length of delay before the interview at each office (as of February 2016 – one day, I will do an article about why the posted wait times are not good predictors of how long a new asylum applicant will wait for an interview). You can see that the Asylum Offices with the lowest grant rates (New York and Houston) also currently have the shortest waits for an interview (20 months and 21 months respectively). Perhaps there is a connection between grant rates and waiting periods, but I doubt it–the office with the highest grant rate (San Francisco) has the third shortest waiting time (25 months).
Based on the above analysis, the savvy asylum seeker might conclude that the best way to maximize his chance for a grant is to live within the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Asylum Office, or as a second choice, the Arlington, Virginia or Los Angeles Asylum Offices (to see which Asylum Office has jurisdiction over your case, check the Asylum Office Locator). But I think such a conclusion assumes too much. I also think there are other factors worth considering besides grant rates and wait times. Let me explain.
First, it’s difficult to know what’s behind the above numbers and how applicable they are to an individual case. Who is seeking asylum at each office? From which countries and for what reasons? Are applicants more likely to be represented by a lawyer (which increases the likelihood of a grant) at certain offices? Some types of cases are more difficult to win than others, and this might be reflected in the statistics. For example, supposedly the Houston office has a higher percentage of applicants fleeing persecution from criminal gangs in Central America. In general, such cases are difficult to win since applicants don’t easily fit into a protected category under the asylum law. If we could eliminate Central American cases from the mix, perhaps the Houston office would have a higher grant rate. So does this mean that if you have a different type of asylum case (say, an Iraqi fleeing religious persecution), Houston might not be a bad place to apply? Maybe. At least it probably is not as bad as the overall approval rate suggests.
Second, while USCIS provides limited information about why cases are denied, they do give us some information–most importantly, they provide the number of cases denied due to missed filing deadlines (asylum applicants are required to submit their applications within one year of arrival in the U.S. or meet an exception to this rule; otherwise, the Asylum Office will automatically deny the case and refer it to an Immigration Judge). For some reason, the New York office has a high percentage of “Filing Deadline Referrals.” Roughly 35% of all referrals in NY are due to the filing deadline. In most other offices, less than 20% of cases are referred on this basis. If you remove such cases from the calculus, the overall grant rate in NY goes from 22% to over 30%. So does this mean that more people are filing late in New York, or does it mean that New York is less likely to find an exception to the one-year filing requirement? While I suspect it’s the latter, we really don’t know. But if you are filing your application in a timely manner, the New York office may not be as bad as the chart above indicates.
The bottom line is, we don’t know a whole lot about what’s behind the Asylum Division’s statistics, and without a better understanding of the situation, it is difficult to make predictions in an individual case.
There’s another unknown factor at play here as well: These cases are taking a long time, and given the relatively short tenure of each asylum officer (two or three years, I’ve heard), the approval rate at a given office may change by the time the interview date arrives. So a good office today may be less good tomorrow (or vice versa).
Finally–and for me, this is the best argument against forum shopping–given the years-long waiting period before the interview, asylum seekers have got to live their lives. I often advise new clients that they should live as though they are going to win their cases. Why? Because it’s impossible not to–how can you put your entire life on hold for two, three or more years while you wait for an asylum decision? In some things (reunification with family, certain job opportunities), you may have no choice, but to the extent possible, you need to live your life while you are waiting for a decision. This means you need to live where you have a job or go to school, or where you have the support of family members and friends. If you choose where to live based on the local Asylum Office approval rate, you may have a hard time surviving the wait.
On the other hand, if all else is equal (or maybe if you just have a hankerin’ for some Rice-A-Roni), San Francisco is probably not a bad place to apply.
[…] interesting piece of data for most people are asylum grant rates at each individual office. I have cautioned before about the value of this data, since many factors affect a particular office’s grant rate. As […]
[…] rates of the different offices has not changed that much over time–you can see that from this post, analyzing data from 2015. Second, there are different ways to calculate approval rates (for […]
Dear Jason,
Can I apply to Arlington asylum office if I live in North Carolina? Or is it mandatory to be interviewed at field office in Charlotte?
Thank you!
I think you can request an interview at the main office. Whether they will agree to that, I do not know, but you can ask. It is the same officers either place, so it may not make much difference in terms of the decision. However, the main offices tend to be faster than the sub-offices or circuit rides. Take care, Jason
Hello Sir,
I have been following your posts since 12th February, 2019. I have arrived in Ecuador as the fastest destination I could escape from my home country persecutions.
I want to seek assylum in the USA and I fear the issue with detention on the news currently, as migrants have flooded the Mexico border coupling with “wait in Mexico” scenario. I am desperate right now, I don’t know what to do.
I was struck with political issues for complaining about corruption. I was physical assaulted and that led to a broken arm and recently my house was set on fire upon investigations.
Your advice is welcomed as to how best I will be welcomed in USA, I would have stayed in Ecuador but language barrier and USA being a a more hospital country.
Moreover, will be faster if I travel to Alaska, I believe my assylum case will be faster there, any advice please?
Thank you.
Sincerely
If you have a visa to the US, you can come here and then decide if you want to seek asylum in the US. That is the easiest and safest way. If you come to the US/Mexico border, you could be detained or forced to wait in Mexico for your case. You could also be summarily denied if you fail to pass the “credible fear interview,” which is an initial evaluation of your asylum claim (based on what you write, it seems you would have a strong claim). If you have evidence that Mexico is unsafe for you, maybe that would help avoid the “wait in Mexico” policy, but I do not know how strictly that is being enforced. You could also contact the US Embassy and try to register as a refugee, but I think that is unlikely to work. Take care, Jason
hello, i was at my interview in February 2018 about my asylum application, and i did not received anything yet at my mailbox its been 6 month, i called Chicago asylum office many times i cant contact them, and i did not know what is the decision of my case. can you help please ?
It is better to email them or go in person to ask. You can find their contact info/email if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator (under Asylum Seeker Resources). Take care, Jason
Hello Jason. I have little problem of understanding how the system works but wanted to know if my case will be reliable to open a case.
I had second country citizen ship given to me as a privilege for the duty i rendered in that country , however now that I returned to my birth country after completing my contract in 2016.
Here I came fleeing the country where I trusted would be better place for me.
I am in VA, what documents could be furnished to get the edge of getting approved?
Thank you for the grate help
You will need to explain about the third country and prove that you cannot live there safely and that you are not firmly resettled there. This can be tricky, and so I recommend you use a lawyer to help you. Take care, Jason
please whats are the disadvantages of getting asylum,can one travel to your home country
Hello,
I would like to apply for ASYLUM IN In Dallas Tx.My son is 25 years old should he apply for his own application.I would also like to know the chances of winning my case here or should i move to San Francisco? What would you advice?
You can see some more recent asylum statistics in a posting I did on February 7, 2018. As for your son, you have to list him on your form, but a child cannot be a dependent on an asylum application unless the child is under 21 and unmarried at the time the application is filed, so if you son wants to apply for asylum, he will need to file his own case. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason,
My case interview is done in 2017 and I will have a master court hearing in 2018. Is there any document (Temporary Document that can help me reenter to the USA) I should apply now just in case if I have to go to my country?
Thanks
Sam
The master calendar hearing is just an initial hearing; later you will have a trial, where you will win your case or be ordered deported. If you are ordered deported, you can appeal. In other words, if you have to leave, it probably won’t be for a couple years. If you want to leave the US, I suppose you would need a valid passport and that is about it. You could also ask the judge for voluntary departure, which allows you to leave on your own, and may make it easier to return here one day. Take care, Jason
Dear sir, I have USA visa for ten years. My son is studying there in good university . My daughter is in ninth grade . Is there any possibillity my daughter can also continue her study in USA and I can stay with them legally.
I do not know about your case – talk to a lawyer to review the species of your situation and evaluate your options. Take care, Jason
I want to go back to my country. I have a scheduled interview soon. Can I withdraw my asylum application? Will I be banned to go to US in the future if I do so even if I am still in legal B2 status and leave while on legal status? Please help. Thank you.
Is there any way I can go out of the US without any repercussions?
Location: Los Angeles
If you are still lawfully here, you should be able to withdraw the case. Contact (or go in person) to the local asylum office to ask about that. You can find their contact info if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. Take care, Jason
Hello Mr Jason. I am a citizen of Syria want to fly to the USA using a fake passport. May I ask please which state is better and faster for me, and for how long I will be detained approximately. Do I have a chance to be accepted or only they will give me a TPS. Would you please explain me the process that I will go through.
Thank you very much
Sorry, I cannot assist someone seeking to use a fake passport. Take care, Jason
Dear Jason
I was reading your comments all the day. and it’s truly generous from you to answer the questions and give a helping hand.
So i just came to United States and i am trying to apply for asylum. and i do have a good reasons for that so i wanted to know which asylum office is faster for getting an approval!!
P.S i am living in north Carolina and i heard that Arlington office is good as well. so which one would you suggest?
your answer is appreciated.
Check the Asylum Office Scheduling Bulletin to see which office is fastest today (a link is at right). As I say above, I think it is best to live where you want to live and to apply from there. Some offices are slow today, but they may end up being faster – it is just not possible to predict. My experience is mostly with the Arlington office, and it is generally pretty good, and it is probably not much difference in wait time as compared to other offices. Take care, Jason
Dear Jason,
Happy new year 2018! I filed my case in Sep-2016 at Chicago asylum office. I requested for an expedited interview due to my child critical medical condition. At first they denied to expedite my case and then I requested many times because i couldn’t see my child suffering. Finally they scheduled an interview by Oct.25th, 2017. I have been interviewed at Cleveland asylum office by a field officer. The interview was very tough and she don’t give me an opportunity to explain my Affidavit. She asked me few questions. My attorney also advised me to answer only the questions, don’t add anything! Before coming to the united states i studied in Ireland through commonwealth fellwoship, but as a condition of award i have to return back to my country, also I have applied for the Denmark green card, but I unable to go and get the stamp due to financial status for which I need to travel to Denmark. I have explained everything in my affidavit.
1. The officer told me that, they will mail my decision. It’s been 3 months i haven’t received my decision. I am very worried. My child situation is getting worst and worst.
Is there anyway i can request for the status of my interview result. If so, in case if i request, will it affect my interview decision.
Thank you very much in advance!
You can inquire about your case directly with the asylum office (in Chicago). You can find their contact info if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. I do not think such an inquiry would have any negative effect on the case. Take care, Jason
Thank you very much Jason!
Does the chicago office for asylum have short list ?
I think they do not, but you have to email them to check. You can find their contact info if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. You can attempt to expedite a case there, if you have a reason. Take care, Jason
Thanks alot Jason.. and to expedite , it should be medical reasons only, correct?
It can be any reason, but a medical reason is one of the stronger reasons. Take care, Jason
Ok i have applied for asylum 1 year ago (october 2016) in chicago office .. i want to go to any country to meet my family except my original country but my attorney did’t advice to apply for advance parole because maybe it will affect our entrance back to u.s. .. and to expedite the case said it should be medical reasons and i don’t have.
Is that correct or i can apply and see what will happen? Any recommendations?
I wrote about Advance Parole on September 11, 2017 – maybe that would help. As for the expedite, you can use any reason, though medical reasons or family separation (especially if the family members are not safe) are the strongest reasons to expedite. I wrote about that on March 30, 2017. Take care, Jason
Great job Jason. Please, what success chances /rates for asylums filed in Arizona? Colorado?
Does filing via an attorney increases my success chances or the chances remain same?
Thanks
You have to find your local asylum office by following the link at right called Asylum Office Locator, and then you can compare it with the chart above (for what that chart is worth). As for a lawyer, I wrote about that last week (for court cases) and I do think lawyers can help (obviously, since I am a lawyer). I did a posting on July 7, 2016 about this topic – maybe that would help. Take care, Jason
Hi jason we leave in houston me and my husband and about to file asylum case so is it still the lowest acceptance level and longest period? Also if we need to file in san francisco is there is any way to do it while we still here ? Thanks for your effort
I have not checked the statistics lately, but I think you should focus on presenting the best case you can; I would not worry about office statistics too much (for reasons discussed above). The only way to have your case at the SF office is to live within the jurisdiction of that office. Take care, Jason
Dear jason,
please I need your help and advise I applied to Asylum in 2015 on Houston Asylum office and kept waiting and left US because my father health issue that need to brain surgery so that cause to me panic attack so after communicated and send all reports to Houston office they told me that my case will be move to Asylum office director for review ans consideration .so my case still pending so please your advise me what to do to return back to US
If you do not have Advance Parole or a visa, I do not know how you can return to the US. Even if you have a visa, you could be detained when you arrive here, depending on the type of visa you have. If you cannot get a visa, you might look into Humanitarian Parole (form I-131, available at http://www.uscis.gov), but I do not think USCIS would approve a case under these circumstances, but maybe it is worth looking into as a last resort. If nothing works, maybe you can convince the asylum office to terminate your case so at least you will not have a removal order, which would make it more difficult to come back here in the future. Take care, Jason
Hi sir, I am planning to file my asylum in the USA.My son is already in the US.He is 18 years old.He is studying there.I want to file asylum with my daughter. She is 13 years old .I do not want to file my son. Pl tell me this asylum case can create a problem for my son.
If your son stays in the US, he will likely be fine, but if he leaves and tries to re-enter, your asylum case could cause problems. He could be rejected at the airport when he returns (if that happens, he can ask asylum at the airport, but he will likely be detained while his case is decided). Or, if he needs a new visa, that will likely be denied if you have a pending case. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason,
My case: I received the green card based on asylum and I had to visit my home country one time for a family emergency which lasted 40 days trip. I was stopped at the airport upon returning but was allowed to enter.
My concerns:
1- Would that be an issue in the Naturalization process
2-How should I prepare myself
3-What is the worst case scenario
4- if I hire an attorney, what would they do there ( would that protect me from out of rules questions)
5- is 40 day stay in home country very long? What should be best answer.
6- renewed passport and travelled to Europe with it.. would that cause a trouble.
7-How long Seattle office takes to finalize an application. I see 11 months estimated time!!!
Thanks,
Paul
1 – Very possibly. 2 – Have evidence of the reason for the trip, and be prepared to explain about the trip, and how you managed to stay safely there even though it is still dangerous for you. 3 – The asylum office could take away asylum and put you into immigration court, where you would have to re-litigate the asylum case defensively, and if you lost and lost on appeal, you could be deported. 4 – The lawyer would hopefully advise you about how best to avoid getting sent to court. 5 – I don’t know; it depends on the reason for staying, but it seems long to me for someone who got asylum from that same country. 6- On its own, I doubt it (though theoretically it could – it is better to use a refugee travel document), but in combined with the trip home, it is another negative factor (if you fear terrorists in your country and not the government, this will be less of a problem). 7 – I do not understand what application you are referring to. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason,
I just fled my country and got into a neighbouring country. It was so hard to get a US visa using my original passport. So I bribed the immigration of the country and did a passport. I used it to apply for US visa and was successful.
I want to apply for asylum in the US. What are my chances given that I used fake document to enter the states.
Patrick
I don’t know, your name is like a cameroon name, are u from there?
Using a fake document is not an automatic basis to deny, but if you are discovered at the airport/border, you likely will be detained. It would be important to reveal the fraud in any statement or application you make to the US government, but if you needed the fake document to escape from harm, it should not automatically blocked you from receiving asylum (there is a case about that called Matter of Pula). Take care, Jason
I filed my asylum case in Minnesota in October 2015, its been two years now, do you have any idea which year lot Minnesota is handling now?
I think MN is covered by the Chicago Asylum Office, but I do not know whether there is a sub-office. You can check the Asylum Office Scheduling Bulletin – a link is at right – to get an idea about the interview schedule, at least for Chicago. Take care, Jason
Hello jason,
I have a son but he is not biologically my own.
Do i need to mention in my asylum application about it?
What if i mwntion him as my own?
You need to mention all your children, including adopted children. I recommend that you list him and then explain (maybe on the last page of the form – Supplement B) what your relationship is: Adopted child, child who lives with you, child that you consider your son, etc. As long as you explain, you should be fine. He would only be eligible to benefit from your asylum case if he is legally your child. Take care, Jason
Greetings,
I am a Syrian national with a TPS status. I have been in the Us for 4 years now and I intentionally didn’t apply for assylum before as I thought it’s for no use as long as my TPS is running and I get to work.
However, with the political changes happening in the US, I am worried that I would lose my priviliges of being legal and not be able to work anymore.
Do you think that these political changes are considered a good exception (from the first year rule) to apply for assylum at this point? And if I understand, the SF office would be responsible for me if I live in Sacremento, CA, if I am correct?
Please advise. Thank you so much for your articles and answers. Regards.
You certainly can try to use your TPS status as an “excuse” for not filing within the first year. I have not done that for a client, but I suspect it should work. You might want to talk to a lawyer about that, maybe to research the question and see whether there is a case on point (if so, please let us know). As for your asylum office, you can find that if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator and enter your zip code. Take care, Jason
Hey my name is abdul i want to enquire about some doubts i have presently i m leaving in chicago can i apply aslyum case in washington state i have enter in usa with visit visa still three months are left
If you apply for asylum, you are assigned an asylum office based on where in the US you live. You can find out if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator and enter your zip code. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason,
I am applying for the asylum as my previous comment indicated. I feel very confident that I will be able to present my case and I am looking to apply on my own.
I know this might be an invalid question to ask an attorney’s office, but I am going through some financial problems and I want to apply asap.
Do you have any recommendations on whether I should apply by myself or with an attorney at the San Francisco Office? What do you think is a reasonable approval percentages in both cases?
Also, would an attorney be able to make the process faster at all or it is the same processing time regardless?
Thank you so much! I find a lot of of useful information on your website. Truly thankful!
I did blog posts on July 7, 2016 and September 22, 2016 that talk about these questions. Using a lawyer does not make the case faster, though maybe the lawyer can advise you about how to best request that the case be expedited. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason.I’m 27 years old guy from Eastern Europe.I came in Usa as a J1 visa student.Is it to late to apply for asylum if I’m already in the USA for 2 years as a illegal?I live in SF and this is my home now,I can’t imagine myself living enywhere alse.
You may be barred from asylum based on the one-year asylum filing rule (where you are supposed to file for asylum within one year of entry). There are exceptions to that rule, and so you might want to talk to a lawyer about that. Also, even if you are barred from asylum, you might be eligible for other relief, such as Withholding of Removal and Torture Convention relief. Talk to a lawyer, as it is much better to find an exception to the one year rule and get asylum if you can. Take care, Jason
Can I please know if applying for an asylum through a lawyer increases my chances of receiving a positive answer or reduces the chances of delay in processing?
Does holding a visa has a negative/positive impact as well as increase/decrease chances for asylum application as compared with those who do not hold visas?
Kindly,
K
Using a lawyer or not has no effect on the time frame of the case. If the lawyer is any good, it should help you win the case. I wrote about this issue on July 7, 2016 – maybe that posting would help. Whether or not you hold a visa probably has little effect on the outcome of the case, but it depends on the case, so I really do not know. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason. I filed my documents from NYC. Then i moved to Virginia. 16 month pass still there is no response. But my driver license Job is in VA. End of 2017 i am planning to move back to Newyork or San francisco. Is that could be a problem during the interview?
When you move, you have to update your address using form AR-11, available at http://www.uscis.gov. If the asylum office thinks you are lying about your address, they may think you are lying about your entire case, so it is a good idea to update the address. Also, if they see that you are not in the proper office, they could refuse to interview you and transfer your case to the correct office (or maybe send you to court). Take care, Jason
Hi
If i live in place belong sub office, how i submit request to the office to make my interview in head office not in sub office?, and is it reduce waiting time ?
I do not know if it is possible for them to do that. But you can ask – send an email to the main office with your request. You can find their contact info if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason,
dose you have any idea about asylum scheduling for seattle office, and is it easy or not?3
Thanks Jason God with you
Seattle is a sub-office of San Francisco, so you can check the Asylum Office Scheduling Bulletin (a link is at right) for the SF office. Usually, the sub-offices are slower than the main office. If you want to request to expedite, make the request to the SF office. You can find their contact info if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. Take care, Jason
Hi Mr. Jason
I live in Los Angeles and I want to apply in San F office, can I? Because I’m in the same state “California ”
And what If I got married when I got the green card based on marriage I can withdraw my asylum?
Or it canceled by itself ?
You have to apply based on where you live. If you go to the link at right called Asylum Office Locator, and enter your zip code, you will find your asylum office. If you marry and get a GC based on marriage, you should inform the asylum office and they will cancel your case. Take care, Jason
Hi dear my name is fouzia nazeer i file my asylum case in Washington but now I move in Houston tx and also i give my address to Houston asylum office and I file my case may 2015 i move here March 2017 and u still waiting for my case so how long i should wait for my case reply please in advance thank john.
You have to check the Asylum Office Scheduling Bulletin – a link is at right. Also, you can contact the Houston asylum office to make sure they have your case. You can find their contact info if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason,
Thank you so much for your hard work, you helped to a lot of people.
I have read that if you changing address – you changing Asylum office.
Purely theoretically.
Can I file a case in Chicago, and after 1-2 years move to SF, and get interviewed in SF Office?
You can move and change your address, and if the new address is in the jurisdiction of a new asylum office, then your interview will be in the new office. You should keep your place in the queue, so in your example, if you file in Chicago but move to SF, you will be interview on the SF schedule as if you had originally filed in the SF office. Take care, Jason
Is I understand it right, that for example, if I will file in Chicago, and then after 1 year will move to SF with EAD, I will wait the same time, like I filed in SF just now?
Correct. Take care, Jason
Dear Jason,
Can you please update the above chart with the latest statistics? I have gone through with latest Asylum Division Quarterly Stakeholder Meeting but couldn’t summarize the data as you did in the above chart.
Thanks and regards,
I would not have time to do that anytime soon, sorry. My suspicion is that there will not be any major changes, but it would be good to take a look at the data at some point, and if I have a chance, I may do that. Take care, Jason
I heard many information and I would like to know if it is recommended to say that you live at a family member’s home or even if you have more family applying also for asylum? Should I mention that or not?
I do not see why they would care where you live, as long as you tell them the truth about where you live and your address. If you have family members who have also applied for asylum, that might help your case. And if they have been granted, that certainly could be helpful to your case, so it is probably good to tell them (though of course, if the cases are not consistent, that could be a problem). Take care, Jason
Hello,
What about Georgia? Is that any information about how good or bad is to apply here?
I don’t know Carla, just apply where you stay God will help you win the Asylum. If u have family members let them apply individually or if u have kids u can include them in tot application where it shows to include kids, thanks.
For an affirmative asylum case, Georgia is a sub office of Arlington, VA, which is a pretty good office. So applying there is fine. However, if you lose and are sent to court, the Immigration Court in Georgia is known to be one of the most difficult in the US. But you only go there if the initial asylum application is not approved. Take care, Jason
Hey, How about Chicago?
Chicago is listed on the chart above. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason.
Thank you for this informative website you guys have provided. And thank you for all the helpful information.
I have submitted my I-589 for the asylum, religious case, in 2014. We had an interview in February of 2016 and since then I have been waiting for the response but NO response yet. I am a family man with four kids and it/s not easy to wait that long. I am under Chicago Asylum Office. We would be very thankful for any information that you can provide. If I have to I might higher the service of the Lawyer (PM me). From this point on, is there anything that can be done to hear back from them or somehow legally speed up the process or anything like that??? Or if we move to a different place like west cost would it help? Thank you in advance!
Sher
I doubt moving would make any difference. You can contact the asylum office to inquire about your case. You can find their contact info if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. If that does not help, contact the USCIS Ombudsman – a link is also at right. If the Ombudsman cannot help, you might consider a mandamus lawsuit. The first two, you can do by yourself, but for the law suit, you should probably hire a lawyer. Take care, Jason
Hey Sher, how are u doing, please can you tell me which address i can apply to please, am from Minnesota, please how can i apply?
I would like to seek religious asylum, i’am a christian from Egypt and i got visa B1-B2 , please advise which immigration office is faster and good approval rat foe my case , i don’t care to live in any state i just want the faster office for my case , please advise.
Regards,
The above blog post basically tells you my opinion on this. I am not sure what else to add. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason. May only God bless you for this award deserving job.This is priceless.
I am on a B1/B2 visa and l would like to seek asylum in San Fransisco. I am a 29 year old gay guy and have been persecuted and deprived my rights in my home country as gays have been called ” worse more than pigs and dogs”. To make matters worse l was forced to sleep with a woman in a locked room by a relative simply for me to have a child to carry my fathers name. l am a member of the GALZ.My problem is that my only friend is in Florida but the approval rate is low. I intend to hand in my case in San Fransisco since it has a high rate of approval BUT my problem is l dont know anyone there who can assist me with accomodation so l can use that address to open my case. On the other hand, am l allowed to rent my own place while l await for my outcome so l can use that address..?l am willing to pay. If they might be any LGBTQ members or other organisations who can help me to access accomodation and guidance….PLEASE DO HELP.
Thank you.
You should be careful about filing a case in one place and living somewhere else. If the asylum office thinks you are lying about your address, they may think you are lying about your case too. I recommend that you just file wherever you live and do your best to win the case in the local office (as discussed in the above article). There are groups that assist LGBT asylum seekers. I wrote an article on September 22, 2016 about finding free lawyers, but the article links to groups of non-profits, some of which will focus on LGBT cases. Also, you can Google “Immigration Equality”, which is the most prominent NGO in this area, and they may be able to assist you finding local support. Take care, Jason
Dear Jason, accept my sincere gratitude for all the work you for the community of people who found themselves in this situation. Your website and advice are truly priceless.
My wife and I fled an Easter European country known for the extreme levels of ethnicity-based xenophobia and the quasi-democratic but oppressive regimes. We filed our asylum application in Los Angeles in May 2014 and predictably we’re still waiting to hear about the interview date, which may take at least one more year, however, I have a new turn in my professional life:
– I’m involved in the tech industry and I have a growing need to be present in the SF/SV area. I am planning to go there next week and start looking for longer term accomodation and spend over 50% of my time there with a thought that the entire family may move there as things get established (we have two kids so that adds to the trouble of moving).
– I was told that if I rent a place there, I would need to update my address for the asylum case and it will be transfered to the San Francisco office so we may get called for an interview shortly thereafter since they are reviewing cases, which were filed back in May-June 2015, i.e. a year later than mine.
– If we do that, I was told two opposing viewpoints: (a) that my entire family, including kids have to relocate full-time since they check if they live there permanently and even go and interview neighbors, (b) that as long as you have a lease/sub-lease and your spouse and you have updated your driver’s licenses to the new address, they won’t get much further into it.
What’s your experience with this?
My experience is that they are not all that strict with addresses and I have never heard of USCIS checking whether you actually live in a place. However, if they have info that indicates you are not telling the truth about your address, they might consider that you are lying about the address, and if you are lying about that, maybe you are lying about other things. In short, if you have a legitimate basis to say you are living in a particular address, you should be fine. Given the choice between SF and LA, I would choose SF, as it has a higher grant rate and it is faster (but that assume that you prefer a faster office – some people prefer slower). In any case, if you have evidence for your address, to show that you are really using that address, you should be fine. Take care, Jason
Thank you, Jason. I ended up moving to SF and we were called for an interview, which seemed to go well. We were told to come back in two weeks and on that day they said the officer hasn’t made a decision yet but we’ll get a notice in mail. Do you have any insights into the wait times for the results of the interview, and if it means they are hesitating about giving us the asylum status?
I have limited experience with the SF office, but they seem pretty good to me. It is very common for “two week pick-ups” to become “mail outs” and it is not an indicator of a good or bad decision. Usually it is security checks, but it could just be that people are on vacation for the holidays. In other words, it is very frustrating, but I do not think it is a cause for concern. As for the timing, most cases are decided in a few months, but it is really not predictable. Good luck, Jason