If you’ve visited this website before, you know that I’ve written about the asylum backlog again and again… and again and again and again and again. And yet again. And once more. And probably a few other times in-between. USCIS recently released some new statistics on asylum, and so I thought I would share them here and discuss the current situation.
First off, despite the efforts of the Asylum Division, the backlog continues to grow. In January 2015, the total number of backlogged cases was 76,446. By the end of March 2015, there were 82,175 backlogged asylum cases nationwide. The numbers have only increased since then.
The main cause of the backlog has been large numbers of people–mostly young people–coming to the United States from Central America. These young people are detained at the border and receive a credible fear interview, which is an initial assessment of eligibility for asylum. If they pass the credible fear interview, their case is referred to an Immigration Court, which then fully reviews their asylum application. The credible fear interviews are conducted by Asylum Officers, and because they are detained at government expense, the young people are given priority over other (non-detained) asylum seekers. Because the Asylum Division must devote resources to these credible fear interviews, they have been unable to keep up with the more traditional asylum cases. Hence, the backlog.
I keep expecting the number of young people coming here to wane, but so far that has not been the case. Indeed, the number of people coming from Central America this year is nearly identical to the numbers we saw last year. And given that summer is traditionally a busier time for migration from Central America, we can expect more young people to arrive at our border in the next few months. Thus, it seems likely that the backlogged cases will keep piling up.
According to the latest statistics, the least backlogged offices are Houston (3,971 backlogged cases), Arlington (5,791), and Chicago (6,485). The most backlogged office is Los Angeles (17,042), followed by Newark (14,924), New York (13,568), Miami (11,366), and San Francisco (9,028). Wait times in these offices roughly correlate with the number of cases backlogged, so Houston is currently the fastest office and Los Angeles is the slowest.
Of course, obtaining a (relatively) quick interview date is of little value if the case is denied. In terms of grant rates, the fastest offices are not necessarily the most likely to grant asylum. Although the statistics on this vary, the offices in Chicago, Houston, Miami, Newark, and New York all grant asylum less than 33% of the time. Arlington and Los Angeles grant about 50% of their cases, and San Francisco grants over 60% of its cases.
So what is the Asylum Division doing to address the backlog?
For one thing, they have been hiring more Asylum Officers. Since the backlog began in 2013, the number of staff members has increased by 90% and they continue to hire and train more officers. It appears that the Asylum Division will continue to add new officers through 2016. So if–and it is a big if–we see a drop in credible fear interviews at the border, the asylum offices should be well positioned to make some progress on the backlog.
The Asylum Division is also making an effort to keep the public more informed about the backlog. For some months now, there has been discussion about providing more information about processing times at the different asylum offices (for example, the Arlington, Virginia office is currently interviewing cases from July 2013). Because workloads are unpredictable, the asylum offices do not know when they will interview an individual case, but they do know which cases they are processing now. By posting this information, at least asylum seekers will have some idea about where they stand in the queue (the Department of State has a similar system for family- and employment-based immigration visas).
The asylum offices have also created some very limited ways to expedite cases. I have discussed those here.
As an advocate for asylum seekers, of course I believe that more should be done. Most importantly, I would like to see the asylum offices give higher priority to people separated from their immediate relatives. I would also like to see more resources devoted to processing I-730 petitions, which allow approved asylum seekers to bring their spouses and children to the U.S. Also, given that asylum cases are moving slowly, I would like to see USCIS issue work permits (EADs) for two or more years, instead of just one year. Finally, I would like to see responsibility for credible fear interviews moved from the Asylum Division to a separate unit or–better yet–the elimination of credible fear interviews altogether (CFIs are basically rubber stamps and thus a waste of resources; it would be better if such cases were adjudicated in the first instance by an Immigration Judge).
The Asylum Division is faced with a very difficult–if not impossible–task: To continue adjudicating asylum cases while dealing with an unpredictable and overwhelming number of credible fear cases, all the while, with a hostile Congress looking for excuses to reduce asylum protections. For the sake of our asylum system and those who need protection, I hope they can navigate these treacherous waters.
hi Jason, I am live in NH and I was applied at August 2013 do you know our office is in Massachusetts or Vermont and do you have any information about cases in these offices what do you think how long should I wait for interview ?
Your “main” office is Newark, NJ, and they are currently interviewing cases filed in about January 2013. Since you are in NH, I think (but I am not sure) that you will be interviewed in Boston, which is a sub-office of Newark. My guess (and again, I am not sure) is that Boston is even slower than Newark. I have done cases in Newark, but never in Boston (or NH) so I really am not so sure. Good luck, Jason
Jason,
I went to Newark office, about a month ago. They said “they were processing cases from March 2013, and since there are not a lot of cases backlogged from 2013 (Newark major backlog are cases filed in 2014)”, they expect to process August ’13 cases within the next 60 days. I went back and was not convinced about what I’ve heard, so I did some research and here is my analysis:
Newark pending cases as of February ’13 = 2894
Newark Pending cases as of August ’13 = 4898
That means Newark pending cases between February and end of August is 2004.
Now, Newark average total scheduled interviews for the period Sept. ’14 through March ’15 (last reported 6 months) was 511/month. Newark office rescheduled an average of 11% of the cases in the same period, leaving the rate of scheduled cases minus those who were rescheduled by USCIS is 454/month. Dividing the number of pending cases on the calculated number of interviews/month (assuming that this is Newark’s rate of interviews per month) yields a waiting time of 4.4 months for whoever applied on August ’13 at Newark Office.
Am I right with my analysis?
Thanks, James.
Thanks for your answer, yes I have to go for interview in Boston
Hi Jason
I applied in January 2014 in LA office
I know its the slowest one in us is they still interviewing
in 2012,and how long I will wait do you think
thanks alot.
There is no way to predict how long you will wait, as it depends on how many people enter the system. I believe LA is interviewing cases filed in early 2012, so you probably still have a while to wait. I wrote a post on February 26, 2015 discussing possible ways to expedite the case, if you are interested. Good luck, Jason
thank you so much.
Dear Jason,
First of all I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your excellent postings and advises. It is very frustrating living in the unknown. Your postings give me some sense of what is going on, which I could not get from elsewhere.
Here is my question. I filed my asylum application in San Francisco office in April 2013, I haven’t received an interview date so far. Do you have any information regarding the San Francisco Asylum office and when might my interview be?
Once again thanks so much
Hareru
I think they are interviewing from early 2013, but I am home now and I have that info in my office. If it is something different, I will try to update my response. You may want to email them to make sure you are still in the queue. Good luck, Jason
Thank you so much Mr Jason.
Hareru
Last I heard, San Fran was interviewing cases filed in May 2013, so you might want to contact them and see why they have not scheduled you yet for an interview.
Thank you so much again, I will email them and see what they have to say. Appreciated your help.
Hareru
Dear Jason,
Thank you so much for lots of extremely useful information and updates you post!
Do you have any information about the cases currently called out for interview in Miami? We applied in April 2013
I am at my house and I have the info in my office. I think they are interviewing early 2013, though, so you should be relatively soon. If I find anything different when I go to work, I will try to post it.
Miami is currently interviewing cases filed in February or March 2013.
Good Morning Jason first I thank you so much for important information that you give us till now I am waiting interview I apply since 8/2013 chicago asylum office did you know which month they interviewed thank you so much again
Atheel
Chicago is interviewing cases filed in May or June 2013, so you should be soon (though things seem to be moving slow in the summer). Good luck, Jason
Thank you Jason
Hello Jason
I was interviewed in Chicago in 8/2013 but still no decision has been made. My question is , are they just interviewing cases filed in May or they are making decisions for old cases too? If they are , do you know what month cases are they processing now?
Thank you
There is no time frame for the decision (unfortunately). You have been waiting a very long time. I recommend you contact the asylum office, if you have not already done that. You might also contact the Ombudsman’s office. You can do that on-line and it is their job to help people like you: http://www.dhs.gov/case-assistance. Good luck, Jason
Hi Jason, hope you are doing good ! I applied for asylum on Dec 1st 2014. I got my interview call for Jan 10 2015. Since then I am waiting for my result. Question is how come I got an interview call so quickly. There are other people I hear have been waiting for months if not years. Is there any pattern to that ? 2nd question is that I just got my EAD so how to apply for a driever’s lisence and would it only be valid for just 1 year. Is that a special driver’s lisence for asylees. I also wanted to ask you how long does the back-ground check usually take per your experience. Wish you and everyone on this blog the very best. Thanks.
You are lucky, as they changed the way interviews are done at the end of December 2014. Before then, some people (like you) got fast interview, and others went to the backlog. To make up for your good luck, it is taking a long time for a decision. Unfortunately, it is not predictable how long it can take – some of our clients have been waiting for over a year, and a few have been waiting for more than two years. There is not much you can do about it, but you can inquire to the asylum office now and again. As for the license, you should be eligible for it, but it depends on the state. In many cases, the license is tied to the EAD, so they expire at the same time. This is annoying, and you should make sure to apply to renew the EAD as early as possible, so there are no gaps (you can file 120 days before it expires). Good luck, Jason
Dear Jason,
I have applied for asylum in August 2014 and I still didn’t receive any letter about my interview date, I would like to know if it is possible to cancel my case and leave USA . 2nd question will I be able to get tourist visa in future to visit my parant in USA again?
Thanks
You probably have some months to wait for your interview (only the Houston office is interviewing cases filed in 2014 – the other offices are interviewing cases filed in 2013 or even 2012). You can give a letter to the local office to cancel your case. The fact that you filed for asylum may make it more difficult in the future to obtain a tourist visa (also, depending on the timing of when you filed, you may have a legal bar to returning to the US). Maybe if your parents have status in the US, they could file an immigration visa for you. You might want to talk to a lawyer to go over the specifics of your case and your options. Good luck, Jason
Dear Jason
Thank you for your reply, I still have two other questions:
1. Can my father file a family petition for me and my husband since he is an American citizen, while My asylum case is still pending ( in Arlington office). Should he file two I-130 forms for me and another one for my husband or my husband will be part of my application.
2. Could you give me an estimate on how long will this process take.
Dear Jason,
greetings;
I do filled I-765 (EAD) but I missed put the last date of entry, my question is; will this might affect the process? and what can I do to fix it?
stay Well.
It may not affect the result, but if it does, I suspect they will send you a request for additional evidence, and then you can include this information when you respond. In the worst case, I suppose they will deny the application and you will have to re-apply. If you already have the receipt (and the receipt number), I suppose you could send in a corrected I-765 with an explanation about what happened, but this might cause more confusion. Maybe the best choice is to wait and see what they say; if you want to do something before then, talk to a lawyer. Good luck, Jason
Dear Jason, hope you are doing good.
I just want to ask you what month is currently interviewing the Arlington office?.
I have applied in the end of January 2015, so could you guess and tell me when do I get interview?
Thanks a lot
They are currently interview cases filed in August 2013. My guess is that you will wait at least a year, but it could be more or less than that. Good luck, Jason
Thanks a lot!!!
Hello Mr. Jason!!is it anything that We can do for all your help and for all the answers, to thankful for all your great job that u are doing?? My question is if i will aplie for I-131 and i will get my advance parole as a pending asylum(my husband applied for asylum and he is from a different country than me) on my way back they gonna let me come in to the USA back?? Is there any percentage that they are not going to let me come again in the country even with the advance parole from uscis???
First, it is very difficult to get advance parole, and – for some reason that I do not understand – USCIS is denying many I-131 for advance parole. Second, if you have AP, you should be able to re-enter. That is the whole point. That said, there is no guarantee that they will allow you to enter. The government can refuse entry to any non-citizen at the border, but if you have the documents to enter, in general, you should be able to enter. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason
I had the same issue with freed. I am in the US with student visa and traveled back to my country for emergency condition on my families. I stayed there for six weeks, two weeks in prison actually. While now i fill out the form i-589, the same question, “have you returned back to the country where you were harmed” puts me in confusion. I have prosecuted both in the past and arrested in my last visit. Different lawyers gave me different answers. I know i have to tell the truth. so here is my question: if i said it “No”, will my case be rejected for providing false information since the fact that i have returned back once? If i said it “yes”, those previous sufferings may not count on my case and i have to stick to what happened on my last visit to build my case right? Lastly, is there a chance on my interview to change my response whatever i said now based on my final affidavit? Thank you so much Jason, i really appreciate it !!!!!!
I think in your case, the better answer may be “yes,” but really, it does not matter which box you check, as long as you explain what happened – you can write this explanation on the form or in your affidavit. Good luck, Jason
Hi Jason,
I applied assylum in 2013 and still waiting for my interview date to come. I would like to know from you is there any way I can bring my parents here in visitor visa , will that be any problem .They had applied earlier when i was student but did not got the visa.They are in earthquake tremors rite now.Is there any way I can bring them here.
There is no way you can file for your parents based on the fact that you have an asylum case pending. They can apply for a visa like everyone else, but of course, it is difficult to get a US visa. Maybe you want to consult an attorney to help prepare a visa application for them, but there are no magic solutions. Good luck, Jason
Thank you so much for your information.While filling my assylum i have included my husband as well.He was a student but some reason he had to stop his school and he applied for the EAD but he did not work.Now he is planning to go to school but the school said he need to re apply as F1 again.Cant he go to school without being in F1.As an assylee pending status .
Thank you
He should talk to the school, as different schools seem to do things differently. However, with the asylum EAD, they should allow him to attend school. At least, many of our clients are attending schools with the EAD. Good luck, Jason
Thank you so much Jason! Appreciate you a lot.
Hi Jason
Thank you so much for your information and continues update on asylum cases. Please give me your thought on this matter…i am a student and returned back to my home country for vacation. But i faced prosecution and torture in my stay. I decided to come back and file for asylum. The thing is i got this question, “have you return back to the country where u fear harm?” Got confused, and i said “No” because i didn’t have the intent to apply for asylum until my last visit and thinking that i didnt return back after i faced the harm? Is this the right logic, or do i need to fix it before i submit the application? Thanks
There are different ways to interpret that question. I would probably put “no” because you did not return after you were harmed. You could also put “yes” because you left and returned. I don’t think it matters. The important part is that you must explain what happened in your affidavit and why you were traveling back-and-forth, and what changed (persecution) that caused you to seek asylum.
Thank you so much Jason, its really helpful. I thought there should be one right answer for the question though it depends on how you explain (interpret it).
Hello Jason
Thank you for your valuable information on asylum. I had this question, is it possible to have a lawyer for my case after i file my application by myown and give fingerprints.
If so how am i gonna do it and how would it affect my application. Thank you sir for your consideration and response.
Depending on the lawyer, you can hire someone at any time. But the preparation of the form and story is very important. If can afford it, it is probably worth it to have the lawyer help you from the beginning. In my experience, it is often easier to start the case than to join in the middle. Take care, Jason
hi there thanks so much for your help
i just want to ask where does the LGBT stand with everything is going on
like will they get faster interview
you know something ? like that or any
benefits ?
thank you
It does not matter why you are seeking asylum, everyone is going slow. If you have a reason to expedite, you can try, but that seems to work only rarely (I wrote about it on February 26, 2015). Good luck, Jason
Hi Jason,
I want an advise on my case. I am an asylum applicant since november 2013 in Miami office. I got a new good temporary job in another state. I am asking if I can move to the new job without changing my address especially that this job will last for only few months. And I will return back every few months to see my parents . So, please advise.
I am going to write a post about this in the next month or two. Generally, you must tell them if you move, but if it is temporary and you maintain your old address, you should not have to change address. If you are not sure, you should talk to a lawyer, just to be safe. Miami is currently interviewing cases from about March 2013, so you probably have a few more months to wait. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason! I’m impressed with such a great work you are doing for suffering people. Could you please give us some idea of what is the situation in Miami office? My mother applied in December, 2013 and now it is 6 month that she has been waiting for the interview. She has husband and children under 18 in another country. Could she ask USCIS to expedite her case?
Many thanks!
I don’t have the month with me, but Miami is interviewing cases filed in 2013. You can ask to expedite, usually this is done if there is a health problem. In our experience, it is difficult to convince the asylum office to expedite a case. Good luck, Jason
Hello Jason,
Your website has become my go-to place for updates while I wait for my interview notice.
I have 2 questions:
1) Do you happen to know what month and year the NY office is currently interviewing?
2) Does the fact that the NY office has a low approval rate meant that my family and I would merit from moving our case elsewhere?
Thanks in advance.
Sara
I don’t have the date at my home, but it is sometime in 2013. The data on approval rates that I have seen is not complete at all. I would not make any decisions based on that, and I do not think the differences in approval rates at each office is all that significant.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions.
Best,
Sara
Dear Jason
I highly appreciate your efforts and new ideas that you suggested when you discus asylum cases, hope such ideas can find place to apply.
Kindly advise regarding SF office, which month they are interviewing right now.
It is 2013, but I do not have the month at home (where I am now).
Hi Jason
My friend is in the US whom about to submit adylum she asks if she can add her mother whose living not in the US to her case. She wants her mom to come to the US to live with her. If not possible for the mom to be added can she bring her mom later after having the green card?
In other words, would it be correct to say a valid passport is not a requirement during the interview PARTICULARLY if it expired after the asylum application?
Would the expired passport be accepted on the interview?
Could this individual remain in the U.S. with an expired passport but with the notice of receipt from the asylum office ( as cover up ) without violating the law pending either receipt of EAD or when notified for interview?
?!
Hi Jason.
thank you for your support. I have an non english audio document in cd to support my asylum application. What is the best way to present this material to the AO.
Please advise me in this regard.
thanks
Normally, they will not accept a CD. You can make a transcript of the recording and present that to the Asylum Office.
Hi Jason,
Hope You’re great. Thanks for Your patience and support towards us all. You are an Angel:)
I was wondering how an expired passport could affect an applicant who applied for asylum before it expired . Must the applicant renew his/her passport here in the U.S. while the case is still pending? What if this is not possible, could this affect the applicant in any way( during the interview )?
Best regards,
Bisy.
I don’t see how an expired passport will make any difference to the case, but I suppose it depends on the specifics of the case. If a person renews her passport while the case is pending, the asylum officer may wonder why they to their embassy when they are seeking asylum from that country; the person may need to explain this at the interview.
Thank You so much.
Hello Jason! Thank you so much for all your help! You help and tell us way more than our lawyers do. Jason, I have one question. I asked for asylum in March 2014 and if my family will try to get visitor’s visa and if they will come to US shortly, can I add them to my asylum case, which in the process? or do they need to apply separately?, I listed them when applied, but they were in another country and if they come now, can I change the info and say they are here, so the child could go to school? Or will it not be possible to go to school here without the SS card with visitor’s visa??? Thank you so much!!! I am even thinking on moving closer to where you are and continue the case with you, if it is possible?.
If the child is under 18, he or she can go to school. It does not matter whether the child is part of your case. That said, you can add your family members to your case. However, I am not sure whether the procedure is the same at each asylum office. The best thing is to email your asylum office and tell them what you want to do. They should send you instructions about how to add family members. Take care, Jason
Dear Jason
Thank you for all of your efforts.
I have a question which is that i have a US visa and my passport is going to be expired but I have issued new passport and will attach it to my expired passport and want to come to the US to submit asylum. I heard that if my passport which has the visa stampped on it, if it is expired i cant submit asylum however i have a new passport so do you think this is correct.
Many thanks
Soso
I am not sure I understand the question. We have had many clients come here with two passports – the old one with the US visa, and the new one that the US border agent stamps upon arrival. You would probably want to give copies of both passports to the asylum office when you apply for asylum.
Many thanks Jason for your prompt response.
I will do same what you have mentioned. I will give my new passport to be stamped on arrival. But to apply for asylum is it fine if the passport which has the visa (the passport) is expired? Or its okay if its expired i mean dosent matter.
Hello! My dad applied for asylum in November 2014 and our family applied in February 2015 in Arlington office. Do you know which month are they interviewing now?
Yes, Arlington is currently interviewing cases filed in August 2013. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason
We applied our Asylum application on January 23 ,2015 in San Francisco office
do you have an idea which months they are interviewing now in San Francisco ? And what the estimated time that our case may take , we’re family of 3 persons me & my husband and my 6 years-old son ?
Appreciate your help and cooperation
Thanks .
I don’t have the date with me at home, where I am now, but it is sometime in 2013. No one can predict when your case will be interviewed, as it depends how many new cases enter the system, but I would guess you will wait between 6 months and 1.5 years (though that is just a guess). Hopefully, things will improve and it will be faster than that. Good luck, Jason
Hi … I have a question for you about my case , in 2014 I had an interview at USCIS office / San Diego after that my case turned to Immigration Court and I had my first interview with the immigration judge and he scheduled us 10 month after that interview at that time I had my attorney but now I don’t have an attorney and at October I will have my hearing interview at the immigration Court , my question is Dose it effect the case if I do not have an attorney ? The case is very strong case because it is based on my situation and what I have been through …. Thanks for help
If this case is important to you, you should get an attorney. There may be a “bad” situation in your country, but that does not necessarily mean you qualify for asylum (also, you lost the case at the asylum office, so they obviously did not think your case was very strong). Statistically, people without lawyers do much worse in court than people with lawyers. Maybe – hopefully – you will win without a lawyer, but if you have good lawyer, your chances of winning are much better. Also, there is not so much time until your hearing, so if you want to use a lawyer, you should find one as soon as possible. Good luck, Jason
Good Evening Sir,
I was interviewed in Arlington office before on year. Till yet i don’t receive any decision . why is this delay? we are family of parents and 2 kids. I am seeking for your advice .
Thank you very much
Such delays are usually caused by the security background check or if a case is high-profile (like a diplomat of a well-known person), and then it must be reviewed by headquarters. We’ve seen pretty long delays especially for Afghans and Iraqis. There is not much you can do about it, but hopefully you will have a decision soon. I do plan to do a posting on this subject in the coming weeks. Good luck, Jason
Hi jason
We applied for asylum at the San Francisco office January 2015. We received the notice of receipt a few days later and also have done the fingerprint as requested but still standing by for an interview
do you have an idea which months they are interviewing now in San Francisco ? and If they are doing any backlogs at all currently ?
Thanks a lot for your cooperation.
I don’t have it with me now, but it is 2013, so you will be waiting for a while. Good luck, Jason
greeting Sir,
I had the interview two months ago in Houston. I waited 9months till I get my interview. I sent the. USCIS message saying what happened to my case interview, they say it’s still pending . How long do u think they will give me the decision of my interview since I’m from Iraq ???
Thank you sir,
Sometimes we have seen long delays for our Iraqi clients. Most of them are decided in 3-6 months for men, but some are longer. Women’s cases are usually a bit faster. Good luck, Jason
Hi jason
I want to ask u about the interm ead is it still avaliable in local office?
I already applied for renewal of ead since march 16 and till now did not recieve any update about it and i made a request about a week ago and the response was ” the application still pending ” .
I do not think there is anything you can do, but you can always make an INFO Pass appointment and give it a try. We have not done that for our clients, however, and I suspect it won’t work. If you do it and it works, please let me know so I can tell other people. Good luck, Jason
I called the uscis and made a request for my renewal ead and also i asked for interm ead
In the request they wrote to me they didnt work with interm ead right now
Hi Jason can you tell me Chicago asylum office which Month interview at this time I apply on 8/2013with them thank you very much
Chicago is interviewing cases filed in May or June 2013, so hopefully you will be soon.
Thank you jason I hope you all the best
Hi Jason,
Thank you for all the information you are giving us. I aplied for an asylum in Los Angeles office in June 2013. Since then i have my second work permit, i did fingerprints in a first month from aplication but no call from them for an interview. I heard that LA is the slowest but do you know roughly how long they would take to get to my case? Thank you!
If I remember correctly, LA is interviewing cases from summer 2012, so you still have some time to wait. They are hiring more people, and so hopefully, they will get to your case soon. Good luck, Jason
Dear Jason,
Mere words cannot express the level of gratitude You deserve for this great work You do, excellent to say the least!
I applied for asylum at the Houston office March 2015. I received the notice of receipt a few days later and also have done my fingerprint as requested but still standing by for an interview date.
I understand it could take quiet long but would appreciate if You could give a rough estimate when I could expect to be interviewed based on Your experience on issues like these (just a rough guide).
Your response would be highly appreciated. Thanks again once more.
With Kind Regards
Bisy.
The good news is that Houston is the fastest office, but it is still not so fast. They are currently interviewing cases filed in about June 2014. How long it will be until your interview is unknown – it depends on how many people enter the system, and on other “outside” events. Good luck, Jason
Thanks Jason , this helps. Hope You have a great day!
Bisy.
Hey Jason, I was wondering whether or not my wife who is present in the US with me would be present during the asylum interview and would she need to testify as well?
If she was included in the case (and you checked “yes” on the box on page 2 of the I-589 form), then she should attend. Usually, they do not ask many questions of the dependent spouse, but they can ask her anything they want, so she should be prepared. Good luck, Jason
hi Jason thanks so much again
i just want to ask you this
i have a friend of mine who have a J1 Visa and he is been here for 11 months can he apply for asylum based in situation is happing to him and his family is missing what he need to do or we contact you fro consultation please
thanks
If he fears returning to his country, he can file for asylum. We have done many cases for people with a J-1 visa. He should file before his one-year anniversary in the US; otherwise, he may become ineligible for asylum. He is welcome to contact me. Take care, Jason
thank you sir for your appreciated feed back,
i have questions;
first how many cases did Arlington re;relatively interviewed per month.
second question, I expedite my case since may so without any feedback until now, how could I know if its accepted or not?
thanks,
The number of cases interviewed each month is variable – it depends how much of their resources are working on cases at the US/Mexico border. The most recent statistics for Arlington (and all the asylum offices) are here: http://www.uscis.gov/outreach/notes-previous-engagements/asylum-division-quarterly-stakeholder-meeting-9. As for the expedite request, if you are talking about the short list, they should send you a confirmation email that you are on the list. Other types of expedite requests (like a medical emergency), I do not think they send you a confirmation, but maybe you should contact them to double check. Good luck, Jason
Thank you very much, hence could I just call them or I have to ask face to face through Arlington office?
one more question, from where could I start the process of applying for the work permit?
They rarely answer the phone, so you can email or go in person on any Wednesday morning (you cannot go other days to ask questions unless you have an appointment). After you file your asylum case, you must wait at least 150 days and then file for a work permit using form I-765.
Hi jason,
First of all thanks for all yoyr valuable replies. I want to share sinething abt myself. I came to usa in feb 2015 fr 15 days on B1 visa and went back. Now i am planning to cone again and to file asylum this tine. I want to know that will my case be effected my previous visit to usa ?
Whether they can ask me that y i did not file case earlier ?
And pls give me your e mail so that i can share everything with you to move forward.
Thanks
The short answer is yes, your return trip will affect your case and yes, they can ask why did not file asylum during your earlier trip. It is very important that you address these questions when you prepare your case – you cannot ignore them. We have dealt with this problem many times, and usually, it can be overcome, but you just cannot ignore it. My email is Jdzubow@DzubowLaw.com. Take care,Jason
Dear Jason
You really help all of us a lot.
My case was pending since January 2104 in NJ. As I am in circle ride, I put my name in the short list, so I got call and conduct the interview last week in another USCIS office, so please do I expect the decision soon or forget about it I the meantime?… thanks
Hi Bgaira, can you please tell me, when did you put your name on the short list and when they called you for an interview? It will mean a lot to me.
Thank you,
hey Tania
I did on early on Jan 2015 and got called late on may 2015.
hope that will be helpful for you… good luck
Thank you, it helped and good luck to you too!
It is unpredictable. Hopefully it will be soon, but you are probably better off trying to not think too much about it while you wait, as it might be many months. Good luck, Jason
Hi Jazon,
Is the Boston Asylum office affected by the backlog? Which month are they interviewing now?
Thanks
All the offices are affected by the backlog. The Boston office is actually a sub-office under the Newark, NJ office. I do not know if the time frame for the Boston sub-office is different than the time frame for Newark (though my guess is that it may be slower). The Newark office is currently interviewing cases filed in about January 2013, which makes it one of the slowest offices in the US. Take care, Jason
Thank you, Jason. God bless you
GREETING THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP
I JUST WANT TO ASK ABOUT A FRIEND OF MINE HE FILED IN
San Francisco DO TO Situation he is planing to move to Arlington
how ever it has been only 2 months when he applied for Asylum in San Francisco
so is it okay if he transfered his case to Arlington VA
and what will happen when applying for AED?
and more thing if i may ask what is Arlington VA interviewing buy months now thanks so much
God Bless ^_^
Sorry EAD*
Arlington is interviewing cases filed in August 2013. If he moves the case less than 180 days after he filed the case, it could result in him not obtaining the EAD. Moving a case is considered applicant-caused delay, which stops the asylum clock. If the clocks stops before 180 days, he cannot get an EAD. Once he has the interview, the clock will restart, but that might not be for many months. Take care, Jason
Hi Mr Jason,
Thank you so much for a great job! do u have any clue which month is Arlington, Virginia processing?
Thank you.
Our cases from August 2013 are being scheduled, though things seem to be slowing down again over there. My guess is that the number of people arriving at the border is going up (as it usually does in summer) and so resources are being diverted from asylum interviews to the border.
Hello mr. Jason,
Thank you very much for your wonderful cooperation, do you have any clue which month TX Houston office is processing now ?
Your work is great
Thanks
Yes – Houston should be interviewing cases filed in April or May 2014. Take care, Jason
Hello Mr Jason, Thank you so much for a great job ! I sent my case to Houston, TX on 8/05/2015 and till now I haven’t got the receipt to make sure that they receive my file ! What can I do ?
Hello Mr Jason, Thank you so much for a great job ! I sent my case to Houston, TX on 05/08/2015 and till now I haven’t got the receipt to make sure that they receive my file ! What can I do ?
This happened to us once, and it was a big problem (which was finally resolved). In your case, however, I would wait another month. It is very common to wait more than a month for the receipt. If you do not get it by the end of June, then you will have to take some action. If that happens, let me know. Take care, Jason
Hello ! Thank you for the advice ! I would wait Until the end of june, but my last entry in USA is June 18th 2014 ! I am wondering if i can submit another copy next week to make sure that I will not be considered that I submitted after one year being USA !! What do you think I can do ?
If you have the mailing (post office) receipt, that should protect you. But if not, maybe you should re-file the whole things again, just to be safe. If you do that, explain in the cover letter that you filed the case previously, but that you did not receive the receipt, as filing the thing twice might cause confusion. Also, make sure that you are mailing it to the correct address, which you can find on the USCIS website, form I-589 page. Good luck, Jason
Hi Jazon,
Any idea pertaining to the wait time at Los Angeles Asylum office. Which month are they interviewing now?
Thanks
I do not have the month, but they are interviewing cases filed in 2012, which makes it the slowest office in the US.
Hello Mr.Jason , thank you for keeping us updated about the backlogs , do you have an idea which months they are interviewing now in Chicago? and If they are doing any backlogs at all currently ? because the number of backlog cases is increased from 2014 to 2015.
Thank you .
I think Chicago is interviewing cases from the first half of 2013. The number of backlog cases has continued to increase, but they are working on the backlog cases – just not fast enough.
Hi MR JASON ,i got recommended approval on my case late november 2014 i did sent them enquire regarding my asylum case status on 3 April 2015 to SF asylum office ,and i did sent them again on 5 May 2015 ,thing is that they did changed their address on 30 april 2015 but i just noticed it ,and i did send them an enquire again by mail and to their email, even i did sent email to their director ..by sending them such many enquires would it harm the decision on my case ,
I highly doubt sending too many emails will hurt your case, but I don’t think it will help much either. Basically, they make decisions in their own time and it is not easy to make them move faster. Good luck, Jason
HI JASON,
WE HAD OUR INTERVIEW ON 21ST MAY. AND UPTIL NOW WE ARE WAITING FOR OUR DECISION WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MAILED TO US.
HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT WILL TAKE?
THANK YOU.
It is completely unpredictable. My clients have gotten mail out decisions in a few days and some have waited over 1.5 years (and counting). Good luck, Jason