This August, 10 athletes will compete in the Olympic games not as representatives of their countries of citizenship, but as refugees. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, there will be a “Refugee Team,” composed of individuals from four countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Syria. The athletes will participate in a variety of sports, including swimming, track and field, and judo.
Here are the stories of a few of these inspiring Olympians:
James Nyang Chiengjiek (age: 28; country of origin: South Sudan; sport: 400 meters) – James is from Bentiu, South Sudan. His father was a soldier who died in 1999 during the war. When he was a young boy he took care of cattle. He escaped from South Sudan when the war broke out, as he risked conscription into the army to participate in the war as a child soldier. James arrived in Kenya in 2002 and stayed in a UNHCR-supported refugee camp. He attended school and started running there. He was selected to train at the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation in 2013, and has been there ever since (four others on the Refugee Team also train at the TLPF).
Yusra Mardini (age: 18; country of origin: Syria; sport: 100 meter freestyle) – Prior to the war in Syria, Yusra was a competitive swimmer who represented her country in international competitions. As the war intensified, Yusra and her sister left Damascus in early August 2015 and reached Berlin in September 2015. To get there, they had to cross the Aegean in a small boat. When the engine died, Yusra and a few others—the only swimmers on board—jumped into the water and pushed the boat for 3½ hours to shore. Since she reached Germany, Yusra has been training at the club Wasserfreunde Spandau 04 e.V. which is a partner of the Elite Schools of Sport in Berlin.
Yolande Bukasa Mabika (age: 28; country of origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo; sport: Judo) – Yolande is originally from Bukavu, the area worst affected by the DRC civil war from 1998 to 2003. During the war, she was separated from her parents and taken to a children’s home. There, she took up Judo, which the government encouraged as a way to give structure to the lives or orphans. As a professional Judoka, she represented the Democratic Republic of the Congo in international competitions. After years of difficult training conditions, she decided to seek asylum in Brazil during the World Judo Championships in Rio in 2013. She currently trains at the Instituto Reação in Rio de Janeiro.
Popole Misenga (age 24; country of origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo; sport: Judo) – Like his Judoka teammate, Yolande Bukasa Mabika, Popole is originally from Bukavu in the DRC. His mother was murdered when he was only six years old. Afterward, he wandered in a rain forest for a week before he was rescued. As a professional Judoka, he represented the Democratic Republic of the Congo in international competitions. Along with Yolande, Popole sought asylum in Brazil during the World Judo Championships in 2013. He currently trains at the Instituto Reação in Rio de Janeiro.
Yonas Kinde (age 36; country of origin: Ethiopia; sport: Marathon) – Yonas left Ethiopia due to political problems. He has been under international protection in Luxembourg since October 2013. He has competed in many marathons and reached the qualifying standards for Rio during the Frankfurt Marathon in October 2015. He currently trains at the national school of physical education and sports in Luxembourg.
Rose Nathike Lokonyen (age 23; country of origin: South Sudan; sport: 800 meters) – After her community was burned by armed men, ten-year-old Rose and her family left South Sudan and arrived in Kakuma refugee camp in 2002. Her parents returned to South Sudan in 2008 but her siblings remained in Kakuma refugee camp. During her time at school, she participated in many barefoot running competitions and in 2015 she participated in a 10 km run in Kakuma organized by the Tegla Loroupe Foundation. She has been training with the foundation ever since.
The Refugee Team is a part of a broader effort on the part of the International Olympic Committee (“IOC”) to assist and bring attention to refugees. As IOC President Thomas Bach has said, the Refugee Team “will be a symbol of hope for all the refugees in our world, and will make the world better aware of the magnitude of this crisis. It is also a signal to the international community that refugees are our fellow human beings and are an enrichment to society.” It’s an important role for these young athletes, and we certainly wish them the best at the Olympic Games and beyond.
Hi.i applies for Renewal of EAD card 120 days ago.but when i not received card last week when my card expired,i called to uscis help line . i received next day e.mail that ur address is not verified in computer. after that i sent again e.request that i have only one address,plz send card soon otherwise i will loose my job in new york.
My question is that what i should do?as i receive my card soon?otherwise i will be fired from my job.plz help.
Unfortunately, there is no easy solution. Hopefully, USCIS will update the address and send the card. Meanwhile, you can ask your employer to put you on unpaid leave and then you can resume your job once you get the card. Depending on the employer, they can be flexible with you and find creative ways to keep you (maybe they can change your job to an internship for the time when you do not have the card, and then re-hire you (hopefully with a bonus) once you get the card). Good luck, Jason
Hello Jason,
i was granted asylum almost 2 years ago and now my EAD is about to expire and i already applied for green card but have not get it yet, and now i am applying to renew my EAD but i can’t determine under which category i should apply ( C 9 ) or (A 5)
Appreciate your help
Regards
Tofi
A5 is your category for asylee c(9) is for pending adjustment of status
If you are filing the form I-765 with the green card form (I-485), there is no additional fee. I get into trouble when I start advising people which category to apply under, but take a look at the instructions: I believe category c-9 is for family or employment-based green cards, not for people getting a green card based on asylum. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason
what is the filling form for travel document?
is it 360$ or 445$?
Regards
You have to check the website and the form I-131 (www.uscis.gov) – it should tell you the fee. Take care, Jason
I got my asylum approved. is there any way to apply for my mother thank you in advanced
A person with approved asylum can only petition for spouse and minor unmarried children. Your mother can try to come here on a visa, the same way anyone else comes here, but you cannot petition for her. Take care, Jason
Hi Zaher
Can you please let me know how long you waited to receive the decision? I was interviewed two months back but no decision yet. 🙁
I waited about 18 months to get it , but every case is different good luck
I guess that makes you a mother F**ker!
hi i have a refugee travel document and i want to see my mother in Lebanon i called the embassy . They said you should to use your native passport and i didn’t get any document from them mention that to submit when i come back to U.S what is your recommendation ?what is the risk irmf i used my native passport . Thank you so much
Assuming Lebanon is not your country, you can travel there with your passport and return to the US with the Refugee Travel Document. My guess is that the risk is minimal, but you should keep evidence of why you are using your passport (for example, if you emailed with the Lebanon embassy about this, keep the email, or if you called them, write down the date you called and what they said to you – this is better than nothing). That way, if you are questioned in the future about why you used your passport, you will have some evidence to help explain. If you got asylum based on fear of your government, it is worse to use the passport (since the government you fear is the entity that issued you the passport) than if you got asylum based on fear that some terrorist group in your country will harm you. If you are not sure, talk to a lawyer before you travel. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason ! I was supposed to have an asylum interview today( monday ), but the office called my lawyer and said that the officer will not be in office this week and said they gonna reschedule my appointment ! How long do you think it is gonna take to reschedule ? Thank you !!
It should not take long – hopefully only a few weeks (but remember, it is August, which is a very slow time – so be patient). If you do not hear anything by mid-September, you should contact them and ask. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason
I hope you are good?
I am wondering how long it takes to complete my background check. USA embassy in my country is closed so how can they collect information for me. It has six months from my interview at Chicago office. I contact my Senator man and she told me she can not help me till my check finished.
Regards
Good luck, it took 22 month in my case, I hope that it will be shorter for you.
Did they accept after this long time?
Why it takes this long time?
What they do during this long time?
I was approved, it was pending for background check, good luck
There is no time frame – sometimes it is very fast; other times, people wait for years. I did postings on October 21, 2014 and October 20, 2015 that talk about this issue and that may be helpful to you. Take care, Jason
HI JASON
My category is (c)(8): (Asylum Application Pending filed) and I applied 2years ago I applied for renewal EAD right now and I don’t know how long takes for our green card ?can you tell me about time of process and how long takes for green card?
The EAD usually takes up to 4 months. The green card application usually takes about 6 months, but it can be much longer (or sometimes shorter) depending on the case. Take care, Jason
Hello Jasson
If we have the justifying reason for not meeting 1 year deadline to file asylum, Then what is the trend that AO will refer the case to I.J. ???
On one website someone was telling that if the case filed after 1 year, AO does’t decide himself. Big chances are that case refer to I.J.
Thnx
I disagree with that. At least in my experience, if there is a valid reason for missing the one-year deadline, the AO will look at the case on its merits. We have done that many times. On the other hand, if there is not a good reason, missing the one-year deadline gives the AO a good excuse to deny/refer the application. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason, I plan to apply for asylum but I am not good financially and have only a month and few days before my current visa expires. Therefore, I am planning to file my asylum application by myself in the Arlington Office. Could you kindly let me know what document are must so that my application should be considered complete by USCIS. Thanks!
I cannot give specific advice like that here. If you look at the instructions for the form I-589, it tell you what documents you need. You might also consider trying to talk to a lawyer at a charity like Catholic Charities or some other free/low cost legal provider for some guidance. Take care, Jason
Hy Jason, I will be applying for my ead from Newark, how long will it take to get the ead? Thanks
Some people tell me that they get it in one month. Most of them seem to be in California. Where I am (DC), it takes about 4 months, and I expect it is the same for NJ. When you get it, please let us know, so others will have an idea about the time. Thank you, Jason
Jason,
Can i apply to renew my asylum EAD while my TPS EAD is still valid for 6 months?I want them to overlap so that i don’t lose my job. is it going to be rejected?
If you have another basis to apply for the EAD (such as asylum case pending), then you can. Six months might be a bit over cautious, but you can do it, just to be extra-safe. Take care, Jason
Hi I have a question ..Asylum schedule bulletin is about all of categories asylum application or just category c3 ????my application is c8…. because the site was written somewhere its about c3 category .I have to follow that????
You are thinking of two different things: c-8 is the category of the work permit (or EAD); c-3 in the Bulletin refers to cases that are filed by adult asylum seekers. They both start with “c” I guess, but they have nothing to do with each other. Take care, Jason
I applied i-589 two years ago and I applied for renewal my EAD and my category in i-589 was c8 so my question was that is the schedule bulletin about asylum who applied under c8???
c-8 has nothing to do with the Scheduling Bulletin – that is a category for the EAD. If you are an adult who filed for asylum affirmatively, the Scheduling Bulletin’s dates apply to you.