I am an asylum attorney. I am also Jewish. In my role as a lawyer, I represent many Muslims and many people from the Middle East, including Palestinians. Today, I want to discuss what it means to be a Jewish attorney representing Palestinian asylum seekers during this time of conflict.
I’d like to start with a message I recently received from one of my Palestinian clients, about his family in Gaza.
For context, this client had worked against extremism and fears harm from Hamas if he returns to Gaza. We were emailing about how the current war could impact his asylum case. Here is my client’s email (posted with his permission)–
My family is still alive, struggling to find clean water, bread and food, and have been out of electricity for 34 days, but they are still alive. My father-in-law lost 14 members of his relatives, seven of whom were children. My in-laws have managed to flee Gaza through the Rafah Border with Egypt and are now refuging in Cairo.
I appreciate you breaking down how the developing situation may affect my case depending on where things stand by the time my court hearing date comes. I am also very doubtful that Hamas will be eliminated, and even if they are eliminated in the north, what about in the south? They are there too, and Israel knows it. Is Israel going to do the same thing in the south, force civilians to flee to god knows where so that they can eliminate Hamas? The situation is already catastrophic, the Gaza strip is destroyed and the conditions are unbearable already. The only thing left is just to wipe off everybody and we have already seen entire families completely wiped off (the relatives of my father-in-law is just a small example, and by the way they were located in the south when they were bombed). Look, the attack that was launched by Hamas and the killing of innocent civilians, mainly at the music festival were horrific, barbaric and are absolutely unjustified. No good human being could agree and/or accept the killing of innocent, unarmed civilians. On the other hand, what the Israeli army and air forces are doing in Gaza right now is just 10 times worse than what Hamas did. I am right now afraid I will lose my entire family to one of these airstrikes. Last week a bomb fell on a house near my family’s house and it killed 27 people from the same family, many of whom were women and children. As soon as I heard where the strike was, I called my father. He picked up and told me that he was out there helping other people dig out [bodies] from under the rubble. The bombed house was less than 50 meters away from [my] family’s. My father is a retired medical doctor. He went there to see if he could be of any help, but unfortunately, there were no survivors. Sorry for this long paragraph, I just felt the need to give you an idea of what is going on, and what my family is going through right now.
This is incredibly heart breaking.
I have also been in contact with people on the Israeli side. For example, a counselor at my children’s summer camp was murdered at the music festival on October 7. His name is Ilay, and he would have turned 24 earlier this month. He was remembered as “kindhearted, charming, and empathetic,” and for “his warm smile and his sense of humor.” Ilay was someone who you could talk to “about anything and he’d listen intently, completely invested in every word.” “Ilay’s perspective on life seemed far beyond his young age; he knew how to let the little things go and focus on what’s important.” “Ilay loved to surf and was looking forward to starting university, where he planned to study business and entrepreneurship.” His cousin remembers that Ilay was like a big brother. She states that–
Their family is shattered over his death: “I saw my grandfather cry for the first time. His first grandchild, his pride and joy, was murdered.” Instead of looking forward to what the future holds together, Arbel, Ilay’s girlfriend of 6.5 years and his high school sweetheart, must now face it without him.
When the attack at the music festival began, Ilay “took cover with several others.” Understanding that they were cornered, he “tried to stop the terrorists with his bare hands.” “It comes as no surprise to those who knew him that Ilay’s final act was one of heroism.” “In doing so, he saved the lives of 3 women.”
This is also a heartbreaking story. And of course, there are many, many more just like these.
As an attorney, it is my duty to try to assist Palestinian asylum seekers like my client. I do not do this work in spite of the conflict. I do it because of the conflict. By treating my Palestinian clients with respect and doing my best to help them, I hope I am also helping to heal the division between Israelis and Palestinians, and between Muslims and Jews.
I recognize that my clients and I represent just one small piece of a much larger story, but it is my piece of the story and it is not insignificant, at least not to my clients or me. And so I will continue to do my part to help repair this damaged world one case at a time, one person at a time, one relationship at a time.
Jason, I really like that you as an asylum advocate has been consistently denouncing Trump. Your words weigh much more than any other asylum seeker’s words and your criticism certainly helped bring Trump down in 2020. I don’t know the extent, but I have confidence to conclude that it probably helped.
Now, there are other Republicans that threatens the fate of pending asylum seekers. Would it possible to write negative piece about them (e.g. Nikki Haley) ? One thing I am worried is that, since we focused so much on Trump, some people who read your blog may forget that there are other republicans in the race and may pose a bigger threat to Joe Biden if nominated…which will detriment asylum seekers.
I think you ever so slightly overstate my influence, but I appreciate the kind words. At some point I will write about that, yes. Take care, Jason
I guess I am speaking in terms of the alternative scenario. You are one of the many who speak against Trump. And that is important, because if everybody thinks it’s okay to just let Tr*mp be and not speak against him. Then, innocent minds will see this as an implicit approval of him and his policies, thus implicitly strengthening him. You may be only one of the millions who speak against him, but it’s bigger than zero, hence I said you “helped” bring Trump down 🙂 .
I also want to remark that I remember that you also criticized DeSantis in one of your blog, tho it’s just one sentence, that also helps.
And lastly, I wish you have a nice thanksgiving holiday, there is a lot to be thankful for in this world.
Thank you – Happy Thanksgiving, Jason
Hello Jason, Thank you for helping us. I am filing my EAD renewal application online. It asks about my current immigration status which is pending asylum. However, the system does not have a “pending asylum” item. Instead of that, it has “Asylee Applicant with EAD”. Is it the correct item for my current status?
Code 999 -person waiting for asylum , i think
Thanks, Chris03 for the response. Code 999 is “Alien Awaiting Decision of Asylum”. I assume it is for people who had the asylum interview and now they are waiting for their decision.
There is code AS for “Asylee Applicant With Work Authorization”. I am not sure that pending asylum applicants (before the interview) can be considered an “Asylee applicant with work Authorization”.
I am confused. Any help would be appreciated.
I wish they made our life easier, but i found info that you can use 999, cause you are waiting for your asylum decision technically.
What is your current immigration status or category?”: If you submitted an asylum application and you do not also have another immigration status, you can choose “999 – Alien Awaiting Decision of Asylum.”
I assume you are right. 999 is applicable to us. I submitted my application online and picked “999 – Alien Awaiting Decision of Asylum”. I really appreciate your help.
Hello Jason, Thank you for helping us. I am filing my EAD renewal application online. It asks about my current immigration status which is pending asylum. However, the system does not have a “pending asylum” item. Instead of that it has “Asylum Applicant with EAD”. Is it the correct item for my current status?
I think “Asylum Applicant with EAD” is the same as pending asylum. Take care, Jason
Is there any news on extending RTD validity to at least 3-5 years? Now it takes 17 months to be approved and it expires in one year. This is called donkey logic!! Shame on who ever makes this embarrassing policy.
This is ridiculous because it is such an easy fix and they have been talking about it since 2008. I have not heard anything recently and I do not know why they cannot make this simple change, which would help many people. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason, I have got no words to thank you for all your time and effort to support us, God bless you more!
We have been waiting for our asylum case interview for more than 6.5 years and are wondering when the time will come. No interview yet, status pending, and our kids are almost ready for college. I don’t know what to do.
Do you think there will be any changes regarding the backlog for asylum seekers in the near future? It is so frustrating waiting this long.
It is incredibly frustrating and no one knows when any given case will be interviewed. I would not expect the interview soon, as there are people waiting even longer than you in most asylum offices. You can try to expedite – I wrote about that on March 23, 2022. If that fails, you can try a mandamus lawsuit, to get a judge to order the asylum office to do its job. Almost all interviews we see these days are from people who filed mandamus cases. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason,
I participated in many protests (Tens of protests/demonstrations) over 10 years against occupying force in my country. However, I was detained or beaten in 5 of them. The most recent was in 2019 and after that I left (early 2022).
For my affidavit:
a) Should I give details of only the 5 times I was detained or beaten?
b) Do I have to provide information about the other demonstrations as well that I participated but was not detained or beaten.
The fact that out of tens of demonstrations I participated, I was detained or beaten in only 5 of them, how will it affect my asylum case?
It’s hard to say, but generally, I would include more info about the demonstrations where you were harmed and less about the ones where you were not harmed. But of course, if anything else significant happened at the demonstrations, you should mention that. I would mention the number of demonstrations you attended, as that is relevant to the case. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason
I hope you’re doing good
I m asylum and I have green card my husband came here 11 months ago I wanna apply for him for green card what documents he need for applying? Thank you
You have to check form I-485, but generally, you need proof of his derivative asylum status, his passport, his birth certificate, your marriage certificate, the government fee, passport photos, medical exam, any criminal history, and evidence of immigration status in the US, and any other evidence required by the form. Take care, Jason
Hello Sir Jason,
Thanks so much for all you do. I am from Cameroon and we are eligible for TPS. I am currently waiting for my Asylum interview at the USCIS office in New York. I am filling out my initial application for TPS online.
1. Please what should I fill out as my Current Immigration Status. There is no option for Asylum Applicant.
2. What if I do not win my case in an Asylum office and have TPS, will the officer refer me to immigration court?
3. I suffered persecution in Cameroon because of my views about President Paul Biya of Cameroon who has been in power for over 40 years. He is currently grooming his wicked son to take over from him. If this happens and he declares Amnesty for all Cameroonians, what do you think will happen to Asylum Seekers from Cameroon?
4. If I am denied Asylum, Can I tell the USCIS which country I want to be deported to? If they return me to Cameroon I will be dead meat upon arrival
5. I have been working very hard here and bought a house and also have some money in 401K and SSI. What if I never win Asylum and they send me back to Cameroon, will I ever have access to my money or be able to sell the house?
Thanks so much again sir and God bless you
I can’t really answer specific questions about forms, as I do not know your case, but I will say what I can here. 1 – I would list the last status you had here, but with your TPS application, I would also include evidence of your pending asylum case. 2 – I am not sure, as I have seen different outcomes in that situation. Sometimes people get referred to court; other times, they do not. You can ask the asylum officer at the interview, as I think the policy changes now and again. 3 – I think it would depend on the situation on the ground in Cameroon. Also, TPS is more likely to be affected by who is the President in the US than what happens in Cameroon. 4 – If you are denied asylum at the asylum office and then sent to court, denied there, and then denied on appeal, you will need to leave the US (assuming TPS is done). You can then go wherever you want, assuming you have a visa to go there. If you end up being detained and deported, you will be sent to Cameroon, but that is unlikely unless you commit a crime in the US. 5 – Usually you would have time to leave and so you could take care of all that before you go, or have someone in the US take care of it after you leave. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason, this blog is great.
I have two questions, my husband submitted Asylum in 2017 and we recently requested to expedite, but they put us in the short list. Do you know how long could it take for us to be called for interview?
Also, I am Argentinian and he is from Venezuela. He added me to his existing case, he clearly cannot ask for a travel permit to Venezuela, but could I ask for a travel permit to Argentina? Would that be risky for me when trying to get back?
Thanks!
1 – I do not know how long that takes, but generally, it can be a long time (months or years), but it is better than nothing. Also, it might be a short amount of time. It is very important that the case is done and you have all the evidence either submitted or ready to submit immediately, as people sometimes get called from the short list without only a day or two of notice (though this practice may vary by office). 2 – I think you mean Advance Parole, which allows you to travel using your passport and then re-enter the US using AP. I wrote about this on September 11, 2017 and maybe that post will help. He potentially would face problems in his asylum case if he travels using his Venezuelan passport – he could be asked why he used a passport from a government that seeks to harm him. That is rare, but is worth considering before he travels. Take care, Jason
Thanks Jason. Yes, I meant Advance Parole, but for me not for him. I am just a dependent of his case, can I still ask for this to go to Argentina being a citizen of Argentina myself? Or would it be risky for me to request the parole and I could be questioned too.
Tina, Jason will respond. You are a dependent on the case, and it seems like you are not fleeing persecution from Argentina. If, however, you were both from the same persecuting country, and the asylum application states that both of you could potentially be persecuted, then traveling to that country could complicate your case or leading to the immigration officer denying you admission to the US (regardless of the fact that you are a dependent on the case). Since you are a dependent on the case and you from a entirely different country, your concern, really, should be getting that Advance Parole document (AP), which is extremely difficult to get for asylum applicants. In addition, the document, unfortunately, takes anywhere from several months to years to process. Further, even if you proved that you have some humanitarian reasons to travel and you convinced USCIS to issue you the AP, your admission to the US is not guaranteed- especially if you overstayed the visitor or student visa you were admitted to the US on. For those reasons, asylum applicants (not asylees) must not leave the US unless they absolutely have to.
AP for you should have no effect, especially if you do not return to the country where your husband fears persecution. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason,
I had a minor noise disturbance with my neighbors. The cops were called and incident report was filed but no arrest charges or conviction was made. Does this hurt or damage me in any way. I am on pending asylum C8.
It should not, but if there are documents from the police, you should get those in case you ever need them. If there was no arrest, you should not need to answer “yes” to any questions on the form, but it is still best to have the incident report in case it is ever needed (which it probably will not be, but one never knows). Take care, Jason
Hi Jason,
Thanks for sharing this with us. I agree to all what you have said, war indeed causes harm to all the sides, war creates divisions and it splits the humans apart. Jews and Muslims have had a history of living together for many years, they never had issues, even today I hear stories that there are Jews living in towns like Kairouan in Tunisia among Muslims and they have been living for centuries there and never had any issues. Its all the job of these dirty politicians who see their success in dividing the communities and creating hatred among people. Today we heard that all Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients in hospitals died in Gaza because the hospitals are raided by the Israeli forces, truly if these forces had ever cared for the lives of civilians they could have carried some fuel with themselves and refueled the generators of the hospitals so at least the hospital could have resumed their operations, but we are now 100% convinced that Netanyahu wants to wipe out Palestinians and take their lands. Netanyahu has in his cabinet some beasts who are worst human beings, one of them said the other day that we might nuke Gaza and the other one which I believe is the finance minister said that countries who care for these Palestinians should come and take them to their countries or probably give them asylum and refugee status. Now this is such a bizarre statement, he basically verbalized the actual intent of Netanyahu which is colonizing Gaza by driving indigenous Palestinians out of their lands. I know this particular client of yours that you referred in your article might be seeking asylum from the extremist militants in Gaza, but if you ask me I would say Palestinians who are here in the US with asylum cases should also seek asylum from the tyranny of Israel, because if they go back to their country they will most likely be murdered by Israel’s IDF. The world will never forgive and forget the culprits who committed a Genocide that took the life of 6000 children in Gaza and this war hasn’t ended yet so we don’t know how many more lives will Netanyahu want to take before he decides to pull his forces out of the Palestinians lands.
There is growing evidence that Hamas has used the hospital for a base of operations, but we shall see at some point. Also, the minister who talked about nuking Gaza was rightly fired. That said, there are still many extremists in the cabinet and that is a huge problem. Also, one technical point – it is very difficult to win asylum due to general warfare conditions. A person needs to show that he faces harm because of his race, religion, nationality, etc. There may be a case to be made for Palestinians who fear harm from Israel, but I think it is not an easy case and depends on the specific situation. Just like in Ukraine, where people have a real fear of harm from the Russian military, but that does not usually translate into a strong asylum case. Of course, for Ukraine, there is Temporary Protected Status, so they can stay here until the war ends. There is no such status for Palestinians. Take care, Jason
David, I’m writing from Israel. I happened to land on this site and read your comment. A few corrections:
1. Regarding Jews in Muslim lands: search Wikipedia for “History of the Jews under Muslim rule”. You will read that, although Christendom was worse, there were indeed cases of pogroms, blood libels, and dhimmi status, enough of them to remain in the painful collective Jewish memory.
2. You failed to mention why Gaza hospitals are an item of military interest for the IDF, and that Hamas has used them for its terror operations. If Hamas had truly cared for Gazans, it would have refrained from doing so. The Israeli army did bring fuel to the Shifa hospital, but the hospital didn’t take it, perhaps due to Hamas’s policy of deprivation for Gazans, in order to gain world sentiment. I remind you that Hamas stopped Gazans trying to get out of harm’s way, even shooting at them. By your descriptions, it would have been simpler for the IDF to just bomb the hospital completely, without endangering its soldier in close combat. Remark: as soon as it could, the IDF brought incubators and other needed supplies to the hospital.
3. Israel does not want to drive Palestinians off their land: When we completely left Gaza 20 years ago, we thought, indeed hoped, that Gazans would take the opportunity to build a thriving, peaceful society. Instead, they invested practically all their resources in building a terrorist entity aimed at destroying Israel; read the Hamas charter.
4. I would ponder whether there are Gazans who asked for asylum because they feared Hamas (whether for opposing Hamas or simply for being LGBTQ).
5. If Israel wants to drive Palestinians off their land, why did Hamas heinously, barbarically, attack Israel and thus give it the excuse to do so?
6. I agree that there are extreme elements in Netanyahu’s gov’t; they are troublemakers for Israelis and for Palestinians. They are an incarnation of Kahana’s party and the 1995 murderer of Yitzhak Rabin, our cherished Prime Minister. They are currently losing popularity very quickly
Zeev- Wikipedia is not a reliable source since it can be edited and updated by anyone. That is not to say that the info you are sharing isn’t accurate, though. Perhaps you might want to point us to sources that are accurate, unbiased, and reliable.
Hi ZEEV,
Thanks for taking time and writing back. Replies to some of your comments:
1) Please provide creditable sources when you quote and reference, I am not here to defend the atrocities that Hitler caused to Jews in Holocaust, he was an equal murderer just like Netanyahu both will never be forgiven by the humanity so we at least have some agreement with each other on that front. With regards to the word “Dhimmi” I had to do some research, and I should thank you for bringing this point up because it opened my eyes to so many things that I didn’t know and I came to know how the back then Islamic rulers treated the Jews. The word “Dhimmi” is an Arabic word given to all people of the book a.k.a people who follow the divine revelations (Jews and Christians) and this word was given to the them by the Islamic Caliph not to degrade them or not to classify them as second class citizens, but rather to give them special protection under the Islamic Caliphate. Anyone who would harm a Dhimmi would be punished as if he harm any other human being or any other Muslim. The Islamic Caliphate of that time was fully responsible to protect the wealth and honor of Dhimmi (people of the book). Throughout the Islamic caliphate, there has been not even a single instance where a Dhimmi had been harmed or killed unjustly. Like I said I am not a scholar or historian on this part of the history myself and I will research more but interesting how the Islamic Caliph used to treat the Dhimmi.
2. Trusting IDF and what IDF says is like trusting a man who has lost his memory, IDF has lied so many times to the world and the world should no longer trust what they fabricate. The fake evidences that IDF has produced so far has not been verified by any third party organization (simply because IDF doesn’t allow anyone to verify their lies, even those selected reports that the CNN journalists produce are strictly censured and filtered by IDF to make sure it promotes their narratives of this conflict and promotes their propaganda. IDF is not allowing any other journalists from international media outlets to go with them on front lines other then their own and CNN which are just part of their propaganda arsenal.
3) Israel turned Gaza in to an open air prison, and yet they expect them to prosper and become a thriving peaceful land, are you joking or out of your mind ????!!!! Any human being put under that kind of an open air prison will not prosper and will try to rebel and revolt. Leave Gaza alone, see what Israel is doing in West Bank to Palestinians, they put their settlers to devour the Palestinian lands inch by inch, and foot by foot. Also watch this documentary that is published by ABC Australia about the atrocities that IDF and Israel is committing against Palestinian children in west bank where there is no Hamas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=_1uKg9LZmB35ZyXJ&v=cvOSv2fGJ5w&feature=youtu.be
4) I think there are more people who are currently affected by the Israeli occupation in Gaza then the ones who are oppressed by Hamas, because Hamas is a smaller group in size and Israel is a state. You are comparing a state sponsored terror with a group sponsored terror. obviously the terror that Israel created is far bigger, Israel is terrorizing 3 Million + Palestinians and all deserve safety so I think if these Palestinians come and claim asylum in a safe country they should make a strong case, because if they remain in Palestine the will eventually lose their lives and will be counted as collateral damage.
5) Israel converted Gaza in to an open air prison, and prisoners will always try to break free this is nothing new, watch some famous TV shows, like prison break to know more. So Hamas carrying that Oct 07 attack shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, Israel created an environment of hostility that caused that attack. Probably the perpetrators of that attack had thought that instead of dying everyday let’s just do this and die once. So Israel should ask themselves, what the heck did we do to these people that created so much hatred toward us that caused them to come and stab us like this ? Why do they hate us like this ? What can we do to change this perception ?
6) These extremist elements in Israel is causing the peril and demise of Israel. Prior to this war, there were people in this planet who never cared who the heck Israel is and never cared about them at all. This war shook them up to the core and woke them up and ignited deep hatred toward Israel in their hearts, hundreds of boycott websites have emerged right now for Israeli products, and this is just the beginning, watch and see what happens in future. So definitely these extremist elements is determined to put Israel in to a fast track of failure.
I have a peaceful message to all the Citizens of Israel, do what Americans are doing right now, stand on the side of justice. See what Jewish Voice for Peace (https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/) is doing, don’t let the blood stain your hands, put pressure on this corrupt regime of Israel to stop the blood shed, and stop oppressing the Palestinians, let them live freely in their lands.
Lastly, the mindset of destroying Hamas is such a failure mindset, let’s say you did destroy Hamas in this brutal fashion, 100s of more groups will emerge with full conviction to take the revenge from Israel. Already 100s of organizations have emerged in the west to push back and make Israel pay for this atrocity, this is too much hatred to face and a wise nation wont do that to themselves.
I do agree that the damage being done to Israel is significant, and I have real doubts that Hamas (or the equivalent) can be destroyed by military force alone. That said, I think you paint a far too rosy picture of Jews living in Arab lands (I wrote a piece on May 30, 2012 about one such community that was expelled from Algeria). As far as Israel is concerned, I do not see a solution to the current situation here. There is plenty of blame to go around, but Hamas deliberately murdered hundreds of civilians, including children and old people, and kidnapped another 200+ people. That cannot be glossed over and it is not a solution to say that Israelis could live safely if they just acted nicely towards Hamas. I do think that a viable, free Palestinian state would go a long way towards easing tensions, but I do not see any realistic path towards that as long as Hamas (or the equivalent) remains in power. Of course, peace can also not be achieved with the current hard right Israeli government and especially with the radical settlers who are in the West Bank. How to get rid of these bad leaders, I do not know, but that would be a first step towards peace. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason,
I was not referring to Jews living in Arab lands, Arabs specially the rich gulf Arab leaders don’t even threat their own people with dignity. Modern day Arabs are not representing any Muslims, in fact modern day Arabs are extremely suppressive and oppressive of non-arab worker immigrants, they also spy on their own people and deny them basic human rights, so if they aren’t treating their own people like this we can’t expect them to treat others with any fairness. Today Palestinians are suffering in front of the watchful eyes of these corrupt and coward Arab leaders who have all resources and still fail to raise their voice and defend the killing of children. I was rather referring to life of Jews under Islamic Caliphs 1,200 years ago, these Caliphs were treating everyone with dignity and no one was living as second class citizens.
Agree with all your other points about the safe release of those 200+ Israeli captives and also agree with you about radical settlers in West Bank and radical and fanatic far right fascists’ in Israeli cabinet .
Hi- the questions asked in the naturalization interview are unique to you. There are no “most expected questions”- at least in my opinion. Essentially, the officer will ask you some, or all of, the questions on the N-400 form. Therefore it would make sense that you study the questions and answers on the form. In addition, if there are “thorny” issues in your case, you might want to find a good response to possibly being probed about the issue(s). If the issues are serious, you should get a lawyer. If the case is straightforward, study the the civic questions, study the answers you put on the N-400 form, and if you have time, review you I-589 form (if you were granted asylum). If you left the US, review the dates you left the US. If you went back to your COP after being granted asylum, it does not hurt to prepare a response if the officer does decide to ask (it’s rare the officer would ask about going back to the COP after you have adjusted your status- and it’s also rare for the officer to try to relitigate the asylum case unless there is a reason to be suspicious).
In my N-400 interview, the officer literally asked me ALL the questions, though he rushed through them, on the N-400 form. He also made a few corrections/updates on his end and asked me to sign for each update. He didn’t ask me anything about my asylum case. He asked me about 6 out of the civic and government questions, and he asked me to write something in English on a tablet (if my memory serves me right). The interview lasted for about 15 minutes, and that’s because he was having some technical issues printing my recommended approval notice. But he did tell me that I passed the interview and he’s recommending me for approval. My interview was in New York City.
Sorry- this response was for Godson below.
I should really read your posts before I answer myself. I agree with all this. Thank you, Jason
Haha no Jason, you should definitely answer even if I post 10 responses. For this particular response to Godson, for whatever reason the response couldn’t be responded to Godson (probably a glitch). It kept creating a new post.
Hello Jason,
Thank you for your continued support and help for asylum communities.
My citizenship interview is going to schedule as soon!
I would be much appreciated if you could give me the most expected questions and advises you thought important to consider and taken into consideration.
Thanks,
Godson
Hey, see my response above to your comment. Also, Jason is going to respond.
I did a post about this on December 2, 2020 (at the time, N-400 were going slowly, and now they are faster, so the first part of the post is not relevant). Be prepared to answer the questions on the N-400 form and review your asylum case so you are ready if they ask about this (usually this is very brief if they ask at all, but you should still be ready). Also, compare the I-589 asylum form, I-485 green card form, and the N-400 for any inconsistencies, especially about memberships, arrests, employment, addresses, and family members. Be prepared to explain any inconsistencies. If you have been arrested in the US or have been outside the US for long periods, you may want to talk to a lawyer to be sure you still qualify or to see if any action needs to be taken. Also, of course, study for the civics exam. Good luck, Jason
Hi Jason,
Hope all is well with you.
I really appreciate for the answers I asked you for help about my asylum issues.
I have talked my lawyer about my pending Master hearing and he suggested me to motion the case.
So my question is what is difference between request for motion and request for expedite?
Please.i look forward your response.
Best regards
Jhampa
I am not sure what you mean, but maybe he is suggesting to do the Master Hearing in writing? If so, everything you would do on that date, you do in writing, and (assuming the judge accepts this, which they normally do), you will then get an Individual Hearing date. This should make the case faster, since you do not wait for the Master Hearing. Expediting means you give the judge a reason that your case needs to go extra fast and maybe -f the judge has an opening – the judge can give you an even faster date for the hearing. If you plan to expedite, you probably need to finish the case first, so you can take an early date, if it is available. I wrote more about the different ways to make a case faster in court on April 20, 2017 and maybe that post will help. Take care, Jason
Jason,
I did submit the I-485 application in March this year. The last update I received for my case was in March 6th when they applied the fingerprints. Do you think it is a good idea to submit the Medical Examination before they send the RFE notice? I am wondering if submitting the Medical will expedite the adjudication process.
Thank you.
JJ
I would not send the medical until they send you an RFE. Otherwise, I expect they will lose it. Also, I do not think sending the medical before you get the RFE will make the case any faster. Take care, Jason