The asylum process can be complicated and time-consuming, so work with a reliable, reputable, and experienced immigration office to increase your chances of success. Each asylum seeker has a unique story that must fit within the framework of asylum law. Immigration matters fall under federal jurisdiction, so it doesn't matter which US state the asylum seeker resides in, our office can handle immigration cases for anyone throughout the U.S. If you're afraid to return home, contact our office and we'll be happy to process your asylum application for the USCIS. The government's asylum process is increasingly challenged by growing backlogs and changing priorities.

Who can apply for asylum: Individuals who are in the United States and who fear returning to their home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group may be eligible for asylum - see (ii) below for more details.

The majority of our clients applied for asylum on the basis of their sexual orientation (gender fluid, lesbian, gay, bisexual, etc.), followed by nationality category (Gypsy, Jewish, Transcarpathian Hungarian etc.), but there were also those who applied for asylum on political grounds.

Assessment: The asylum process can take 4-5 years because the USCIS is extremely backlogged and cannot process cases in a timely manner. If the USCIS denies your asylum application at any point in the future, you will have the opportunity to present your case before an Immigration Judge at a hearing, which can take years.

Note: It takes years for the USCIS to process asylum applications, but life does not stop. If the asylum applicant falls in love, the applicant can always close the pending asylum case and start another immigration case, e.g. a family reunification case (marriage to a U.S. citizen), which will get the individual into U.S. residency status (green card) faster, because in immigration, the stronger and faster case always wins and takes precedence. Usually the "marriage to a US citizen" case takes 6-8 months to be processed and adjudicated by the USCIS.

General Requirements for Applying for Asylum 
(i) The person (asylum seeker) must be physically present in the United States in order to apply for and receive asylum - let's say the person comes to the U.S. with an ESTA (visa waiver - https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/) or a visa.

(ii) Asylum seekers may be those who are in the United States and who fear returning to their home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. For example, if the individual(s):
- suffer from disadvantageous treatment due to their sexual preference and orientation (LGBTQ group - lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual +plus, etc...),
- are afraid of being treated badly in their home country because of their nationality or race (Jews, Gypsies, etc...)
- are persecuted because of their political opinion or affiliation, because the rule of law or democratic principles are not respected in their country, etc.

(iii) In order to apply for asylum, the individual must also provide the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services with the necessary supporting documentation. Our office procedure ensures that additional evidence or supporting documents can be added to the ongoing asylum case at a later date to help confirm the validity of the case and increase the chances of approval. It is often the case that important documents or evidence related to the asylum case are not available or are incomplete at the time of filing. In principle, asylum seekers must show that the person who abused them did so because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or because they belong to a group that is targeted for persecution (a "particular social group - LGBTQ group, etc."). For example, applicants may be able to show that the perpetrator(s) justified their actions on the basis of the applicant's race, religion, nationality, political opinion or sexual preference or orientation.

(iv) The individual must attend an interview with an asylum officer. Eligibility for refugee status is determined on a case-by-case basis. This determination takes into account the conditions in the country of origin and evaluates the credibility of the individual. If the asylum office denies your case, you will have the opportunity to present your case at a hearing before an immigration judge.

(v) The individual must be aware that the application for asylum must be filed within one year of the date of (last) entry into the United States, unless extraordinary circumstances exist.

Service fee: Our office's asylum processing fee is $1,500 and there are no additional fees (filing and/or USCIS administrative fees).

Procedure: Please email the documents listed below along with the completed Asylum PDF. For copies of any non-English documents (e.g.: birth certificate, divorce decree, etc.), please attach the English translation.

Documents required from asylum seeker(s)
- Passport,
- Driver's license - if you have one,
- National ID card issued by their country,
- Birth certificate,
- Marriage certificate - if married,
- Any previous divorce documents issued by the court - if available,
- Your statement; in your native language, simply and understandably state the reason for your asylum application, the fear of return to your home country that is related to persecution or well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, etc,
- If you have, the evidence on which the asylum application is based,
- Fill out the "Immigrant" form and email the completed PDF form to us. The PDF form is editable and you can type on it. Save the PDF file to your computer first, then open the form and fill it out, then email (info@usafirstimmigration.com) the completed PDF file along with the documents listed above for your convenience.

Note: if you do not have a program for managing PDF files (usually every computer has one), you can download the program for managing PDF files Adobe Acrobat Reader DC free of charge here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/.

If the asylum application covers the entire family
If a substantiated asylum application is being filed for a family member (husband or wife), then in addition to the above-requested documents, attach and email the marriage certificate and, in the case of minor children, copies of their birth certificates, as each family member will be added to the asylum application of the principal applicant (husband or wife).

In the case of a family petition (where the principal petitioner is either the husband or the wife), we ask for an additional $100 per family member to compensate for the extra work (e.g., if the petitioner is married (+1) and has 2 children (+2), then our processing fee (+3 people) will be $300 more).

Procedure: Immediately after filing your case (within 24 hours at the latest), you will receive the official notice with your case number from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which will allow you to stay in the United States legally based on your asylum application. You will also receive the login codes to track the progress and status of your case online at the USCIS customer portal.

Employment: In connection with your pending case, we can file an application for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and a Social Security Number (SSN) more than 150 days after filing your asylum application. Of course, this service is included in our processing fee.

Please contact us if you need help with your immigration case and we will be happy to provide you with all the information you need to file your case. We strive to ensure that our office's case processing is thorough, consistent, and detail oriented. Regardless of where our clients live, our reliable and affordable service is available from anywhere and we are always available and happy to help.