For asylum applicants who live far from an asylum office or an asylum sub-office, asylum offices schedule asylum interviews at USCIS field offices (“circuit ride” locations) as resources permit.
Your new address may fall outside the jurisdiction of the Asylum Office and if you attend your interview, the Officer may cancel your case and transfer it to the new office which will cause further delays.
You may apply for asylum if you are at a port of entry or in the United States. You may apply for asylum regardless of your immigration status and within one year of your arrival to the United States.
Moving within the U.S. You can also move to another location within the U.S. while your asylum application is pending, but be sure to notify either USCIS or the immigration court of your change of address as soon as possible. This may also delay the processing of your application or case.
An immigration court hearing can be moved to another state, and this is called a “motion to change venue.” A motion is a written request that one makes, typically through an attorney, requesting that the file be transferred to a different court.
2. Remember, Waiving the Interview is Not Official USCIS Policy. It is important to remember that even though we are seeing USCIS approve some adjustment of status applications without an interview, this is not an official USCIS policy.
For much of the past decade, around a third of initial decisions were grants. The grant rate in 2021 is the highest grant rate in over thirty years (since 82% in 1990). The low number of refusals in 2021 is predominantly related to a 98% decrease in third country refusals (from 2,952 in 2020 to 50 in 2021).
You need to inform the police or civil guard of your intention to request asylum, refuge or international protection. You may be assisted by an interpreter. If you need one, tell them when you request asylum and you will be granted one.
Refugees and asylees may apply for naturalization 5 years after the date of their admission to lawful permanent residence. Asylees are admitted to lawful permanent resident status as of the date 1 year before the approval of their Form I-485.
If you're a permanent resident, temporary resident, refugee, asylee, or DACA recipient, you're likely allowed to buy a home. And you can finance the purchase, too. You'll just have to show a green card or work visa. Or another document that proves you're legally allowed to live and work in the U.S.
Answer. Technically, asylum applicants CAN travel outside the U.S., but it's usually not a good idea. Even with your pending asylum application you will be subjected to questioning from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) when you attempt to return to the United States.
Intermediate Benefit: Staying in the U.S. While Asylum Application Is Pending. Once an asylum application (Form I-589, with supporting documents) is submitted to USCIS or the immigration court, this allows you to remain in the United States while awaiting a final decision.
If your case is transferred to a new office, you hold on to that date from when you initially filed your application. What that means is that after your case is transferred and processed, you should be in the same place in the line as you were before but at a different office.
You can notify the local Asylum Office by mailing them a form AR-11 or by writing them a letter.
The wait time for an interview for most applicants is currently 2 to 6 years depending on which Asylum Office has jurisdiction for your case. Since cases are taking so long to process, applicants find themselves in situations where they have to move which can potentially change which Office should hear your case.
That being said, some offices have longer wait times than others, so you may find yourself having to wait more or less time depending on that Office’s case load .
If you have submitted an application or petition to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency should send you a receipt within several days — although it may take longer. This receipt contains all of the information you need to check your immigration status online, in person or by phone. Specifically, it includes a 13-digit receipt number that actually begins with three letters. These letters (usually EAC, LIN, SRC, or WAC) are used to identify the USCIS office handling your application.
The regional Asylum Offices are located in: Arlington, Virginia; Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles (Anaheim), California; Miami, Florida; Newark, New Jersey (Lyndhurst); New York, New York (Rosedale); and San Francisco, California.
USCIS usually assigns an Alien Registration Number or A# to applicants for adjustment of status, employment authorization, and certain visas. It is used as a designator or identifier for the applicant and is used for administrative purposes. However, you cannot use it to check your case status.
If you don’t get an application receipt number, don’t panic. You can always make an INFOPASS appointment to visit a USCIS office. To do so, you must have access to a computer so you can schedule the meeting using appointment system at www.uscis.gov.
Simply click on the box at the bottom of the page that says “USCIS Processing Times Information.” Then follow the instructions regarding the form you are asking about and the USCIS field office or service center that is handling the matter.
Specifically, it includes a 13-digit receipt number that actually begins with three letters.
If you have officially requested asylum in the United States, there are several ways to check your application status.