Asylum is a special category for immigration. It is not available to everyone who wishes to move to the United States.
There are two important aspects of requesting asylum that you must understand before you decide to take this route to life in the U.S.
Basis for request
To request asylum, you must have a real need to escape prosecution in your home country. You must have faced some type of retaliation in your country that is chasing you to the United States for protection. You could have faced persecution for your religion, race, gender, political stance, nationality, or group membership. You must be able to show that if you return to your country, your life would be at risk.
Location
You can only file for asylum once you are in the United States. You can come here using a visa or another method. You should file your paperwork as soon as possible so that you can avoid deportation. You can file online using Form I-589. This will file your application for asylum and also a stay against removal during the processing of your application.
Filing
Filing for asylum is not a guaranteed entry into the U.S. It is also not guaranteed the immigration court will grant your application. You should make sure you provide as much information as possible on your specific case when you fill out Form I-589. It is also your responsibility to make sure you pay attention to all communications from the immigration services. You want to respond quickly to requests so that you do not delay your application.
Approval for asylum can allow you to remain in the country and avoid having to go back to your home country. But approval only will happen if there is a legitimate reason why you cannot go home.
