Asylum

If you are afraid of returning to your home country because you believe your life and/or your family’s life will be in danger, you may be able to receive a grant of asylum. Asylum is granted based on your fear of one or more grounds, including: race, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, political beliefs, membership in a particular social group, and possibly domestic abuse.

The asylum application usually consists of at least:

• Form I-589, Application for Asylum & for Withholding of Removal

• Detailed personal statement by the applicant

• Evidence, including documents (medical reports, police reports, letters from witnesses, etc.) to back up the applicant’s story

• Country conditions documentation (human rights reports, newspaper articles, and in some cases, reports from expert witnesses) demonstrating how the government treats similarly aligned individuals

• Brief in support of Asylum (optional but highly effective)

There are two ways to file for asylum, Affirmatively and Defensively.