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Posted on December 25, 2007 by www.e-us-visa.com | Posted under Legal
How To Prepare For An Asylum Interview
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If you fear to return to your country, you may file for asylum as early as right upon your arrival to U.S. in the airport by asking one of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to take your Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal (Form I-589) or as late as up to one year after your entry. The FIRST STEP is to properly prepare and fill out the I-589 Form - Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal. It is important to carefully review each question and respond correctly. When answering Part B, in Question No. 1 - you must check off all applicable categories that apply to your case and all reasons for the persecution against you and your family members. In Question No. 2 within this part, you must check off “Yes" and give a short answer response to each sub-question within this section. Applicants are strongly urged to attach a Personal Statement in their native language (with a certified translation) fully describing all details of the maltreatment they experienced in their home country. Dates, names, times, descriptions are very important and provide credibility to your case. If you have any additional photos, documents, certificates or witness testimony, you may submit it together with your I-589 or later at the time of the interview. Applicants are strongly urged to retain a Immigration Specialist attorney to help them in preparation of their Asylum Application and for the subsequent Asylum Interview. Your application must be signed and dated by you personally. The SECOND STEP is to properly submit your I-589 and all attachments to the correct USCIS processing center. Carefully review the Instructions to I-589 and the www.uscis.gov website for information where to submit your application based on your place of residence within the United States. There is no fee for this Application. Please follow the instructions to Form I-589 for the number of copies of the application and supporting documents that are required to be submitted along with the original application. Submit your application by registered or certified mail with return receipt requested to have proof that your application was received. Remember to keep a full copy of your submission for your records. The THIRD STEP is to receive and retain for your records a Notice of Receipt indicating USCIS's receipt of your application. Please continue collecting documents and proof for your Asylum Application. The FOURTH STEP is to take the Biometrics and fingerprints for the Asylum Interview according to a Biometrics ACS notice. You will be photographed and fingerprinted at your local Application Support Center and you must attend this appointment at the time and place designated for you by USCIS. After your biometrics appointment, you should receive your Asylum Interview appointment notice indicating the time and place of your interview. Should you move before your interview, you must notify USCIS within 10 days of your move by submitting Change of Address Form AR-11. It is strongly suggested to follow up submitting the Change of Address Form by a telephone call to USCIS National Customer Service notifying USCIS of your address change. Please write down the confirmation number for your call changing your address. This is significant because you must be able to receive all notices from USCIS and they must be aware of your most current address to send these notices to you. At your Asylum Interview, you will have the right to have your attorney and your interpreter present with you. The FIFTH STEP is to prepare for your Asylum Interview. Go over your Asylum Application I-589 form and all documents you submitted. Be familiar with every word in your application and all documents you submitted to USCIS. Be prepared to answer questions about each word in these documents. Asylum Interview Steps - Prepare all your original documents including but not limited to your passport, birth certificate with English translation, identity documents, residence certificate, registration cards from your country, work documents from your country. - By the date of your Political Asylum Interview your fingerprints should have been taken by the U.S. Government. - Prepare original certificates, letters, notes and any other documents proving your prosecution in your country and any events that you listed in your I-589. - Bring a copy of your I-589 application and all supporting documents you already submitted to your Asylum Interview. - Carefully review and study your I-589 application and your personal statement. At the interview you will have a chance to add and expand upon your application, but your application should have laid out the groundwork for the basis for your receiving asylum. Your statements at the interview should not differ from the statements in the I-589 applications. If you find errors before the interview, do not be afraid to bring up during the interview any corrections and/or additions to your applications. It is very important that the asylum officer have the full and correct pictures of the events that lead you to flee your country and seek asylum within U.S. - Start and finish your statement at the interview with a short statement summarizing why you were persecuted in your home country in the past and why you have a credible fear of returning and being persecuted upon your return - in your own words. - Go over all the details of the events that happened to you with the asylum officer. This is your chance to convince the officer that you deserve asylum and you are truly afraid. Try to include all details such as names, dates, times and locations of the events. Go chronologically, as this makes the most sense. If you have scars or marks from physical persecution, do not be hesitant about showing the officer these scars or marks and explaining how you received them and what their effect upon you. - If you claim persecution for religious reasons, be prepared to answer detailed questions about your religion, to quote from the Bible, Torah, Koran, etc. You must remember and repeat at the interview all major religious events in your life. Be prepared to describe how others in your home country knew about your belonging to the specific religion - how you dressed, spoke, preached or prayed, if you attended any religious meetings, where these meetings took place, names of the other people that attended, names of the religious leaders in your local area, etc. Also, you must demonstrate that you continue to follow your religion in the US and it is strongly recommended that you obtain a supporting letter from your local US religious leader. - If you claim persecution for political reasons, be prepared to articulate your political beliefs, describe how you followed your political convictions in your home country, what political organizations you were a member of and what political events you attended. Be prepared to describe how others in your home country knew about your belonging to the specific political affiliation. - Concentrate and try your hardest to remember as many details as possible and articulate all such details. - It is likely that at the end of your interview, the asylum officer will not make a decision about your case but will ask you to return for your decision. At the Law Offices of Marina Shepelsky, P.C. we have helped hundreds of applicants successfully apply and receive asylum and withholding of removal in the United States. Call us NOW to review your chances and eligibility for asylum at (718) 769-6352. Remember, there are time limitations on submitting your asylum application, so do not delay. Good luck! About The Author: www.e-us-visa.com |
Tags: NEW YORK IMMIGRATION LAWYER, NEW YORK IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY
