Asylum is complex. If you need help, contact The Advocates for Human Rights at 612-341-9845, or complete our client intake form. The Advocates assists people at all stages of the asylum process, including helping people apply for asylum and those needing help with an appeal. In the meantime, here are some basic questions to help guide you: What is asylum? Asylum is the legal protection granted to people who have come to the United States and are afraid to return to their home country. Asylum can be granted to people who are unable or unwilling to return to their home country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.
What is the benefit of asylum? People who are granted asylum are allowed to:
What is the process for gaining asylum? The asylum process begins with an asylum application that is submitted once someone is in the United States. According to U.S. law, the application should be made within one year of entering the United States, although there are some exceptions to this deadline. A person applies for asylum by filling out an application and submitting it to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. If a person is in removal proceedings and has a hearing in front of an immigration judge, that person can also make an asylum application at that hearing. If the judge decides to deny asylum, the judge's decision can be appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals and the appropriate Circuit Court of Appeals. What can I expect when I contact The Advocates for Human Rights? The Advocates for Human Rights provides free legal representation to low-income asylum seekers who live in Minnesota, North Dakota, or South Dakota. The steps to become a client of The Advocates are:
Where Can I Learn More? You may call The Advocates' client intake line, 612-341-9845. You can access our client intake form online. To learn more about asylum in the United States, please visit U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Types of asylum cases