Whether you are seeking asylum to prevent your deportation or because you’ve arrived in the United States and need a legal status, you should reach out to a qualified asylum lawyer. Asylum is a type of humanitarian relief available in the United States to foreign nationals who fear returning home because going back would mean facing persecution. With an experienced asylum lawyer, your chances of being granted this temporary status increase dramatically.
If you are in the United States, an asylum lawyer at Laura Leon Law can meet with you in a confidential consultation to look at the details of your case and plan a path forward. You may be eligible to apply for several humanitarian programs, but your asylum lawyer at our firm is familiar with all of them.
We understand that if you are a foreign national in the United States, you may be scared to meet with an attorney without more information so this guide to meeting with an asylum lawyer will address some of the questions you may have.
The U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) will allow you to apply for asylum if you are already in the United States or at a port of entry into the country under certain circumstances. Once you are here, your asylum lawyer will make sure that you are eligible for asylum before encouraging you to apply for the status.
The INA requires that you can prove you have a reasonable fear of persecution in your home nation based on your race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
An asylum lawyer at Laura Leon Law will also look at whether you are eligible to apply for affirmative asylum or defensive asylum.
Your asylum lawyer will see if you are eligible for affirmative asylum. Affirmative asylum is reserved for eligible foreign nationals in the United States when they have not yet been placed in removal proceedings. If you are eligible to apply for affirmative asylum, your asylum lawyer will help you file your request through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). They will use USCIS Form I-589, Application for Asylum and Withholding of Removal.
Your asylum lawyer will see if you are eligible defensive asylum if you are in the U.S. facing removal proceedings. Defensive asylum can prevent your deportation. Instead of applying for asylum with USCIS though, your asylum lawyer will file your request with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).
Your asylum lawyer must establish that you have a “credible fear of persecution” to help you apply for asylum. U.S. officials won’t grant you asylum status unless your fear is credible. This means that they need to figure out if you have a realistic reason to think that you or someone in your situation would face persecution if you were to be sent home. They do this with a credible fear interview. Your asylum lawyer can help you prepare for this interview and build evidence to support your case.
Sometimes, people can’t apply for asylum because of their history. Certain actions can bar a person from applying for asylum or other immigration benefits. Your asylum lawyer will examine your history carefully, and it’s important that you are honest with them. Remember, your consultation is confidential, so you can trust your asylum lawyer.
Your asylum lawyer will ask if you’ve done any of the following:
Your asylum lawyer may ask about other family members in the United States because if you qualify for asylum, certain family members may qualify for derivative asylum status. Your asylum lawyer can request derivative status for eligible family members, including your spouse and your unmarried children under the age of 21, if they are already in the United States. In fact, your asylum lawyer might even be able to help you bring family members to the U.S. through your status. This is why your asylum lawyer will ask about your family members.
Your asylum lawyer will ask you about your long-term interest in immigrating to the United States because the INA allows asylees to apply for a green card through an Adjustment of Status once they’ve been an asylee for one year.
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If you are in the U.S. and afraid to return to your home nation, you should consult with an asylum lawyer that has experience helping foreign nationals navigate this complicated process. An asylum lawyer at Laura Leon Law will greet you with compassion and fight aggressively to protect you. Contact us today.
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