For people who fear harm from their country of origin for reasons the law recognizes as protected – including race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or a characteristic that can’t be changed, like gender or sexual orientation – asylum provides protection in the United States. People who win asylum can stay in the United States permanently.
To qualify for asylum, you must show that you were persecuted in the past or fear future harm in your home country because of one or more of these specific protected reasons. Some examples of past persecution include armed conflict, organized violence, torture, or death at the hands of government officials or other individuals. Examples of future harm might be attacks on members of your group or family, attacks due to a change in personal circumstances such as conversion to a different religion, or ongoing threats of violence because of your gender.
The application for asylum is lengthy and detailed. It’s important to fill it out carefully and read through each question before you submit it. You can also apply to include qualifying family members in your case. The steps for doing this are different depending on whether you filed your asylum application with USCIS or in immigration court.
When submitting your application, you may want to submit additional evidence such as membership cards for groups that you believe make you a target for harm, news articles or reports from national and international human rights organizations, or a declaration from someone who knows your country of origin well. You can include this additional evidence at the time you submit your application or before or during your interview with an immigration judge.