You Can Now Check Your Asylum Case Status Online!

Last week, I wrote about my suggestions for a new Asylum Office website. In that post, I gave short shrift to a new development: For affirmative asylum applicants, it is now possible to check your asylum case online at the USCIS website. This development is actually pretty significant, and will be particularly helpful for those who set up an account with USCIS in order to receive automatic case updates.

Here’s how it works: If you filed affirmatively for asylum–meaning, you filed a case with the Asylum Office–you should have received a receipt with an Alien number (a nine-digit number usually starting with 0 or 2) and a receipt number (three letters followed by a 10-digit number; the first letter is “Z”). You can now enter the receipt number into the USCIS Check Case Status web page and obtain information about your case.

I’ve plugged in several of my clients’ receipt numbers to get an idea of how the system works. After you enter the receipt number, you will receive a message about your case. The messages I saw have between one and four paragraphs, depending on the stage of the case.

The USCIS computer team celebrates as their agency enters the 20th Century.

The first paragraph gives information about the status of the case. This is discussed more below.

The second and third paragraphs of the message discuss the “Asylum Clock” and eligibility for an employment authorization document or EAD. In short, once an asylum case is received, the “Clock” starts. After the Clock reaches 150 days, a person may apply for an EAD, but the Clock must reach 180 days in order for USCIS to actually issue the EAD. If a person delays her case (by skipping an appointment, for example), it could cause the Clock to stop. Buried in the middle of the second paragraph is the number of days that have elapsed on your Asylum Clock and a statement about whether your Clock is still running. This is quite helpful, as it is easy to know when to apply for your EAD (on or after day 150, assuming the Clock is still running). One quibble, if I may: It would be nice to see this information more prominently displayed, as it is kind-of hidden in an otherwise boilerplate paragraph.

The final paragraph contains information about what to do if you move (file form AR-11).

There are different messages generated, depending on the status of the case. After the case is filed and received, the message reads, “The next step in your application is an in-person interview. Once your interview is scheduled, you will receive an interview notice in the mail and this case status will change. If you have an attorney or accredited representative on file, this individual will also receive a copy of the interview notice in the mail.” Another quibble: This message appears even if the biometrics (fingerprint and photo) appointment letter has been mailed out. In other words, at least for the case I checked, the system does not indicate that a biometrics letter was sent. Hopefully, USCIS will include this information as it continues to update the online system.

Once the interview is scheduled, the message states, “Your interview has been scheduled. You will receive an interview notice at the mailing address we have on file. If you have listed family members as dependents on your application, you must bring them to your interview. If you cannot communicate effectively in English, you must bring an interpreter. If you have an attorney or accredited representative and come without that representative, we will ask you to sign a form stating you agree to be interviewed without that representative present.” Further down the page, the message indicates that you can reschedule the interview. However, there is no information about how to contact the Asylum Office to reschedule. Such information would be helpful, even if it is only a link to the (woefully inadequate) Asylum Office website (which also does not tell you how to reschedule an appointment). By the way, it seems that the interview message is the same whether it is a first interview or a rescheduled interview.

If the interview has taken place, but there is not yet a decision, the message states, “You completed your interview with USCIS. The time it takes for USCIS to give you a decision after completion of an interview may vary. An officer told you at the end of your interview if you needed to return to the office to pick-up your decision on a specific/scheduled date, or if your decision would be mailed to you.” This same message seems to appear regardless of how long the decision has been pending. For example, I checked one of my long-delayed cases (filed over five years ago!). I suspect that the case is being held up due to a TRIG (Terrorism Related Inadmissibility Grounds) bar–the client was kidnapped and paid money to the bad guys to get released (this is an example of how the TRIG bar treats the victims of terrorism as if they were terrorists). The client was interviewed (about four years ago), but there is still no decision. For this client, I received the same Case Status message as for a client who was interviewed three months ago (and who does not have any TRIG issues).

Once a decision has been made, the message reads, “We reached a decision in your case. You should expect to receive the decision in the mail shortly. You must follow the instructions in your decision letter as to what you should do next.” If the decision was picked up, the message reads, “We reached a decision in your application. You recently picked up this decision at our office. You must follow the instructions in your decision letter as to what you should do next.” Whether the case was granted, denied or referred to Immigration Court, the message was basically the same. In other words, you cannot determine the outcome of the case based on the online message.

I did not have any cases with a pending Notice of Intent to Deny, so I do not know if the online system indicates whether such a letter has been mailed out. I hope it does, as applicant’s only have 16 days to respond to a NOID, so the earlier they know about it, the better.

I also checked an application that was closed. The message states, We closed your application and notified you of the reason in the decision letter we mailed to the address we have on file for you. You must contact the office that has been handling your application if you believe your application should not have been closed.” Such a message means that the case is no longer with the Asylum Office. In our client’s case, the person had previously been before an Immigration Judge, and the Asylum Office determined that it did not have jurisdiction.

Probably the best part about the new system is that you can set up an account with USCIS so that you receive automatic updates by email or text message. In this way, you will know when to expect your interview notice or decision. And here’s a bonus: If you sign up for Informed Delivery with the U.S. Post Office, you will get a scan of all mail coming to your house, so you will know exactly when your notifications (and all your other mail) are arriving. Informed Delivery is not available everywhere, but you can check the USPS website to see whether you are eligible.

Finally, one last issue: The USCIS website is only in English. There are a limited number of messages that appear when you check your receipt, and so it really shouldn’t be that burdensome to create messages in other languages (Spanish being the most obvious). I am not sure that this is under consideration, but it would be very helpful.

So that’s about it. The new system is a good start, especially if you get automatic updates, but it’s not a substitute for a more informative Asylum Office website, as I discussed last week. Hopefully, USCIS will continue to improve it’s online presence, and continue to improve the process for asylum seekers and everyone else in the system.

Related Post

235 comments

  1. Hello Jason,
    I just checked my status and it says that the case was close and that a letter was sent to me. I did not get any letter. How do I get a copy of such letter? Please help…

    Thank you,
    Marcelo

    Reply
    • It may take a week or two to arrive. If not, and if this is an asylum case, you can contact the local asylum office to ask about the result. You can find their contact info if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  2. Hi Jason.

    So my case has been showing Pending..

    Today the status changed to Next Step Is an Interview

    The next step in your application is an in-person interview. Once your interview is scheduled, you will receive an interview notice in the mail and this case status will change. If you have an attorney or accredited representative on file, this individual will also receive a copy of the interview notice in the mail.

    How long does it take for this interview to be scheduled?

    Reply
    • I do not know – it depends on whether you are in the backlog or not, or what office you are in. If the case is in the backlog, the new message may be meaningless – it seems messages sometimes change and it is unclear why. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  3. Hi Jason

    Thanks for your help here.

    I attended my interview in December and last month I received another EAD card with code A05 which I believe it’s for granted asylum. Now my question is can I use this as an evidence of granted asylee when submitting applications for derivative asylum for my spouse?

    Thank you

    Reply
    • I do not think that will work, as you need the actual grant letter. Hopefully, the a-05 EAD means the case will be granted, but you need the letter. I would contact the asylum office and inquire about this. You can find their contact info if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  4. Hi Jason,

    We applied for asylum on January 2016 in New York. Until now we didn’t hear back from USCIS. I tried to check our status online and it said 1190 days pending. Do you have any information do New York offices call the previous cases or just those that are last in?

    Reply
    • I do not know how old cases are being processed in NY. You can try to expedite – I wrote about that on March 30, 2017. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  5. Hi Jason,

    I have a simple question regarding a FOIA processed by USCIS through the NRC.
    I am track 2, my FOIA Request status says processed.
    My question is, is it a large delay between the processed date and the date the response is going to be sent out.
    Can you please predict like how long might it take?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • I don’t really know. Typically, we see G-639 FOIA requests take 4 to 6 months. FOIAs for people in court are faster – maybe 2 to 4 months, but these time frames are not so predictable. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  6. Dear Jason,
    It looks like the Online case status for asylee applicants is not working anymore. I have not been able to to access my case status in over a week now. When I try, it says the receipt number is not valid. The last time i checked my status, it was pending decision.

    Reply
    • Many people are having the same issue. We’ll see how long it remains down. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  7. Hi , I submitted my asylum case in last November, i lives in Tennessee and till now I didn’t get my interview , is any problem in Louisiana office? , is they stopped make interviews this days? , they was make interviews after 3 weeks or one month before I summit my application , is any reason or change now ?

    Reply
    • Most offices receive more cases than they can interview, so you probably just had the bad luck not to get an interview. You can try to expedite – I wrote about that on March 30, 2017 – and maybe that way you can get an interview. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  8. Hi Jason,

    I’m an asylum applicant with a pending final decision, I applied on June 2018 and still waiting, in the meanwhile I have been doing the examinations to get certified here as a doctor and start my medical specialty( residency) , I already have my work permit and my SSN, however I do not think any hospital director would be interested in hiring a candidate who has a migratory situation like mine, so I was thinking to apply to either a J1 or H1 visa? what do you think I can do when that moment arrives? Should I secure my sponsorship for the J1/H1 visa in the hospital that hires me and then withdraw my asylum application and exit the US just to obtain my J1/H1 visa at the us embassy ? What are the chances they reject my H1/J1 visa just for having applied to asylum in the past ?

    Thank you Jason !

    Your blog is amazing.

    Jose

    Reply
    • An asylum case should not effect whether you qualify for an H1b visa (which is “dual intent”), but it might make it harder to get a J visa (since you cannot get such a visa if you intend to immigrate/stay permanently in the US). I agree that it can be harder to get a job in the medical profession for people with pending asylum, as I have seen that for some of my clients. Talk to a lawyer about the options – potentially, you could try for a green card based on EB-2/National Interest Waiver, or another employment-based category. I wrote a post about that on August 28, 2018. Also, if you decide to leave the US to get a new visa or GC, you might try to coordinate that with Advance Parole, so you could return here if something went wrong with the consular processing. I wrote about AP on September 11, 2017, but it has become more difficult to get since that time. The bottom line: Talk to a lawyer about the options. Take care, Jason

      Reply
    • We are in the same boat. I am taking USMLE and have applied for asylum. I haven’t got decision yet and it has been more than 2 years.

      Reply
    • Hey joze
      I am having the same situation like you
      Trying to apply for this match season 2019
      Don’t know how this situation will affect us
      I’d like to connect with you to think and discuss more if you like
      It is better when you have someone with same situation like you
      Let me know how to connect with u ?!

      Reply
  9. Dear Jason,

    I hope you are doing well and thank you so much for everything you are doing. My case has been pending with the Arlington, VA office for more than 280 days. I already had my interview back in July, 2018, but I am still waiting for the final mail-out decision. It seems like the case is at the ending stages based on my last inquiry.

    There is a wonderful employment opportunity for me in New York and I really want to accept the offer soon. My biggest concern is that if I move to NYC for the job then my case will be out of the Arlington office’s jurisdiction when I fill out the AR-11 form. What kind of a delay would this cause and what would usually happen to the case under these circumstances? Could I leave my mailing address as the address in VA and still physically move to NYC so my case would stay in Arlington for the final decision? ANY insight and suggestion is appreciated.

    Thank you so much for your time and help! I look forward to hearing from you.

    Sincerely,

    Ali

    Reply
    • Such a move should have no effect unless they call you for a second interview (which is fairly uncommon). In that case, if you moved, the interview would be in the new office. Otherwise, Arlington will keep the case and make a decision. Personally, I think you need to live your life and take the job. You can keep a mailing address is VA, though if your physical address is NY, I still think any second interview would be at the new office, but I am not sure. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  10. Hello Jason,
    I had my interview more than one week ago, but my case status is still ‘interview scheduled’. Should I get worried? I have the mail out notice the officer signed, nothing else. Thanks

    Reply
    • They still seem to be working out some bugs in the online system, so I would not worry about that. There is no other document besides the mail-out notice, so I think you are fine. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  11. Hi,
    Today the day timers start working properly today it showing the actual days waiting 894 ☹️
    LA office
    Applied Sep-2016
    Thanks,

    Reply
  12. Hi Jason
    I applied for my asylum in May 2016, my case has been pending since then. After I heard that we can check our case online, I checked it and it says case pending since 954 days.. why does it say pending while some newer case says next step is an interview

    Reply
    • I don’t know. My sense is that the messages are not that consistent and that they are still working out some bugs with the online system. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  13. Hi,

    I have checked my case status last month and my EAD clock was 862 days. I’ve checked it today and It still is 862! Is it normal? What is the reason?

    Reply
    • The case status system is not working properly. Supposedly, they are trying to fix it. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  14. Hi Jason,
    What would it mean when the Case keeps showing the same number of days?…
    No changes once the system has started to operate.
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • It is a problem with the online system. I’m told they are trying to get it fixed. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  15. Hello Jason,
    Thank you for answering all the questions, I missed my interview on October 5 my lawyer’s recommended that because my case is not very strong and now it is more difficult than ever, I have more than 10 years in the USA and I qualify for the cancellation of removal, I was waiting for the NTA then I checked my case online and it appears as “Application was closed” my lawyer does not know what is going on because I do not have status and I should have been sent with the Immigration Judge, my lawyer sent a letter to the office that has my application (asking for my case to be reopened) my question is if you believe that my case is could be opened or if it is possible to apply again for asylum even if I have no status, thank you very much. I truly appreciate your response.

    Reply
    • I think you need to communicate with the asylum office first to see what happened. If they do not reply to the lawyer’s note, you or the lawyer can go in person to the asylum office to inquire. You can find their office hours if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  16. hello, Jason, many thanks for your efforts and we pray that God bless you for your help
    I checked the status of our pending asylum last week and it was still pending but today it changed little bit to “the next step is an interview” Does that mean that the interview is coming soon?
    we have been pending for 2 years and it is very hard what they are doing that there is no time frame, so I hope this would mean that the interview would be soon

    Reply
    • I do not know about that. I know they are still working out some bugs in the system. My guess is that nothing will change until they actually schedule an interview, but I am not sure. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  17. Dear Jason,

    I hope you are doing well, and thank you for putting together all these wonderful resources!

    My case has been pending at the Arlington office since late May 2018 and I had my interview in early July. The pick-up decision was changed to mail-out two weeks after the interview, and the decision status is still pending on the USCIS website.

    I had a mentor back in college who had connection to a Senator’s constituent services. They made an inquiry on my behalf and the Congressional Liaison responded “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) records confirm that Mr. xxxxx’s case has been escalated to the attention of the Section Chief. Once his case has been reviewed in its entirety and a final decision entered, he will be notified via mail……… USCIS realizes that Mr.xxxxx may be frustrated by the progress of his case. However, the agency must balance individual inconvenience against broader issues of public safety and national security.”

    What stage of the process is my case currently on based on this message? Is the “Section Chief” the last person that makes the final decision? Is there an approximate timeline on how long it would take?

    Thank you so much for your time and anything helps!

    Sincerely,

    Ali

    Reply
    • I do not know what a section chief is, but this looks like pretty standard language. As far as I can tell, it simply means: Your case is pending. I would give them a few months and then make another inquiry if there is no decision. You can do that yourself if you want – check their website, which you can find if you follow the link at right called Asylum Office Locator. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  18. Dear Jason!
    Many thanks for your efforts and work dedicated to help us!
    I have a question which you may probably address here and may be other people might also would find it helpful. In case if an applicant changes address and moves to a different office jurisdiction does the USCIS still penalize for the filed Advance Parole document. This happened to me once. And it took 9 months to wait for the approval for the Advance Parole (moved from Chicago office to Washington). So, I had to wait two lines because the current office, after considering the papers, sent them to the original office. The irony was that when I finally after 9 months received the Advance Parole the very next day I ended up in hospital with jaw fracture and missed the opportunity to travel and see my relatives.
    P.S. I don’t know, but after that incident I started to think that may be it is God who doesn’t want me to leave the US))))

    Reply
    • I have not heard of a case being put to the back of the line after someone moves, and so I do not know. Maybe the AP just took 9 months – that is certainly possible (unfortunately). I guess you can apply again, but if the Lord wants you to stay in the US, maybe travel is not such a good idea. Take care, Jason

      Reply
      • Jason,
        Thank you very much for the very quick response! I assumed that the second office under which jurisdiction I reside now look at the case in order they receive. So, only let’s say after 4-5 months when they look at it they would find that the case should be considered by the other office and only after then they send to my original office where waiting time is also around 4-5 months. This is how I think they proceed, by saying “penalize” and how ~9 months build up. Do you think how system works?

        Reply
        • Sorry, I should say: “Do you think this is how system works?”

          Reply
        • I don’t think that is how it works, and I doubt the move would have caused this delay. On the other hand, I would not be terribly surprised if it did cause the delay. Personally, I have not observed delays for moving, and so that is why I think the move would not cause the delay, but I really do not know. Take care, Jason

          Reply
          • God bless you!

  19. Do the background checks applied only for recommended approval case?
    I mean if the officer told you we will run back ground check is is a sign of recommend approval?

    And What if you were living in a third country and you are not be able to go back to it and you didn’t pay a utility bill because you are not in the country and they keep charging you money.Will it be an issue especially if this country usually put the past due bills on the airport system so they make sure you pay it before you re-enter their country?
    It’s kinda wierd but they still charge you money for no reason since you are not there in person to cancel the service!
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Most people seem to think that an RA is issued if the case is approved, but the background check is not complete. As for the unpaid bill, I do not specifically know what the background checks are about, but I highly doubt that would be the type of issue that would block you from getting an asylum decision. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  20. Dear Jason,
    Many many thanks for your guidance. I am very grateful for all your support! I am an affirmative asylum seeker. My case has been referred to Immigration court and my MCH hearing was scheduled on 8th Jan.19 which got cancelled due to government shutdown. Today I have received a notice from DHS, Immigration and Customs enforcement Stating that, please come to the office at the address shown below, at the time and place indicated in connection with an official matter.
    Ask for : Deportation Officer Manuel Tellado
    Reason for appointment: Immigration status in the United sate.
    I got shocked after receiving this notice. I don’t know what to do. Could you please guide me what should I do next.
    Thanks a million!
    Banu

    Reply
    • You should go to the office as instructed. The problem is that you do not know what they want to do – normally, they just question the person, but they could give you an ankle bracelet and they could detain you, though I have not seen people being detained except maybe in cases where they have a criminal conviction. It would probably be a good idea to talk to a lawyer to prepare for the meeting and to go with you to the meeting. A lawyer can usually not stop a detention, but the lawyer may be able to help you get ready and be prepared for whatever they want. You should know that in most cases, these meetings are routine and people are not detained, but it is better to prepare for the worst, just in case. Take care, Jason

      Reply
    • I am sorry to hear that !! I hope everything is okay.

      Any updates on this ?

      Reply
    • Hi,
      I just checked different cases as follows:
      case waiting for interview: ” Next Step is an Interview”
      case after interview: ” Decision is Pending ”
      case received decision ” Decision was picked up ”
      Closed case ” application was closed ”

      one message appeared for a guy applied and interviewed in 2013 and till now now decision has been taken, this message looks different and weird!!!
      the message is ” Application is pending “…please anyone has info about this message just explain to me why the message is not ” Decision is Pending ” as he already did his interview in 2013

      Reply
      • I have no idea. It would be nice if USCIS elaborated somewhere about what the different messages mean. Take care, Jason

        Reply
  21. Hi Jason, thanks for the info. Look what I got when i check my case.
    Your case has been pending with USCIS for 1834 days,
    any one can beat that? LOL

    Reply
    • I may have a couple clients who can beat that, but such long waits are insane. Hopefully, you will have some good luck before day 1835. Take care, Jason

      Reply
      • Thanks Jason,

        Reply
  22. Hi Jason

    Im happy to have bumped into this page. Its by far the most helpful. I wanted to ask what are the chances of being granted asylum after filing an application past the one year deadline because things just suddenly turned nasty in Zimbabwe and i was confused until someone advised me to seek asylum instead of trying to get a new visa while in the states.

    Reply
    • If you were in-status until the time you applied for asylum, this is considered an exception to the one-year bar. Otherwise, you can argue that you applied for asylum after circumstances in your country changed. This argument can work, but it is not always accepted. I wrote more about this issue on January 18, 2018. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  23. Hi Jason I wrote to you once about my almost expired EAD(21 February) . My employer has just told me that if it is not renewed by that date they will nolonger need me at work. Is there any way that i can have my EAD earlier than that. What should i do? I have already submitted the the application for renewal yesterday.
    What should i do please? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Assuming you have a pending asylum case, your EAD receipt automatically extends the old EAD by 6 months. I did a post about that on January 25, 2017, and at the bottom are some links to USCIS websites indicating that there is an automatic extension. Hopefully, your employer will accept those. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  24. Hi Jason, I recently attended my asylum interview. The immigration officer asked me about the status of my brother who I had listed on my application as a sibling residing in the US. I told them that he was a citizen and they asked me how they acquired citizenship. Is this allowed and do they have the right to open my brothers immigration file ?

    Reply
    • DANGWE, I am not Jason. Jason will definitely respond to you.
      The short answer is yes: They can ask you anything you put on the form- even things you didn’t put on the I-589 or mention in your affidavit! Why do you think they’ll re-open your brother’s immigration case? Did your brother not list you as his sibling on his application(s) for U.S. immigration benefits? Did you/he say/do anything that would warrant a re-adjudication/re-opening of his immigration case? If your answer to the questions are no then I don’t think you should worry. It’s very common for immigration and asylum officers to ask about your siblings’ (even for visa applications) immigration status/how they get to the US, if they are living in the US.

      Reply
      • This is correct, and it is important to say “I don’t know” if you do not know. Remember the old adage, “People who guess, make a big mess.” Take care, Jason

        Reply
    • They can ask that, or at least I have seen them ask that before. I suppose they could check his file. They cannot violate confidentiality between you and your brother, though, meaning that they cannot question him for purposes of your case unless he consents. Unless there is something very wrong, I doubt there is much to worry about here. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  25. Dear Jason,

    Thank you for being such an amazing person, our hired lawyers don’t even reply to us every day, but you reply to every comment here- thank you for that.

    I know it maybe a lot to ask, but could you write a post about EAD renewals with the new form(how to write an affidavit for being detained). I need to renew my EAD but I can’t find on the internet any useful information about arrest question, I don’t want to do smn wrong and not get EAD(((

    Thank you and God bless you.

    Reply
    • I have been thinking about such a post, but I am not sure what to write the instructions are vague. Anyway, maybe I will give it a shot. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  26. Hi Jason,
    I’ve recently started reading your blog and enjoy it a lot. I applied for asylum as gay man from Uzbekistan as I always liked men growing up. I recently started dating a girl and like it as much as I men, which means I might be bisexual. I’m still waiting for my interview. Should I tell the asylum officer or should we update my application before the interview? Thank you!

    Reply
    • I am not sure what the best approach is. Certainly, if asked, you need to tell the officer. Whether dating a woman is relevant to your asylum claim, I do not know. And whether it matters to your asylum claim that you are gay or bisexual, I also do not know. I suppose one issue is credibility – will the officer think you lied about being gay because you are now dating a woman? You might want to talk through this with a lawyer, as it could affect the case, and how it will affect depends on the specifics of your case. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  27. Dear Jason,
    During your experince as professional lawyer have you had clients or heard a person who was in F1 status and worked on EAD based on pending asylum was sent to court after case was denied by asylum office?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • I have not heard of that. However, prior to September 2018, USCIS did not consider a denied asylum seeker to be out of status if she had an F-1 visa. A somewhat confusing memo has (apparently) changed that rule, and now an F-1 student who is denied asylum may be referred to court. I have not heard about that happening since the rule was changed, but I assume it is possible that this will happen. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  28. Dear Jason,

    How do you see that the current situation in Venezuela can affect pending asylum decisions? Does a potential change in the government can delay the decisions?
    I dont think its going to be an abrupt change, but I was interviewed 7 months ago…
    Any thought about this? I have made a couple of inquiries and they said is pending.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • It depends what happens. If the government changes, and/or the situation improves, it certainly could affect whether a person from Venezuela is eligible for asylum. I do not think they are holding up Venezuelan cases in the hope that things change, but I do not know about their internal procedures. If you have been waiting 7 months, you may want to contact the asylum office and inquire about the case status. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  29. Hi Jason,
    How much it takes for background checks for the Afghans? waiting for one year for the decision is reasonable /justifiable for writ of mandamus?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • There is no set time frame, but Afghans, especially men, tend to have long waits after the interview. Sometimes, it is days and sometimes it takes years. If you file a mandamus, and the security background check is not complete and cannot be completed, they will deny the case and send it to court. I know of one example where this happened. That is not necessarily bad, as the background check process is different in court and we have not seen delays for background checks for Afghans or anyone else. Take care, Jason

      Reply
      • Hello Jason: Did you have any client from Pakistan? especially female? Does it make any difference when it comes to going through the background checks etc? I was reading the statistics report about number of nationalities applied for asylum in 2018 well Pakistan falls in “Others” but how long does it usually takes after the interview to hear anything? Also granting asylum is upon discretion of OA? Can the OA say the same day if it is granted or denied? Thank you Jason!

        Reply
        • I have had a number of clients from Pakistan, including women. The background check – on average – seems faster for Pakistan than other Muslim countries, like Afghanistan. Women generally tend to be faster than men. I can think of one woman from Pakistan who had a delayed decision, and I think it took maybe 6 months. Others, if I remember, where fairly fast. Anyway, it is pretty unpredictable. As for the decision, the asylum officer makes that and the supervisor approves it. Cases can be denied on discretionary ground, but there are rules to making this determination, and for eligible asylum applicants, a discretionary denial is rare. Take care, Jason

          Reply
          • Thank you so much for your response. Very helpful indeed! I know you can disclose the info but if that is okay was her case for asylum based on religion, political or affiliation with certain group like US Mission etc. Only if it is okay to share. Thank you Jason!

          • Most of my Pakistani cases – including the woman I was thinking of – were political (journalists), but some were based on religion (the bad guys believe that my clients are infidels). I may have had some that were honor killing cases – usually we consider those religious, since the persecutor believes the victim is an infide; sometimes, they are particular social group, such as “Westernized women”. Take care, Jason

          • Well! I can understand, for them(the bad guys) the list of being considered “infidels” and pro American is too long. It doesn’t matter whether you are actually “westernized” they hate everyone who doesn’t agree with their school of thoughts. I appreciate that you take time to respond and provide useful info on this platform. God bless you!

          • If you are an Ahmadi, dont forget to add an official letter from community.

    • @Shahid, if it makes you feel better by seeing other people in the same boat, I am an Afghan waiting for a decision after the interview for 20 months (filed on Jan 2014) – sent many inquiries and proof that dad’s health requires immediate attention overseas as well. However, no one cares. I feel you that how frustrating the situation and wait is for Afghans. Hope all works out for you soon

      Reply
  30. Hi, Jason,
    Is EAD renewal will be valid for 2 years also? And how many ead renewals can 1 person get( taking into the consideration that case processing takes so much time)
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • The renewal is valid for two years. You can renew the EAD as many times as needed, until the case is complete. Take care, Jason

      Reply
  31. Hello Jason, Is it hard to re-apply for asylum after first one was denied? can your office help me to re-apply in LA, Ca office? I herad that is very difficult to re-apply is that correct?
    thank you

    Reply
    • It should not be difficult, but we have found that the asylum office bureaucracy makes it extremely difficult, at least in Virginia. Maybe LA is better. I think you would do better with a local lawyer, as someone may need to visit the asylum office (perhaps several times) in an effort to get them to do their job. Take care, Jason

      Reply

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