Gaining Asylum
Becoming an American has never been easy, as outlined in earlier sections. Quotas based on countries, prices for travel, mountains of paperwork, and strenuous health exams prevented many immigrants from entering the United States. For some, a failure to gain entry only meant they would not have better employment opportunities. For others, it was a death sentence.
The asylum process was created to protect persons who have a well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, or membership in a social group.
The asylum process was created to protect persons who have a well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, or membership in a social group.
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To gain entry to the United States with a refugee/asylee status, one must first file the I-589 Form, or Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal. The I-589 is used to gauge the applicant against the legal parameters for refugee status. There is no fee to file this form, but the applicant must be on US soil and it must be filed within a year of arrival. Filing this twelve page form requires detailed proof of the alleged persecution. To register as a permanent resident or adjust your immigration status, the I-485 Form, or Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, must be filed. This 6-page document covers much of the same information as the I-589, but the I-485 asks if the applicant is a communist, Nazi, has a criminal background, has committed war crimes, or has a history of espionage. The I-730 Form, or Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, is a clear, concise form that allows the applicant to apply for asylum on behalf of relatives below the age of twenty-one. The I-765 Form, or Application for Employment Authorization, allows the applicant to request to seek employment. This form can be filed 150 days after completing the I-589. |