Asylum Interview Times

Asylum Interviews Times

An important aspect of the immigration apparatus in the United States is asylum. Although the number of people granted asylum each year is lower than the number entering through family-based or employment-based immigration (statistics), it is a pathway to Permanent Residence, Citizenship, and sponsoring family members. It is the humanitarian branch of immigration. Recognizing that conditions in many countries are impossible and that people face persecution from their governments or other people in their countries, the United States offers a chance at safety and a new life. There are many legal hurdles and statutory requirements for an applicant requesting asylum. Asylum is not granted just because someone’s country is experiencing turmoil or there are difficult circumstances. There must be past persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution, on the basis of at least one of five statutorily enumerated grounds.

Political leaders are debating raising the asylum and refugee ceiling from its current 70,000 limit to a higher number to accommodate Syrians escaping war-torn Syria. Information released by the asylum offices across the United States indicates that they are backlogged on their interviews. Asylum applicants receive an interview at an asylum office. Current times are discouraging. Someone who lives in the jurisdiction for Arlington will not have an interview scheduled currently unless she filed her application in August 2013. That is a wait time of over two years. Hopefully the processing times speed up and more applicants have a quicker chance to present their cases.