If you no longer feel safe in your home country, you might be considering seeking asylum in the United States. When you seek asylum, you must demonstrate that you have a credible or real fear of persecution or severe harm due to your race, nationality, religion, or because you belong to a specific social group or have a particular political opinion. You will also need to go through an asylum application process that includes filing applications, providing documents and other evidence, and attending interviews. Your original documents must be translated before you submit them to USCIS.

When can you apply for asylum?
You may petition for asylum if you are already in the United States or have arrived at one of its borders. However, the application for asylum must be submitted within the first year you are physically present in the United States. To begin the process, you file Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal.

What must you prove to be considered for asylum?

apply for asylum

To be considered for asylum, you must prove that you have a credible fear that you will be persecuted, tortured, or harmed in your home country due to your identity or beliefs. To receive asylum, you and any family members included in your original application must also meet the definition of a refugee, which is someone outside their country but cannot return because they fear for their safety.

Who can you include in your asylum application?
When you file your asylum application, you can include your spouse and children. However, any children included in the application must be unmarried and under 21 years of age. For your family members to also receive asylum, you must show, through original and translated documents and other evidence, how they are related to you and that they have been physically in the United States during the asylum process.

If you do not include your family members in your original application, but you want to bring them to the United States, you can request asylum for them within the two years after you received asylum by filing Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition.

What documents do I need for asylum?
When you request asylum, you will be required to provide documents as evidence of your identity and other aspects of your life. When the documents are not in English, you will need clear, correct translations that USCIS can accept. These documents include:
• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Passports or travel documents
• Any other documents that support your case

A certified document translation shows USCIS that the translation was done by a professional translator fluent in both languages and that the information included in the translation is correct and complete. These documents are important to show USCIS that asylum should be granted.

What are the types of asylum processes?
Depending on the situation, you might follow one of three types of asylum processes. If a person is in the United States or at its border and is not under removal proceedings from USCIS, they can apply for affirmative asylum. If, however, removal from the U.S. was being considered for you, but not yet presented to an immigration court, and USCIS found that your fear of persecution or harm was credible, you could seek asylum under the asylum merits interview process. Finally, you could apply for defensive asylum if you are under removal proceedings in front of an immigration court.

Understanding the Affirmative Asylum Process
If you are going to apply under the affirmative asylum process, these are the steps you must take:

  1. Be physically present in the United States
  2. File for asylum with Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal within your first year in the U.S., and submit original and translated documents
  3. Complete your fingerprinting and background and security check for you and your family members included in the application
  4. Wait for your interview notice
  5. Go to the interview along with your family members included in the application
  6. Wait for the determination of eligibility for asylum
  7. Receive the decision on asylum

How are the other asylum processes different from an affirmative asylum?

apply for asylum

If you need to apply for asylum through the asylum merits interview or defensive asylum options, your process will differ from the affirmative asylum process. You will need to go to an interview or possibly two to determine if your fear of persecution and harm is credible and then go through an immigration judge who will decide on your application for asylum.

Defensive asylum is an option if you have been arrested for violating your immigration status or for not having the correct immigration identification if the CBP has detained you as you try to enter the U.S. border but believed your claim of fear of persecution to be credible or if USCIS has found you ineligible for asylum but referred the case for further evaluation.

What decisions are granted in an asylum case?
After your application process, you can receive four possible decisions for your case. These decisions are:

  • Asylum granted to you and your family members included in the original application
  • Referral to an immigration court for additional evaluation
  • Notice of intent to deny, with an opportunity for you to explain the situation and why you should be granted asylum
  • Denial of asylum if you did not respond or the notice of intent to deny or your explanation was not accepted by USCIS

Why are professionally translated documents so important in an asylum case?
Your asylum case will determine whether you can remain in the United States or return to a country where you fear persecution or harm. You will need to include document translation as part of the application process. These translated documents can affect the application process and cause delays if they are incomplete or incorrect. Using WorldAccess Translation Services for your professionally translated documents is your guarantee that your documents will be accepted and that your application will not be delayed. Our documents are 100% accepted by USCIS and other national and foreign government institutions; this is a guarantee you need when you seek asylum and safety.

Why should you get a professional translation?

asylum application

WorldAccess provides a wide range of benefits when using our certified translation services. These benefits include:

  • 100% quality guarantee
  • Document translation that is accepted widely by government institutions
  • Physical and digital copies of your full-color, stamped translations
  • Cost-effective translations
  • Notarized and certified translations
  • Complete, correct translations on our letterhead
  • Discretion and privacy of your personal information

What will your translation look like?
WorldAccess professional translations are delivered on our letterhead in full color. The format of the translation is as close to the original document’s format while retaining the correct meaning. Our translations are notarized and certified, with a stamp on the back of each page. They are high-quality translations, using the correct legal terms in English.

What is the cost of WorldAccess Certified Translation Services?
At WorldAccess, we understand that seeking asylum often means you have left everything behind in the search for safety and that you will need to watch your finances. Therefore, we offer cost-effective translations that begin at $20 a page, depending on the complexity and length of the project. You receive both a physical copy via regular mail and a digital copy, as some translations might be requested digitally. If you need the physical copy faster, you can request priority or express mail for an additional fee. Ask for a free quote to begin your translation process.

Who are the professional translators at WorldAccess?
At WorldAccess, we carefully screen our translators to choose college-educated professional linguists who work within specific areas of knowledge. We test their translation skills and knowledge base and have them sign a commercial confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement to ensure that your information remains private. Our translators work in efficient teams to deliver your quality translation quickly.

What languages does WorldAccess work with?
We have wide-ranging language capabilities as part of our services. Our translation teams work with over 20 languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, French, Chinese, and Russian. Since our translators are professional linguists, fluent in both their original languages and English, our certified document translation is guaranteed to be accurate and complete. Our translations are accurate and professional, using the correct legal terminology in English that matches the terminology used in the original language.

When you are preparing to apply for asylum, you will need to gather your original documents and quality translations. These translations are essential to your asylum case, so you want a quick, cost-effective, quality service. This is what WorldAccess Translation Services provides. Contact us today to request a free quote for your document translation project. As soon as you accept our quote and submit your original documents, we will begin working to provide you with a quick turnaround on your translation project.

apply for asylum

Leave A Comment