An asylum application is a type of protection that allows a person to remain in the United States instead of being deported (or deported) to a country where they fear persecution or harm. Under US law, people who flee their country for fear of persecution can apply for asylum. If they are granted asylum, this gives them protection and the right to reside in the United States. Those who are granted asylum are called asylum seekers.
Note: According to US immigration law, a refugee is a person who has been resettled in the United States through the United States resettlement program. This is a separate process from the asylum application. For more information on resettled refugees, please see Refugee Rights and Responsibilities.
To apply for asylum in the United States, you must be physically present in the United States or seek to enter the United States at the port of entry.
Persecution can be harm or threat of harm to you, your family, or people like you. A person can also obtain an asylum application if he has been persecuted in his country previously.
You can only obtain asylum if you have at least one of the following reasons: that someone has harmed or may harm you because of your race, religion, nationality, political opinion (or someone who believes you have a certain political opinion), or the fact that you are part of a particular social group.”
Holland Weekly Magazine Editor-in-Chief Jaafar Al-Khabouri
