US Lists 5 Categories of Foreigners Who Can Apply for Asylum in America

• The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services outlined five grounds on which foreign nationals in the US can seek humanitarian protection
• Applicants must submit Form I-589 within one year of arriving in the United States to be considered for asylum
• USCIS warned that missing a scheduled interview without a formal rescheduling request could result in an application being dismissed outright

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released updated guidelines identifying five specific grounds under which foreign nationals physically present in the country may apply for asylum.

The framework applies to individuals regardless of their nationality or current immigration status, provided they can demonstrate that they have experienced persecution or hold a well-founded fear of facing it in their home country.

5 qualifying grounds for asylum in the US

According to USCIS, asylum seekers must show that their persecution is tied to at least one of five recognised categories: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

Read also

Australia names 6 countries whose citizens can join its military forces

"Every year people come to the United States seeking protection because they have suffered persecution or fear that they will suffer persecution due to: Race, Religion, Nationality, Membership in a particular social group, Political opinion."

Once a primary applicant qualifies, they may include their spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 as dependents on the same application.

How to apply and key deadlines to know

To formally begin the process, applicants are required to complete and submit Form I-589, officially titled the Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal.

This form must reach the relevant authorities within one year of the applicant's arrival in the United States, making timely filing a critical requirement.

Alongside the application rules, USCIS has introduced stricter conditions around interview attendance.

Applicants who fail to appear for their scheduled interview and do not submit a formal rescheduling request either before the appointment or within 10 calendar days afterwards risk having their case dismissed entirely.

Read also

US announces minimum age foreign spouses must meet to apply for citizenship

For those without a lawful basis to remain in the country, a dismissed application carries an additional consequence: immediate referral to an immigration judge, which could accelerate removal proceedings.

Judge orders Trump to reopen DV programme

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that a US federal judge had issued a preliminary injunction ordering the State Department to reopen registration for the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery.

US District Judge Jinsook Ohta issued the ruling on October 14 in the Southern District of California in the case Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Rubio.

Registration was scheduled to open on November 1, with selected applicants to be notified by December 3 following an approved deadline extension.

Source: YEN.com.gh