Affirmative Asylum
Each year, thousands of people arriving at our border or already in the United States apply for asylum, a form of protection from persecution. The types of immigration cases handled by IJC are split into two types: Affirmative and Defensive.
People who are not in removal proceedings submit Form I-589 to USCIS and this is called an “affirmative” asylum case. It doesn’t involve the immigration courts, and is decided by an asylum officer. The resources on this page will support you in representing a client in their affirmative asylum case.
Samples
Immigration Justice Campaign The questions in this document are a sample of questions asked by an asylum officer during an affirmative asylum interview, which was for a client from Afghanistan based on their political opinion.
Vecina A redacted, sample affirmative asylum letter brief for an Afghan translator before the Asylum Office.
Immigration Justice Campaign & VECINA A sample client declaration with detailed annotations that guide you through how to write a client declaration.
VECINA A sample, completed I-589 (for a fictional client) with detailed annotations that guide you through best practices for filling out the form.