In my column Consulta Migratoria® I provide general answers to readers' questions.
Each case is different and the answers vary depending on the individual's immigration history. Please consult with an immigration attorney for personalized legal advice before beginning any proceedings.
This is this week's column:
I live in Virginia and filed an asylum application directly with USCIS in April 2014. When will I have my interview with an asylum officer? -Hugo M.
Hugo, you will be called for your interview soon. From what I see in the June 2016 Affirmative Asylum Scheduling Bulletin, affirmative asylum interviews filed in January 2014 are being scheduled in the Arlington, Virginia office that has jurisdiction over your case.
I recommend that you review the Affirmative Asylum Interview Scheduling Bulletinwhich is generally updated monthly, to see how the processing dates for asylum cases filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are progressing.
If you do not receive a notice of your asylum interview within the next six months, call the USCIS National Customer Center at 1-800-375-5283 to find out about your case and ask to schedule your interview.
What is the Affirmative Asylum Interview Scheduling Bulletin?
The Affirmative Asylum Interview Scheduling Bulletin details affirmative asylum application processing dates. filed directly with USCIS.
Processing times in this bulletin do not apply for asylum cases filed in immigration court.
Children's cases and interviews that were rescheduled by the applicant or USCIS. are prioritized and processed as soon as possible..
For other cases, USCIS schedules interviews with an asylum officer in the order in which the applications were filed. The Affirmative Asylum Interview Scheduling Bulletin reflects the processing dates for these cases.
You can view the Affirmative Asylum Interview Scheduling Bulletin for June 2016. by clicking here.
USCIS has eight asylum offices around the United States that are responsible for reviewing and deciding affirmative asylum applications. Where you live will determine which office will review your application and schedule your interview with an asylum officer.
How to Read the Affirmative Asylum Interview Scheduling Bulletin
The bulletin contains three columns of information. Based on which office and when the application was submitted, you can see the month and year that the interview will be scheduled.
Review the information in this order:
- The first column, which shows the cities of the USCIS asylum offices that have jurisdiction over the place where the immigrant lives (If you live under the jurisdiction of...).
- The third column: shows month and year in which immigrants applied for affirmative asylum (For people who filed in...).
- The second column: depending on where and when the applications were submitted, the month and year in which the interviews were scheduled (We scheduled interviews in...).
Hugo, as you will see in the bulletin, in June they scheduled interviews for people under the jurisdiction of the asylum office in Arlington, Virginia who filed asylum applications in January 2014. You filed your application three months later, in April 2014. That's not long now.
The process of applying for asylum is complex. You should consult with an immigration attorney to carefully evaluate your case and represent you in your affirmative asylum interview with USCIS.
