Asylee Information

Each year, more than 20,000 people from over 100 nations are granted asylum in the United States. Asylees have often suffered from persecution in their country of origin, forced migration, detention in the United States, and the uncertainty of the asylum adjudication process. Most confront systemic and bureaucratic barriers to resettlement and integration, and need well-coordinated and prompt social services to ease their transition.

CLINIC's National Asylee Information and Referral Line, which operated for 11 years, from 2001 to 2012, referred asylees to more than 500 local providers of resettlement services such as English language classes, job placement assistance, temporary cash assistance, and medical assistance. Funded by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and operated by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, the referral line provided a single, centralized source of accurate information about service eligibility and programs across the country that assist asylees with the resources they need for a smooth adjustment and early self-sufficiency. Referral line counselors spoke 18 languages, including English, Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Chinese, French, Russian, and Arabic.

Over the last 11 years, the referral line:

Served over 39,000 asylees (about 300 per month).
Created and maintained an up-to-date referral database (the first of its kind) of more than 500 local refugee service providers throughout the U.S.
Placed outreach information in the regional USCIS asylum offices and improved outreach to asylees in the immigration courts.
Created an informational guide to assist service providers who work with asylees. The guide contains information about the benefits and services for which asylees are eligible, including temporary cash and medical assistance, employment assistance, English classes, employment authorization, Social Security cards, I-94s, adjustment of status, travel authorization, change of address, family reunification, and federal student financial aid.

*** PLEASE NOTE THAT THE 1-800 NUMBER IS NO LONGER IN OPERATION. ASYLEES SEEKING INFORMATION SHOULD VISIT THE ORR WEBPAGE AT: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/

RESOURCES

Benefits & Services

CLINIC guide, Asylee Eligibility for Resettlement Assistance

ORR outreach flyer for asylees (available in 10 languages)

USCIS fee waiver application, Form I-912

USCIS policy guidance on fee waivers, March 2011

USCIS questions and answers about filing the I-485, I-765, and I-131 for asylees and refugees

USCIS fact sheet on asylee travel, October 2009

General Information

DHS Office of Immigration Statistics 2011 annual flow report on asylees and refugees

Executive Office for Immigration Review asylum statistics

USCIS asylum page