USCIS is scheduling interviews for some asylum seekers who applied before 2016!

Last updated on August 30, 2022

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is scheduling asylum interviews for some asylum seekers who applied for asylum more than 6 years ago. If you submitted your asylum application (Form I-589) to USCIS on or before January 1, 2016, you may receive an interview notice in the mail soon!

Make sure to check your mail regularly for your interview notice. If you have moved, you should update your address with USCIS. Once you receive your interview notice, you may only have a few weeks to prepare for your asylum interview.

You can also check your case status by entering the receipt number for your asylum application on this USCIS website. If the website says that USCIS mailed you an interview notice but you did not receive it, you can call USCIS at 1-800-375-5283 or contact your asylum office.

You can also watch these videos and read these questions and answers to learn more about how to prepare for your asylum interview!

Why is this happening now? 

USCIS recently hired 80 new asylum officers to help with the long wait times for asylum interviews. Congress gave USCIS the funds to hire these officers after years of advocacy by asylum seekers. You can read more about this update in this blog post from another organization.

Please note: 

• If you submitted your asylum application to USCIS after January 1, 2016, this announcement does not apply to you. If you want to ask USCIS to schedule your asylum interview faster, you can read this blog post about your options.
• If you applied for asylum in immigration court, that is a different process and this announcement does not apply to you. Learn more about the immigration court process.

Note: This information is not a substitute for advice from an attorney.