Asylum Backlog, Decision Delays And Follow Up
Author: New York Asylum attorney Alena Shautsova
Asylum cases that were filed before January 2018 may be pending for a very, very long time: years. At times, a person appears for an interview, but the decision is taking much longer than the usual two weeks.
If you need to submit additional evidence before your interview, in New York, new materials can be submitted before the interview or with the front desk on the morning of the interview during the check-in. The officer should be able to review the materials before the interview. In Newark, materials that voluminous must be delivered to the office in advance. Your asylum application receipt notice will indicate which office has jurisdiction over your case. The New York Office hears cases for residents of the following counties in New York: Dutchess, Kings (Brooklyn), Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester. If you reside in Manhattan and the Bronx, the case will be heard in New Jersey Asylum Office.
Naturally, people would like to follow up on the status of their cases. However, unlike in regular Immigration cases, USCIS customer service would not reveal any information about an asylum case via phone or even by mail. To follow up on the case in New York, Bethpage Asylum office, a person will have to walk into the office from Monday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. Attorneys may contact the office via email or mail.
Asylum interview expedites requests may be granted in true medical or emergencies or if a requester may demonstrate severe family hardship. Some Asylum offices have an expedited list and a shortlist. A short notice list means that a case will be called for an interview on short notice if a slot becomes available. An attorney may request for a case to be placed on such a list. Such shortlists exist in Chicago, Boston, Miami, Newark, New Orleans, San Francisco.
It is impossible to accurately predict when a person will be called for an interview. All those “knowing” and “having reliable Information” about the specific cases are likely to mislead you. There are cases that were filed in 2016 and were called for interviews, and there are cases that were filed in the same year and were not called. Each case is different, and you have to be patient. You may, if you qualify, try to submit a request to expedite the case, but those requests are granted rarely.