Asylum
Asylum starts with your account, told in order
Most people must apply within one year of arriving, with some exceptions. If you've been here longer, still call.
An asylum case is a story the government can check. We build it over several meetings: what happened, who did it, why it was about who you are, and why you can't go back. Then we find the documents and witnesses that back it up. I explain what to expect at the interview or in court before you get there.
What this covers
Applications with the asylum office
Claims made as a defense in court
Withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture
Work permits while a claim is pending
The evidence file
What we gather besides your own words
A sworn declaration
A sworn statement in your language, translated and read back to you line by line.
Country reports
Public reports that show what's happening where you're from, matched to your facts.
Letters from people who know
Family, neighbors and colleagues who saw what happened, with their identification.
Medical or other evaluations
A clinician's report where injuries or trauma are part of the story.
Questions about an asylum claim
Is it safe to tell you everything?
What you tell me stays between us. I need the whole account, including the parts that are hard to say, because a gap found later can hurt the case more than the fact itself.
What if I missed the one-year deadline?
There are exceptions, such as a change in your country or in your own situation, and other forms of protection that have no such deadline. We look at yours together.
Do I need witnesses?
They help, but many people have none who can come. We look for letters, records and reports that can stand in.
Tell me when you arrived
The date shapes the plan. Send it with a line about your country and I'll reply with times to meet.