US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) changed the filing locations for some asylum applications. This change is supposed to make asylum processing smoother and improve the efficiency of decision-making by allowing more filings online. Instead of sending Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, to the service center, individuals can mail it to a lockbox location. The lockbox addresses are on the USCIS Form I-589 website. Use the lockbox address based on your current address. If the form is sent to the service center, it will be accepted until the official change is announced in the Federal Register.
When the completed Form I-589 is received at a lockbox location, two notices will be sent. The first confirms that USCIS received the form and forwarded it to the appropriate party. The second is a standard Form I-589 receipt notice. This notice confirms that USCIS accepted your application. Both will have the same receipt date. This date determines employment authorization eligibility and the one-year filing deadline.
Per instructions on Form I-589, individuals in the following groups must send their asylum application to the Asylum Vetting Center. These categories include:
- Loss of Derivative Status After Asylum Approval but Before Adjustment of Status (Nunc Pro Tunc).
- Loss of Derivative Status After Initial Filing but Before Final Decision.
- Simultaneous Filing as a Principal Applicant and a Derivative Applicant.
- Previously Issued a Final Action by USCIS on a Form I-589; and
- Previously in Immigration Court Proceedings.
Individuals applying for asylum who are not in immigration court proceedings should use online filing unless they are in one of the categories above. It is important to review the “Where to File” and “Special Instructions” sections of Form I-589 before submitting your documents.
A new version of Form I-589, dated 03/01/23, is available. Individuals should use it immediately. From July 31, 2023, only the new version will be accepted. Until then, the form dated 10/12/22 is still acceptable. Please note it is no longer necessary to include a passport-style photo, multiple copies of the form, or multiple copies of supporting documents.
If you have questions about affirmative asylum applications or other immigration-related matters, contact us. We stay updated on the latest changes in US immigration policy and are here to help.