The U.S. government requires that applicants demonstrate credible evidence to support their claims. Understanding asylum involves considering the need for personal testimony, corroborating documents, and, in many cases, expert opinions and country condition reports.
An asylum case involves several legal hurdles. To understand the asylum requirements, one must show that they meet the statutory definition of a refugee and that they applied within the required timeframe, unless exceptions apply.
Asylum is a humanitarian form of protection for people who fear persecution in their home country on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Asylum is pursued either affirmatively with USCIS or defensively in immigration court. Success depends on a credible, consistent personal narrative supported by corroborating evidence and country-condition proof.
Core legal elements
- Protected ground: persecution must be linked to one of the five statutory grounds.
- Persecution or well-founded fear: show past persecution or a real chance of future persecution.
- Government involvement or inability to protect: necessary when persecution is by non-state actors.
- One-year rule: file I-589 within one year of entry unless a statutory exception applies.
Evidence to assemble
- Detailed sworn declaration and witness statements.
- Medical/police records, photos, messages, and other contemporaneous evidence.
- Country-condition reports and expert declarations linking personal risk to broader patterns.
We prepare declarations, collect records, craft country-condition packets, represent clients at interviews/hearings, and litigate appeals and emergency motions. Contact us for a focused intake if you or a client fears return to their home country.