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Free immigration tool · New York
Asylum protects people who were persecuted, or fear persecution, because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. The screener mirrors what an asylum officer or immigration judge has to decide.
Free tool · Santos Khoury Law
Five confidential questions covering the core requirements, the one-year deadline, and the common bars.
100% confidential. Runs in your browser, nothing is stored or sent.
The one-year deadline and the details of your story can make or break an asylum case. Get a professional assessment before you file Form I-589, in your language.
Disclaimer: Asylum eligibility depends on the specific facts of your case, current case law in your circuit, and how your claim is documented and argued. This tool provides general information only and is not legal advice. Using it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Santos Khoury Law.
How it works in New York
Affirmative asylum interviews for New York residents are scheduled through the New York Asylum Office in Bethpage, where waits of several years are common. Cases referred to court land at 26 Federal Plaza or Varick Street, with among the longest dockets in the nation. Both paths reward early, complete preparation.
Referred and defensive cases are heard at the New York City (Broadway), New York City (Varick) immigration courts, an estimated 195,000 pending cases. A complete application filed early is the strongest lever you control.
New York immigration facts
New York City (Broadway) Immigration Court
26 Federal Plaza, Room 1237, New York, NY 10278
Est. wait 4.5 yrs · 35 judges · Pending 130,000
New York City (Varick) Immigration Court
201 Varick St, Suite 1130, New York, NY 10014
Est. wait 4.2 yrs · 18 judges · Pending 65,000
Wait times and pending-case figures are estimates; confirm your hearing with your A-number through EOIR.
People arrested by ICE in New York City are often processed at 26 Federal Plaza and moved within days to Delaney Hall or Elizabeth in New Jersey, to Batavia in western New York, or out of state. Locating them quickly is the first job.
Affirmative asylum interviews for New York residents are generally scheduled through the New York Asylum Office (Bethpage, NY).
USCIS field offices serving New York: New York City (Manhattan), Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island (Holtsville), Buffalo, Albany.
Our attorneys are admitted in New York and appear at the New York City immigration courts at 26 Federal Plaza and Varick Street, in person and by video.
Languages: English · Español · Português · العربية · Français · Hours: 24/7
Common questions
You generally must file Form I-589 within one year of your last arrival in the United States. Exceptions exist for changed circumstances (new danger, a new law, a change in your status) and extraordinary circumstances (serious illness, being a minor, ineffective counsel). Withholding of removal and CAT protection have no deadline.
You can apply for a work permit after your application has been pending for 150 days, subject to the 180-day asylum clock. Delays you cause can stop the clock.
Harm by a group the government cannot or will not control can qualify, but you must tie it to a protected ground and show the state failed to protect you. These cases turn on how the claim is framed and documented.
You can file alone, but represented applicants win far more often. The declaration, the country-conditions evidence, and the legal theory of the case are where cases are won or lost.
Affirmative interviews for New York residents are generally scheduled through the New York Asylum Office in Bethpage, NY. If the case is referred, it goes to the New York City (Broadway), New York City (Varick) immigration courts.
You receive a receipt, then biometrics, then an interview notice; the wait can be years. After 150 days pending you can apply for a work permit. Keep your address current with USCIS so notices reach you.
Have a different question? Call (866) 369-0220
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Free and confidential
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