Application for Asylum and Withholding of Removal

Application for Asylum and Withholding of Removal

[I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal]

IMPORTANT: Information on this site may be outdated. For up-to-date instructions and filing fees check always with the USCIS site:
http://www.uscis.gov/forms

Purpose of Form :

This form is used to apply for asylum in the United States and for withholding of removal (formerly called “withholding of deportation”). You may file for asylum if you are physically in the United States and you are not a United States citizen.
Number of Pages :

24

Edition Date :

12/14/06. Prior versions acceptable.

Where to File :

Please see Special Instructions

Filing Fee :

$0.00

Special Instructions :

Note on Filing Fee :

None, although a separate $70 fee for biometrics services may be required.

Note on Where to File :

Asylum applications should be sent to Service Centers, depending on where the applicant resides in the United States.

If your reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Puerto Rico, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virgin Islands, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, or the Western Pennsylvania counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Somerset, Venango, Warren, Washington, and Westmoreland, file your application with the Texas Service Center.

If you reside in Arizona, the California counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, or Ventura, Guam, Hawaii or the Nevada counties of Clark, Esmerelda, Nye or Lincoln, file your application with the California Service Center.

If you reside in Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, or a county in California or Nevada which is not listed above, file your application with the Nebraska Service Center.

If you reside in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, or a county in Pennsylvania which is not listed above, file your application with the Vermont Service Center, marked Attention: Asylum.

If you are currently in Immigration Court: You must file your I-589 with the Immigration Court having jurisdiction over your case.

Download I-589 (437KB PDF)
Download Instructions for I-589 (117KB PDF)

Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
OMB No. 1615-0067; Expires 12/31/07
I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal
See Instructions

Additional Information on Websites:

Additional information concerning asylum and withholding of removal is available on the following websites: Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): http://www.uscis.gov and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR): http//www.usdoj.gov/eoir.

WARNING: Applicants in the United States illegally are subject to removal if their asylum or withholding claims are not granted by an asylum officer or an immigration judge. Any information provided in completing this application may be used as a basis for the institution of, or as evidence in, removal proceedings, even if the application is later withdrawn.

Applicants determined to have knowingly made a frivolous application for asylum will be permanently ineligible for any benefits under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). You may not avoid a frivolous finding simply because someone advised you to provide false information in your asylum application.

If filing with USCIS, unexcused failure to appear for an appointment or to provide biometrics (such as fingerprints) and other biographical information within the time allowed may delay eligibility for employment authorization and result in an asylum officer dismissing your asylum application or referring it to an immigration judge. Applicants and eligible dependents in removal proceedings who fail without good cause to provide DHS with their biometrics or their biographical information as required within the time allowed may have their applications found abandoned by the immigration judge. See sections 208(d)(5)(A) and 208(d)(6) of the INA and 8 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) sections 208.10, 1208.10, 208.20, 1003.47(d) and 1208.20.