VIAA Asylum Program

VIAA’s asylum program is one of the cornerstones of VIAA’s work and programs. VIAA is one of the primary organizations in Vermont offering legal services to individuals in need of protection from persecution in their home country through applying for asylum here in the US.

What is Asylum?

Asylum is legal protection granted to individuals who are in the United States and unable or unwilling to return to their home country because of past persecution or a well founded fear of future persecution on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership in particular social group or political opinion.

The law states that individuals interested in applying for asylum must do so before being in the United States for ONE YEAR (there are exceptions to this deadline).

An asylum applicant has a much better chance of winning asylum if they are represented by an attorney or accredited representative. Asylum is a complicated process and it is easy to make simple mistakes that could lead to a denial of an asylum request. If you know someone who needs to apply for asylum – encourage them to seek legal help and have them call VIAA!!

An application for asylum must be made when the person is in the United States. The application can be submitted to Citizenship and Immigration Services, but if the person is in removal proceedings (immigration court), they can still submit a claim for asylum to the immigration judge. A denial of asylum can be appealed to the Board of immigration Appeals as well as to the relevant Circuit Court of Appeal.

Benefits of Asylum

Individuals who are granted asylum are provided protection from being returned back to persecution, they are able to work, bring their spouse and minor children and can travel outside the U.S. They also can apply for permanent residence (green card) after one year and eventually can apply for U.S. citizenship.

VIAA and Asylum

VIAA staff has decades of combined experience in asylum law and representing asylum cases and have been quite successful in representing these cases before the Newark Asylum Office. VIAA staff also provides legal assistance in Vermont-based defensive asylum cases (in Boston immigration court) in partnership with attorneys in Boston.