Bars to Receiving Asylum or Refugee Status
An applicant can be barred from a grant of asylum in the United States regardless of whether he or she has been persecuted, fears future persecution, or otherwise meets the basic criteria for asylum. Other elements of the person's background, such as criminal conviction, persecution of others, and more, can act as a bar to eligibility. Learn more about these bars, and which can be overcome, here.
Dealing With Bars to an Asylum or Refugee Grant
Dealing With Bars to an Asylum or Refugee Grant
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Bars to Receiving Asylum or Refugee Status
Persecutors of others, threats to U.S. security, people firmly resettled in a third country, and others who are not eligible as asylees or refugees.
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Getting a Waiver for Fraud or Other Crimes When Applying for Asylum
Even if you fall into a ground of inadmissibility, a "waiver," or legal forgiveness may allow you to go forward with your asylum application.
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How USCIS Spots Fraud in an Asylum Application
Avoid having a finding of a frivolous asylum application on your immigration record.
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Lived in Another Country? When Being Firmly Resettled Bars Your Right to Asylum in the U.S.
A person is barred from receiving asylum in the U.S. if an immigration judge or asylum officer finds that he or she was already firmly resettled or has a right to residence in another country.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bars to Asylum Eligibility
Frequently Asked Questions About Bars to Asylum Eligibility
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Can I Apply for Asylum With a Criminal Record?
Types of criminal convictions or findings that may bar an applicant from receiving asylum.
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Can I Apply for Asylum After Sneaking Off Ship Where I Was a Crew Member
So long as your entry into the U.S. was not in your official status as a crewmember, you should be able to apply for asylum.
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Can I apply for asylum if a family petition has been filed for me?
A family petition is not a bar to applying for asylum, but make sure the asylum claim truly has merit.
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I Waited Too Long to Apply for Asylum in the United States: Can I Apply for Asylum in Canada?
The Safe Third Country Agreement between the U.S. and Canada says that (with some exceptions) you can apply for asylum only in the first country you arrived in.
Talk to an Asylum attorney.
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