It is not a gainsaying to say that the world is in turmoil at the moment. From the crisis in Ukraine to the Syrian war and the movement of ISIL in Iraq to the Boko Haram onslaught in Nigeria, there is no region in the world that is completely safe.

The natural effect of the situation all around the world is that people will continue to look for a place to seek refuge all around the world. All the civilized countries of the world will be at the receiving end of these immigrants seeking refuge from persecution and war.

According to the UNHCR, in the past three years, there has been a tremendous increase in application for asylum all over the world. According to the report about 28% increase has been recorded across board. “In 2013, the number of individuals requesting refugee or asylum status in the 44 industrialized countries covered by this report increased by 28 percent compared to 2012. An estimated 612,700 asylum applications were recorded in the course of the year, some 133,000 claims more than the year before. This is the third consecutive annual increase and the second highest annual level of the past 20 years. Only in 2001 were more asylum applications registered among the group of 44 countries. Some 30 countries out of the 44 included in this report reported a rise in asylum applicants during the year which can primarily be attributed to an increase in Syrian and

Russian asylum applications. This increase notwithstanding, the last quarter of 2013 followed the seasonal patterns observed in most years whereby asylum claims drop significantly towards the end of the year.”

The United States came 2^nd to Germany in the latest report of the countries with the highest asylum seekers.

All immigrants in the United States from these troubled spots must consider seeking asylum as a form of relief from deportation.

Asylum is a form of relief that an immigrant who has suffered past persecution and who has the fear of future persecution on the ground of his or her religious belief, political opinion, race or membership of a particular social group could seek. It is not that easy to be granted asylum particularly when it comes to immigrants from countries where such persecutions are not apparent, but this process could be a stepping stone to other possible relief before the court in case the asylum case is weak. It is also imperative to note that you cannot file a frivolous action before the court.

It is required that you file your application for asylum within a year of entry into the United States otherwise, you will need to show a “change in circumstances” and other reasons why you are filing late for your application to be acceptable.

Some immigrants have lived in the United States for over 10years, they have children and are qualified for another form of relief called “cancellation of removal”. This relief can only be obtained before the court; therefore, starting with asylum will place you before the court. Once before the court, your attorney could apply for this second relief of cancellation of removal as an alternative to your asylum application. This might give you a clear path to permanent resident status after one year of approval.

Any immigrant without any criminal record who meets the requirements of the law should try this route to permanent resident status since there are no new laws being passed. This might be a save route in view of the favorable exercise of prosecutorial discretion program that is ongoing. It simply means that an immigrant could take a prosecutorial discretion and terminate proceedings if things turn out badly along the way.  

Please be forewarned that this is not a legal advice and it is important that you consult with a qualified immigration attorney before you take any steps.

USI News will continue to look for avenues to get any information that could help our readers. I want to encourage all our readers to read every issue of the USI News.

This article is for your information only; it is not a legal advice. If you need any further clarification or If you have any question, please feel free to contact Attorney Famuyide at 718-647-6767 or send email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

                                                                                    USI News

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