The Seattle area is home to thousands of asylees. The Seattle immigration attorneys at Genesis Law Firm are well acquainted with not only the asylum process, but the steps that should be taken after asylum is granted; namely, applying for Adjustment of Status (“AOS”) on the basis of asylum. This application enables the asylee to apply for her green card. The AOS application is sometimes called the “green card application.”
An asylee cannot apply for AOS until she has been physically present in the United States for at least one year after receiving asylum. Also, the asylee must still qualify for asylum at the time she applies for AOS. For instance, if the basis of her asylum application was that she had a well-founded fear of political persecution in her home country, she would likely not qualify for asylum at the AOS-stage if she has taken trips back to her home country since being granted asylum.
If the asylee has committed a crime since being granted asylum, she should be especially careful about applying for AOS. Certain crimes lead to ineligibility to AOS, and can land an unsuspecting asylee in Immigration Court removal proceedings. If this is the case, the asylee should seek the advice of a Seattle immigration lawyer, who will determine if she should apply for AOS, and handle the complex waiver that may be required.
In normal AOS applications, a medical examination must be conducted by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon and the results must be submitted along with the AOS application in a sealed envelope. In the case of AOS for asylees, the medical examination is also required; however, the medical examination results may be submitted to USCIS when the AOS application is adjudicated. In any event, the medical examination is required.
For additional information on AOS for asylees, please speak with one of our Bellevue immigration attorneys.