Information on Form I-589 Intake and Processing Delays

USCIS is currently experiencing delays in issuing receipts for Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal. Due to these delays, you may not receive a receipt notice in a timely manner after you properly file your Form I-589. For purposes of the asylum one-year filing deadline, affirmative asylum interview scheduling priorities, and Employment Authorization Document eligibility based on a pending asylum application, your filing date will still be the date that we received your properly filed Form I-589 (not the date we processed it). If you did not properly file your application, we will reject it and note any deficiencies in your filing. If you do not receive your receipt notice in a timely manner, please do not submit multiple Forms I-589, as this may further delay your case.

Properly filing your Form I-589 allows us to process your form with fewer delays. Please review the reminders below to ensure you are properly filing your Form I-589:

• You must submit your application for asylum within one year of arriving in the United States (one-year filing deadline), unless you can establish that there are changed circumstances that materially affect your eligibility for asylum or extraordinary circumstances directly related to your failure to file within one year.
• You must type or print all of your answers in black ink.
• You must provide the specific information requested about you and your family and answer all the questions on the form. If any question does not apply to you or you do not know the information requested, answer “none,” “not applicable,” or “unknown.”
• If you file your application with missing information, we may return it to you as incomplete.
• You are strongly urged to attach additional written statements and documents that support your claim. Your written statements should include events, dates, and details of your experiences that relate to your claim for asylum.
• Put your Alien Registration Number (A-Number), if you have one, your name (exactly as it appears in Part A.I. of the form), the date, and your signature on each supplemental sheet and on the cover page of any supporting documents.
• Follow the instructions in the Where to File section and the Special Instructions section on the Form I-589 webpage to determine where to file your Form I-589.
• If you are applying for asylum as an Afghan Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) parolee, please review the Afghan Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) Parolee Asylum-Related Frequently Asked Questions page.

Please note: Do not submit any Forms I-589 to the Vermont Service Center (VSC). The VSC is not currently processing Form I-589 and submitting your Form I-589 to the VSC will result in additional delays.

We continue to experience receipt issuance delays in other workloads across some service centers. We are diligently working to reduce these delays in all USCIS form types and are committed to providing receipt notices in a timely manner.