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What kind of documents and/or evidence do you
need? Note: While you are trying to select a lawyer to
represent you (and sometimes it takes time), you can already start
working on getting the evidence you will need for your case. Getting
these documents can also take a lot of time as it may be difficult
to get them from your country. The earlier you start, the better.
Your attorney will advise you and help you prepare the supporting
materials needed for your asylum claim.
Documents required:
- Your passport, including your I-94 card and visa to
enter the country (if applicable)
(If you entered the United States without a visa, you must be
able to provide other forms of evidence to prove that you are
applying within one year. For example, if you can get sworn
statements from people who you stayed with when you arrived, or
from people back home who knew when you left, that will help
prove when you arrived in the USA.)
- Your birth certificate
- Your marriage certificate
- Your children’s birth certificates
- Your affidavit – it is critical that you write a statement,
separate from the answers that you provide on the I-589, detailing
your experiences. An affidavit is simply another word for a sworn
statement.
- Documents that show that you are a member of the group for which
you were persecuted or fear persecution (examples: membership card in a political organization
or membership card for any social groups
you were a member of)
- Documents that show you were
persecuted, such as:
- threatening letters you may have received
- any police records
- letters from your friends and family in support of your
application – if anyone knows about what happened to you, they can
write a sworn statement in support of your case. The letters must be
AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE.
- medical reports: if you received any treatment in your home
country, you should get those medical records and/or a letter from
the people who treated you. If you have any scars or physical
impairments due to the mistreatment, you should be examined by a
doctor from an organization here in the United States. The RIF
Center can help you with this process.
NOTE: It is important to show how you obtained those documents.
So save
envelopes with stamps, cover letters from faxes with the date…etc
You can also find reports about political conditions
in your country on the following websites:
and in many other
newspapers (such as the
New York Times) and other news sources (such as the
BBC).
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