| The Affirmative Interview
Warning:
It is strongly recommended that you have a legal representative
accompany you to the interview, although you may go alone. RIF can
help you find representation.
About 4-8 weeks after you send your application to Vermont, you
will receive an interview notice.
If you live in Queens, Staten Island, or Brooklyn, the interview will take place
in the Asylum Office in Rosedale, Queens.
If you live in Manhattan or the Bronx, your interview will
be in Newark, New Jersey.
Addresses and directions to these offices:
New York Asylum Office
One Cross Island Plaza, 3rd Floor
Rosedale, NY 11422
Public Transportation
- E, J and Z subways to Archer Avenue and Parsons Blvd
in Jamaica; then take the Q5 or N4 bus to 1 Cross Island Plaza
(at the corner of Brookville Blvd and Merrick Blvd.
- Take the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to the Rosedale
Station; Exit on Francis Lewis Blvd and walk north to 241st
Street. Turn right at 241st Street and walk straight to 1 Cross
Island Plaza, approximately 15 minutes.
By Car
- From Grand Central Parkway East to Exit 23 South Cross
Island Parkway – Continue south to the Belt Parkway and continue
West to Merrick Blvd exit. Drive parallel to the parkway to the
first traffic light and turn left. Two more blocks to 1 Cross
Island Plaza, which is on the left.
- From Brooklyn: take the Belt Parkway East to Exit 23
Sunrise Highway/Brookville Blvd. Make a left turn at the first
light and proceed straight down Brookville Blvd until you reach
Merrick Blvd. Make a right turn and the asylum office is on the
left.
- From Eastern Long Island: Take Southern State Parkway
West. When the parkway divides between Belt Parkway and Cross
Island, keep left and continue on the Belt. Exit at Merrick
Blvd, first exit after the split, and follow the directions
above.
Newark Asylum Office
1200 Wall Street West 4th Floor
Lyndhurst, New Jersey 07071
By Bus
Both New Jersey Transit and De Camp bus lines serve the area out
of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Manhattan. New Jersey Transit
bus numbers are #191/#192 and De Camp bus numbers are #32, #44 and
#99. Contact New Jersey Transit and De Camp for current schedules.
By Train
PATH service can be taken from Manhattan to the Harrison stop
where a taxi can be taken. The cost would be approximately $12 to
$15.
By Car
- From the New Jersey Turnpike: Take Exit 16w. Follow
signs for Route 3 West. Take Route 3 West and then get off at
the exit marked Route 17 South Lyndhurst. Make a left on to
Polito Avenue at the Quality Inn. Make a left on to Wall Street
West. Third building on the right.
- From the Garden State Parkway: Take exit 153 to Route
3 East. Take the Route 17 South Lyndhurst Exit. Continue through
the light. Make a left at the second light (Medieval Times
Castle on right) on to Wall Street West.
Each asylum officer has a different approach to interviewing so
it’s difficult to say exactly what the interview will be like.
However, all officers will ask you your basic information: date of
birth, place of birth, your address, your marital status, when you
came to the United States, etc.
After reviewing your basic information, officers will want to
discuss your reason for applying for asylum. Some officers will ask
you many specific questions and some will ask you fewer and more
general questions. It’s important to review your application, even
if you think you remember everything perfectly, before the
interview.
Translators
You need to provide your own translator. It is CRITICAL that you
review your application with your translator before the day of the
interview, preferably with your attorney. You want to try to
minimize the amount lost in translation, which, unfortunately, can
be a lot. The better your translator knows the details of your
applications before the interview, the less room there is for error.
You also have to make sure that your translator speaks good English
so that he or she can really express what you are trying to say.
After the Interview
At the end of your interview, the immigration officer will give
you a letter telling you to come back to the office in 10 days to
pick up the decision letter.
Grant of Asylum
The best thing that can happen is that you are granted asylum.
This means you have won your case! At this point you are eligible to
work legally in the United States and travel (however you cannot
travel to your country of origin, and it is advisable to speak with
your lawyer about any travel plan).
Conditional Grant of Asylum
This means that the asylum officer wants to grant your case but
he or she has to wait for your background check to clear. If you get
a conditional grant, it could take as little as a few weeks or as
long as many months to get the final approval.
Referred to Immigration Court
If your asylum application is not granted, the asylum office will
refer your case to immigration court, meaning that an immigration
judge will decide whether or not to approve your asylum case. The
asylum office CANNOT deny your case, it can only refer it to court.
In the letter that you will get, the asylum office will provide the
reasons why your case is referred to court. (It is very important
that you keep this letter).
In 2005, 50% of asylum cases were referred to immigration court. |
