WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS ASYLUM SUPPORT NETWORK
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FACTS ABOUT THE ASYLUM PROCESS

  • Those who get out of detention are here legally while they wait for their hearing
  • Asylum seekers do not qualify for government funding or housing assistance
  • By the time they arrive, most have no or little financial resources as the journey is costly and dangerous. Hence, when they arrive they are starting a life completely from scratch.
  • They are not eligible to attain a driver’s license until they have a social security number / won their case / or have been in the US for 150 days
  • An asylum applicant must wait 150 days after their asylum application is filed in Court before even applying for a work permit.  It then takes U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 2 to 8 months to adjudicate the application.
  • Asylum seekers do not qualify for work permits until they have won their case or at least 365 days have passed without a decision (this number will hopefully change soon).
  • Most applicants are required to wear GPS-tracking anklets after they are released from detention for  many months
  • ​Percentage of asylum seekers who win their cases in Immigration Court:  28.4%
  • Percentage of asylum seekers who win their cases without an attorney:  17.7%
  • Percentage of asylum seekers who win their cases with an attorney:  31.1%
  • Top three countries with people seeking asylum, with percent granted asylum :  Guatemala - 14.2%; El Salvador - 18.1%; and Honduras - 12.7%​


​The Western Massachusetts Asylum Support Network is a fiscally sponsored project of the Peace Development Fund
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    • About the Asylum Process
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