Form I-589Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal

Who May File with USCIS

You may file your affirmative Form I-589 with USCIS if you are not a U.S. citizen, are physically present in the United States, and:

You have never been issued an A-Number; or

You have been issued an A-Number, but you are not currently in Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) proceedings (see below for more information about how to check whether you are in EOIR proceedings); or

You are in removal proceedings and are currently, or were previously determined to be, an "unaccompanied alien child" (UAC).

You may not file your Form I-589 with USCIS if you are currently in EOIR proceedings, unless you are currently, or were previously determined to be, a UAC as defined in 6 U.S.C. § 279(g)(2). You must file your Form I-589 with EOIR if you are currently in proceedings before an EOIR immigration judge or before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and you are not, and were never determined to be, a UAC.

These steps will help you determine whether you are in EOIR proceedings:

Have you been issued an "Alien Number" (A-Number)? The A-Number begins with the letter “A” and is followed by 8 or 9 digits (for example, A123456789). This number is printed on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and EOIR correspondence and documents, including USCIS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) documents.

If you have been issued an A-Number, check whether you are in EOIR proceedings by:

Calling the EOIR Automated Case Information Hotline toll-free in the United States at 800-898-7180 (TDD 800-828-1120) or 304-625-2050 (local toll call); or

Checking the EOIR Automated Case Information online system.

If the EOIR hotline or online system has information regarding your name and next hearing date, then your Form I-862, Notice to Appear (NTA), has been filed and docketed with EOIR, and you are in EOIR proceedings. If you want to apply for asylum, you must file your Form I-589 with EOIR. To locate where to file your Form I-589 with EOIR:

Use the EOIR hotline or online system to locate an address for the immigration court where you must file your Form I-589; or

Find immigration court information on the Department of Justice’s website.

If you are currently in EOIR proceedings, and you were asked to provide your biometric and biographical information to USCIS for your Form I-589 filed with EOIR, please refer to the Instructions for Submitting Certain Applications in Immigration C

See our Filing Instructions Tool to determine whether to file your Form I-589 with USCIS online or by mail.

General Filing Tips for filing Form I-589 by mail:

Review the instructions for eligibility requirements for yourself, spouse, and children.

Use the correct edition of the form. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.

Complete the form in English. This includes explanation fields on the form.

Do not submit passport-style photos, multiple copies of the form, or multiple copies of supporting documentation.

If you already have a Form I-589 pending with USCIS, do not submit another Form I-589. Submitting another Form I-589 will not result in faster processing of your case and may cause additional delays.

Once we have accepted your Form I-589 for processing, do not submit additional correspondence or evidence to the Lockbox or the USCIS Asylum Intake Unit. You must submit these items to the local asylum office where we are processing your case.

Required Form Fields: We may reject your Form I-589 if the following form fields are blank:

Part A.I., Information About You

Complete Last Name (Question 4.)

Residence in the U.S. (where you physically reside) (Question 8.). A complete address includes Street Number and Street Name, City, State, and Zip Code.  Applicants must reside in the United States.

Date of Birth (Question 12.)

Country of Birth (Question 13.)

Part A.II., Information About Your Spouse and Children

If applicable, please ensure the following are completed:

Information About Your Spouse (Questions 1 – 24) and Children (Questions 1 – 21) fields.

If you have more than four children, you must supply information about each additional child on Form I-589, Supplement

A. Use additional copies of the Form I-589 Supplement A as needed to list all of your children.

Part B., Information About Your Application

You must provide a response in at least one box or provide an explanation for:

Questions 1. – 1.B.

You must select No or Yes, and if Yes, provide an explanation for:

Questions 2. – 3.A.

Question 4.

Part C., Additional Information About Your Application

You must select No or Yes, and if Yes, provide an explanation for:

Question 1.

You must provide a response in at least one box or provide an explanation for:

Questions 2.A. and 2.B., or

The Explanation Box under Question 2.B.

You must select No or Yes, and if Yes, provide an explanation for:

Questions 3. – 6.

Part D. Your Signature

Signature of the Applicant (T

You can find the fees for Form I-589 by visiting our Fee Schedule page.

Annual Asylum Fee (AAF):

Public Law 119-21 requires the principal alien with a pending Form I-589 to pay an Annual Asylum Fee (AAF) for each year that the application is pending, in addition to any other fee. The AAF applies to the principal alien only and is in addition to any other fee that may be due. You cannot request a waiver of the AAF. We will send a notice to each alien who must pay the AAF. Notices will include the amount of the fee, and how to pay the fee. We will also send notices to any representatives of these aliens listed on Form G-28.

Once USCIS sends a notice, you should pay the AAF within 30 days. If USCIS issues you an AAF notice, as long as your AAF remains payable, USCIS cannot approve your asylum application.

You must pay the AAF online at my.uscis.gov/accounts/annual-asylum-fee/start/overview. You will need your Alien Registration Number (A-Number) and the Receipt Number at the top of your AAF notice to pay the fee. NOTE: The AAF amount is adjusted each year as required by law.