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REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT PROGRAM Thank you for taking an asylum case through the Refugee & Immigrant Programs Refugee and Asylum Project of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. We request that you keep us informed of the progress of your case. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the submission (paper and/or computer disk saved in DOS, ASCII or WordPerfect 6.0). Please notify us when you receive a notice of your client's interview. At that time we will check our files to see if we have any updated country information. Please keep track of the hours you spend on the case and any expenses you or your firm donate in photocopying, postage, etc. We would appreciate it if you would provide us with a summary of the hours worked and expenses paid on an annual basis and at the conclusion of your client's case.
The original and two copies of the following materials should be submitted to the Immigration Judge:
A. Affidavit of client (Exhibit A); B. Copy of passport (cover to cover), if available; C. Copy of any U.S. Immigration Records (I-94, etc.); D. Copy of birth certificate or other identification documents (with translation), if available; E. Evidence proving family relationship and translations if applicable such as birth certificates for children of client, marriage certificate for spouse of client, or affidavit from at least one person with knowledge of event proving relationship. F. Supporting documents, including articles, affidavits of witnesses or experts, human rights reports compiled by the State Department, Amnesty International, etc. Be sure to highlight relevant paragraphs. All materials should be two-hole punched at the top of the page. Exhibits should be tabbed (A, B, C, D, etc.) at the bottom of the page unless the Judge requested otherwise.
Executive Office for Immigration Review Note that if you have one of the Chicago judges, you may be required to send correspondence to: Executive Office for Immigration Review The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a branch of the Department of Justice. It is not part of the INS, which is a separate branch of the Department of Justice.
1. Copy of the asylum documents submitted to the Immigration Judge; 2. Two ADIT photos.
Office of District Counsel
You must send a change of address form to the Judge's office and to the INS.
It is advisable to review the INS file on your client as soon as possible. To do so, send the Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request (Form G-639) and Affidavit of Identity, accompanied by a copy of the G-28, to: FOIA Officer The request should be accompanied by a cover letter requesting that the file relating to your client's case (including the asylum officers notes if your client had an asylum interview) be made available for your review at the Bloomington INS office. 5 U.S.C. sec. 552, 8 C.F.R. sec. 103.10, and 28 C.F.R. secs. 16.5(c ) and 16.8 require the INS to make a substantive response to the FOIA request within 10 business days of receipt.
An asylum applicant can only get their fingerprints at an INS Application Support Center (ASC) with a notice of an appointment from the INS. The ASC for the INS in Bloomington has not opened as of June 1998. Thus, an asylum applicant will receive a notice for an appointment to have their fingerprints taken at the Bloomington INS office from the INS (usually at the Master Calendar Hearing). It is essential that your client shows up for their appointment. The INS has stated that failure to appear for an appointment for fingerprints may result in an ineligibility for asylum and delay eligibility for work authorization.
Photographs can be obtained from the International Institute. They have a branch right in the INS Bloomington office. They can also be obtained at the International Institute Office, 1694 Como Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55404. Telephone: 647-0191
You may not submit a Request for Employment Authorization until 150 days following receipt of your client's Asylum Application by the INS. It is currently taking the INS 60-90 days to process the Request for Employment Authorization. If your client has not received a decision within 30 days of receipt by the INS of the Request for Employment Authorization, your client should make inquiries at the Bloomington INS office. Send: Send to:
Send: Send to: INS address in Lincoln (see above) If your client has not received a decision within 90 days of receipt by the INS of the Request for Employment Authorization, your client should make inquiries at the Bloomington INS office.
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service To order INS forms, call 1-800-870-3676. It usually takes two to three weeks to receive the forms. Immigration Court Information System: Call 800-898-7180 for information regarding the status of a case. Have your clients A number accessible when you call.
Current and back issues of State Department Country Reports, Human Rights Watch Annual Report, Critique of State Department Country Reports, Freedom House Annual Report and Amnesty International Annual Report. We try to maintain files on every country, although we have more current information on some countries than on others. We also have United Nations reports on various topics.
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