After asylum is granted

1. Keep the papers that show your asylum grant

   Keep the decision letter and your I-94 marked for asylum. If a judge or the BIA granted asylum, the marked I-94 usually comes by mail once the decision is final.

2. You can work right away

   You don't need a card to work. For the employer's form I-9 you can show the I-94 with another document, such as a state driver's license.

3. Get the card if USCIS granted asylum

   If USCIS granted asylum, the card comes by mail for free, with no form I-765. If it hasn't come in 90 days, contact the USCIS Contact Center; its phone line answers only in English and Spanish, so if you speak no English, ask a lawyer for help.

4. File Form I-765 if a judge granted asylum

   After a judge's decision no card comes by itself. File form I-765 under category (a)(5): the first card is free, renewals and replacements are not.

5. If you have no asylum document

   Wait at least 45 days after the judge's or BIA's decision becomes final, then tell the USCIS Contact Center that the document hasn't come; its phone line answers only in English and Spanish, so if you speak no English, ask a lawyer for help.

6. Report your address within 10 days

   Report a new address to USCIS within 10 days, best online.

The asylee files form I-730; relatives can be abroad.

1. Check whom you can include

   A spouse and unmarried children under 21, and in some cases children over 21.

2. Meet the two-year deadline

   Within 2 years of the grant; it can be extended for humanitarian reasons.

3. There is no fee

   Form I-730 is free.

4. Collect the evidence

   Proof of your status (I-94, judge's decision, work permit card and so on), a photo of each relative, a copy of the relative's I-94 if they are in the US, proof of the relationship (marriage and birth certificates) and certified translations.

5. Mail the form

   Use the January 20, 2025 edition and the Phoenix Lockbox address.

6. Wait for your relatives to be called

   Relatives abroad are interviewed at USCIS international offices or through the State Department: the National Visa Center sends the case to an embassy or consulate. Asylum offices don't handle I-730 questions; the USCIS Contact Center does.

• USCIS Phoenix Lockbox, the mail-in processing address for Form I-730

  Granted asylum

  By regular mail: USCIS, Attn: I-730, P.O. Box 20018, Phoenix, AZ 85036-0018. By courier (FedEx, UPS, DHL): USCIS, Attn: I-730 (Box 20018), 2108 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284-1806.

  uscis.govUSCIS, Attn: I-730, P.O. Box 20018, Phoenix, AZ 85036-0018

Without the right document you may not be let back in.

1. Wait for one year

   You can apply for a green card once you have been in the US for a year since the grant; the year is checked on the day of the decision. You can file earlier, but USCIS may ask for more documents and take longer.

2. Use the right edition of Form I-485

   Use the September 18, 2026 edition of I-485: other editions sent on or after September 18, 2026 are rejected. Filing addresses changed on October 7, 2026; forms postmarked by November 9, 2026 to the old addresses are still accepted.

3. Attach the documents

   Proof of the asylum grant, proof of a year in the US, two photos, a copy of your ID, birth certificate, passport pages and, if needed, certified police or court records. For family members, proof of the relationship.

4. Take the medical exam

   If an exam is required, the I-693 report is filed with the I-485.

5. File Form I-602 if needed

   If you may be found inadmissible, file form I-602 (a waiver request).

6. File a separate packet for each family member

   Each family member files their own package.

7. Keep other forms out of the same envelope

   Don't put an I-765 or I-131 in the same envelope as the I-485.

8. Check the fee

   Under the Fee Schedule (Form G-1055, edition of October 26, 2026) an adult pays $1,440 on paper or $1,390 online, and a child under 14 filing with a parent pays $950 or $900. You can ask to waive the fee with Form I-912.

• Admission to the US is not guaranteed

  Granted asylum

  Get the refugee travel document before you leave, allowing time for processing. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) makes the final call on letting you in.

  uscis.gov

• BIA decision of August 13, 2026 (Matter of Delcarmen-Lara)

  Asylum applicants

  The BIA held that leaving the US on advance parole counts as a departure for the unlawful presence bar. If you spent more than 180 days in the US without lawful status before the trip, you may be found inadmissible when you come back. Talk to a lawyer or accredited representative before any trip.

  uscis.gov

• A trip to the country where you faced persecution

  Granted asylum

  According to USCIS, an asylee who travels to the country where they faced persecution may be asked why they could go back and, in some cases, face proceedings to end their asylum, even after getting a green card. While an asylum application is pending, such a trip is treated as abandoning it unless you show compelling reasons. Talk to a lawyer or accredited representative before any such trip.

  uscis.gov