Submitting Additional Evidence for Your Asylum Case
You can submit different types of evidence to support your asylum case. This is usually a good idea, but it is not required. It is possible to win asylum based only on your own testimony during your immigration court hearing or your asylum interview.
The evidence that you submit should answer these five key questions:
- What was the harm you suffered in your country of origin, or what harm do you fear you may suffer if you have to go back to your country of origin?
- Who harmed you, or who would want to harm you? If you do not know for sure, who do you think it was?
- Why were you, or why will you be, a target for harm in your country of origin?
- Why are you not able to seek help or protection from the police or the government of your country of origin?
- Is there a safe place inside your country of origin where you can live?
You can watch this video in multiple languages that can help you think about these questions and prepare your asylum case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh5hyRsX6K4&t=220s
Here are some examples of evidence you can submit. However, every case is different! This list is not meant to be complete, and the examples will not apply in every case.
- A written declaration, describing any harm you suffered in the past, who harmed you, why they harmed you, whether you tried to get help from the police or the government of your country of origin, whether there is a safe place inside your country of origin that you can move to, and what you think might happen to you if you were to return to your country of origin.
- Identity documents, like your passport, birth certificate, and marriage certificate.
- Police reports, if you made a report to the police about the harm you suffered.
- Medical reports, showing any physical injuries you may have suffered.
- Mental health evaluation, showing any mental harm you may have suffered.
- Newspaper or magazine articles about the issues that make you afraid to return to your country of origin, or articles about bad things that happened to people who are similar to you in your country of origin.
- Letters or declarations from people who know about what happened to you in your country of origin.
- Photographs that show parts of your story. For example, photos can show any harm you suffered, or your participation in a group or activity, if you believe your participation in the group or activity makes you a target for harm.
- Text messages, Facebook messages, or any other written communication that contain threats made against you.
- Membership cards or other official documents from a group, if you believe your membership in the group is making you a target for harm.
- News articles or reports from national or international human rights organizations about the situation that you have fled from.
Other tips:
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If any of the evidence is not in English, you will also need to include a translation and a certificate of translation.
- Example certificate of translation: https://help.asylumadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Certificate-of-Translation-TEMPLATE.pdf
- Do not submit any fake or forged documents. Submitting fake documents can have bad consequences for your case. If you cannot get certain evidence, or getting it will put you or someone else in danger, then you can explain to the immigration judge or asylum officer why you could not get that evidence.
When do I need to submit supporting evidence?
You do not have to submit supporting evidence at the same time as your asylum application (Form I-589). Instead, you can wait until you are closer to your individual hearing in immigration court, or your USCIS asylum interview.
If you have a case in immigration court, you first need to submit your asylum application. Then, once your individual hearing is scheduled, you will need to submit additional evidence. The immigration judge should give you a deadline for submitting the evidence, usually at least 15 days before the individual hearing.
If you apply for asylum with USCIS, you will be scheduled for an interview in an asylum office after you submit your asylum application.
- You will need to submit your additional evidence before your interview, usually at least one week before your asylum interview. It should be sent directly to the asylum office where you will have the interview.
- You should read your asylum interview notice and follow the instructions.
- Example asylum interview notice: https://help.asylumadvocacy.org/asylum-interview-notice/
- You can also bring additional evidence with you to your asylum interview. You can contact your local asylum office for more detailed instructions.
- Contact information for local asylum offices: https://egov.uscis.gov/office-locator/#/
Can I submit evidence in my own language?
Yes. You can submit evidence in a language other than English, but you will also need to include a translation into English and a certificate of translation.
Example certificate of translation: https://help.asylumadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Certificate-of-Translation-TEMPLATE.pdf
This resource was created by the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP) and edited by Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative (I-ARC). You can view the original resource and any updates on ASAP’s website here: https://help.asylumadvocacy.org/faqs-asylum-application/
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