Green Cards for Asylees   When to apply Q: When can an asylee apply for a green card? A: An asylee - a person who has received a final grant of asylum - is eligible to file an application for a green card on Form I-485 after she has been physically present in the United States for one year following a grant of asylum. [back to top] Waiting list for green cards for asylees Q: How long must an asylee wait for a green card to become available? A: Received Timeframe to be Processed On or before January 1, 2003 September 30, 2006 June 1, 2003-March 31, 2007 September 30, 2007 On or after April 1, 2007 Within 6 months of receipt [back to top] Forms and documentation Q: What documentation and forms must an asylee file when applying for a green card? A: A basic green card application packet for a person granted asylum consists of the following: Filing fee: $325 plus $70 biometrics services fee if you are 14 years of age or older. If you are under 14 years of age, the fee is $225 with no biometric services fee. If you are 79 years of age or older, the fee is $325 with no biometrics services fee.  **Note acceptable forms of payment vary by office. Please consult the "Paying Fees" section of your local office or Service Center page to learn which forms of payment are accepted. G-28, if applicable, signed by the attorney (or authorized representative) and the applicant. Facsimile signature stamps are acceptable for the signature of the representatives. However, applicants must sign the Form G-28 submitted with the application in the original. 2 photos in an envelope stapled to lower left corner. The name of the applicant and A-number, if known, should be lightly written in pencil on the back of each photo. Details on photo size, etc, may be found in the form instructions. Click here for photo specifications. Evidence of Asylee Status. Evidence might include a copy of Form I-94 and a clear, readable copy of the letter granting asylum. If alien was initially given conditional asylum, submit evidence to show that the conditions have been removed. See Resistance to Coercive Population Control (CPC) Programs for more information. I-602, Application by Refugee for Waiver on Grounds of Excludability, if applicable Evidence of one year’s physical presence in the United States. Please keep physical presence evidence to an absolute minimum. Evidence might include a letter of employment, a lease, school enrollment records, or similar documentation, which would cover broad periods of time. Proof of any absences from the U.S. since you have been granted asylum. For example: photocopies of pages in refugee travel document or passport. Birth Certificate or other birth record Proof of any legal name change you have obtained since you were granted asylum status I-693 Medical with Vaccination Supplement. Only a civil surgeon designated by CIS to conduct medical examinations may complete the Form I-693 and the vaccination supplement submitted with it. Call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 to locate civil surgeons (doctors) where you live. (NOTE: The I-693 should not be filed with the initial asylum-based I-485 adjustment application. This information will be requested at the time of adjudication.) [back to top] Evidence of one year of physical presence Q: What documentation would an asylee need to submit as evidence that she had been physically present in the United States for one year after asylum was granted? A: The Nebraska Service Center (NSC) has confirmed through liaison meetings that if an asylee has been in the U.S. for 365 days without any departures, NSC will accept just a copy of the I-94 (or decision by an Immigration Judge) reflecting the date asylum was granted, with a signed statement by the asylee that she has not departed the United States since asylum was granted and has been physically present in the United States for at least 365 days since asylum was granted. However, if the asylee did depart the United States at any time after asylum was granted, then the asylee must submit with the I-485 packet a separate sheet of paper that lists each date of departure, date of reentry, and attach applicable copies of pages from her refugee travel document. The sheet should include a statement that the asylee, on the date of filing the I-485 application, has been physically present in the United States for at least 365 days after asylum was granted. [back to top] Where to mail the I-485 application Q: Where does an asylee mail her green card application packet? A: Since July 6, 1998, all asylees throughout the United States mail their I-485 green card applications to the Nebraska Service Center for processing. Mail the packet to this address: BCIS Nebraska Service Center P.O. Box 87485 Lincoln, NE 68501-7485     [back to top] Tips on filing the application packet Q: Are there any special tips that an asylee should follow when preparing and mailing her green card application to the Nebraska Service Center? A: Here are a few tips and pointers that may be helpful to asylees who are applying for their green cards on the basis of a grant of asylum. Be neat. If staff at the Nebraska Service Center have difficulty reading entries and dates on the application, errors and delays may result. Before mailing, go over the entire application once more. Check every date and spelling. Make certain that no question has been left unanswered. Sign and date the application. Organize the application so that the various components are clear and easy to find. The check or money order should be attached at the front of the application. Each check or money order should cover the fees required for one applicant only. If an application for another person is also being mailed in the same envelope, attach a separate check or money order to cover her fees. Separate the applications with metal clips. Keep a copy for your records and attach copies of any future correspondence from the Nebraska Service Center. If you move, follow the instructions at Change of address: Asylees waiting for green cards. Be sure to notify both the Nebraska Service Center and the office in London, Kentucky. On Form I-485, under Part 2.,be sure that box (d) has been boldly marked. It may be helpful to mark the top blank margin of the application: ASYLEE. After mailing the application to the Nebraska Service Center, each applicant should receive a Notice of Receipt, usually within 6 weeks of mailing the application. If not, notify the BCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.     [back to top]