There are several restrictions that may affect your eligibility to apply for asylum. These are also called “bars” to asylum. You may not be eligible to apply for asylum if you:
- Did not follow the one-year filing deadline for Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal. The one-year deadline is calculated from the date of your last arrival in the U.S. or April 1, 1997, whichever is later;
- Had a previous asylum application denied by an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals; or
- Can be removed to a safe third country under a two-party or multi-party agreement between the United States and other countries.
There are exceptions to these restrictions (bars) for “changed circumstances” or “extraordinary circumstances.”
For more information on bars and exceptions, see USCIS’s Asylum Bars Web page.