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I-589, Application for

Asylum and for
Withholding of Removal
 ALERT: We are currently experiencing
delays in issuing receipts for Form I-589.
Due to these delays, you may not receive
a receipt notice in a timely manner after
you properly file your Form I-589. Read
our news alert for more information.

 ALERT: Expeditious Asylum Adjudication

for Certain Afghans

See more 

Use this form to apply for asylum in the United States

and for withholding of removal (formerly called
“withholding of deportation”). You may file for
asylum if you are physically present in the United
States and you are not a U.S. citizen.

If you fail to file Form I-589 within one year of your

arrival in the United States, you may not be eligible to
apply for asylum under section 208(a)(2)(B) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

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Affirmative Asylum

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Where to File 

Immediately before you file Form I-589: If you

have been issued an Alien Number (A-Number),
you should take the following step before filing
your Form I-589. The A-Number begins with the
letter “A” and is followed by eight or nine digits.
This number is printed in all DHS and Executive
Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)
correspondence. Call the EOIR Automated Case
Information Hotline toll-free in the United
States at 800-898-7180 (TDD 800-828-1120) or
304-625-2050 (local toll call), or check the EOIR
Automated Case Information online system.

If the EOIR hotline or online system has

information regarding your name and next
hearing date, then your case has been filed
and docketed with EOIR and you must file
your Form I-589 with EOIR. The EOIR hotline or
online system will provide an address for the
immigration court where you should file your
Form I-589. You also may locate immigration
court information on the Department of Justice
website. If you file your Form I-589 anywhere
other than the court identified by the EOIR
hotline or online system, EOIR will reject your
Form I-589 and send you a notice that specifies
the address where you should file your Form I-
589. If you file your Form I-589 with USCIS, we
may reject your Form I-589.

If the EOIR hotline or online system indicates

that your A-Number did not match a record in
the system, or if you have never been issued an
A-Number, then you must file your Form I-589
with USCIS. See the chart below for information
about where to file your Form I-589 with USCIS.
If you file your Form I-589 with EOIR and the
court has no record of your A-Number, the
immigration court will reject and return your
Form I-589.

The filing instructions below apply only to

applications filed with USCIS. If the EOIR hotline
or online system has information regarding your
name and next hearing date, please see Section
XII, Where to File? in the Instructions for Form I-
589 (PDF, 169.6 KB) for individuals in
proceedings in immigration court.

See our What Happens After You File Form I-589

With USCIS page for more information about
this process.

If you previously would have filed your Form

I-589 with a local asylum office: You must now
file your Form I-589 with the Asylum Vetting
Center in Atlanta, Georgia. See the Special
Instructions section for more information.

If you live in:

Alabama
Arkansas
Colorado
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Louisiana
Maryland
Mississippi
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Clarion, Clearfield,
Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Somerset, Venango, Warren,
Washington, and Westmoreland
Puerto Rico
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
U.S. Virgin Islands
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia
Wyoming

Then file your application with the:

USCIS Texas Service Center

U.S. Postal Service (USPS), FedEx, UPS, and DHL

deliveries:

USCIS TSC
Attn: I-589
6046 N Belt Line Rd. Ste. 589
Irving, TX 75038-0018

If you live in:

Arizona
California counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis
Obispo, or Ventura
Connecticut
Delaware
Guam
Hawaii
Maine
Massachusetts
Nevada counties of Clark, Esmerelda, Nye or Lincoln
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania counties that are not listed above
Rhode Island
Vermont

Then file your application with the:

USCIS California Service Center

U.S. Postal Service (USPS):

California Service Center

P.O. Box 10881
Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-0881

FedEx, UPS, or DHL:

USCIS California Service Center

Attn: I-589
24000 Avila Rd.
2nd Floor, Room 2312
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

If you live in:

Alaska
California counties that are not listed above
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada counties that are not listed above
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
South Dakota
Washington
Wisconsin

Then file your application with the:

USCIS Nebraska Service Center

U.S. Postal Service (USPS):

Nebraska Service Center

P.O. Box 87589
Lincoln, NE 68501-7589

FedEx, UPS, or DHL:

USCIS Nebraska Service Center

Attn: I-589
850 S St.
Lincoln, NE 68508

Filing Fee 

Form Filing Tips 

Special Instructions 

Instructions on filing Form I-589 that used to be

filed with a local asylum office.

When you file your Form I-589, you must include

a letter explaining why you are filing with the
Asylum Vetting Center and identifying which
category below applies to your Form I-589. If
your Form I-589 does not fit one of the
categories listed below, we will reject it, with
instructions to file with the appropriate service
center.

The following Form I-589s must be filed with the

Asylum Vetting Center:

Loss of Derivative Status After Asylum

Approval but Before Adjustment of Status
(Nunc Pro Tunc): If you are currently a
derivative asylee, but you are unable to
adjust status to lawful permanent resident
due to a loss of derivative relationship,
then you may submit a new Form I-589 and
request a grant of asylum nunc pro tunc. In
your letter, please provide information
about your previous Form I-589 and explain
that you are now filing independently as a
principal applicant.
Loss of Derivative Status After Initial Filing
but Before Final Decision: If you withdrew
from a principal’s Form I-589 as a
dependent, or if you lost derivative status
by marriage, divorce, or death of the
principal applicant, then you may submit a
Form I-589 as a principal applicant. In your
letter, please provide information about
your previous Form I-589 and explain that
you are now filing independently as a
principal applicant.
Simultaneous Filing as a Principal Applicant
and a Derivative Applicant: If you are
already listed as a derivative applicant on
another pending Form I-589, you may file a
Form I-589 as a principal applicant. Also,
you and your spouse may file separate
Forms I-589 at the same time as principal
applicants and list each other as derivative
applicants. In your letter, please provide
information about any previous Form I-
589s and explain that you are now filing
independently as a principal applicant.
Previously Issued a Final Action by USCIS on
a Form I-589: You may be eligible to file a
new Form I-589 with USCIS if we previously
denied your Form I-589 or sent you a notice
dismissing your Form I-589 with USCIS, or if
you previously withdrew your Form I-589
with USCIS and we did not place you in
immigration court proceedings.
Previously in Immigration Court
Proceedings: If you have reason to believe
we have jurisdiction over your Form I-589
and you were previously in immigration
court proceedings, then you may submit a
Form I-589.
Asylum Office Director or Asylum Division
Chief’s Consent: If none of these categories
apply to your Form I-589, you must receive
explicit consent, in writing, from the local
asylum office director with jurisdiction over
your case or from the Asylum Division chief
before submitting your Form I-589 to the
Asylum Vetting Center. The Asylum Vetting
Center will not accept your Form I-589
submission if you do not include written
documentation of this consent.

If you are filing Form I-589 in one of the

categories listed above with USCIS, you must
mail your application to:

U.S. Postal Service (USPS):

USCIS Asylum Vetting Center

P.O. Box 57100
Atlanta, GA 30308-0506

FedEx, UPS or DHL:

DHS-USCIS Asylum Vetting Center

401 W. Peachtree St. NW, Suite 1000
Atlanta, GA 30308

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Last Reviewed/Updated: 12/21/2022

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