By Board Certified Immigration Attorney and Houston Asylum Attorney Ruby L. Powers
Seeking asylum in the United States comes with many challenges. Many question whether to hire an attorney or not due to financial constraints and lack of understanding of the process. It has been proven that those who file with an attorney have a higher success rate. Currently, the Houston Asylum Office has a 17.5% approval rate for affirmative asylum cases which should further convince an applicant to have experienced assistance.
With our many years of experience with immigration and asylum law, we understand the complexity of the asylum process. Powers Law Group has been able to detect the reasons why having a competent immigration attorney will play a vital role in the development of an asylum case.
The importance of having an attorney guide you through the process is to prevent your application from being incomplete or incorrect, which can lead to delays in your asylum process. With an attorney, the firm works together to gather the important and necessary evidence that can make your case stronger and increase your chances of having a favorable result. The participation of an attorney at the interview is very important because it lowers the risk of your application from being denied and/or transferred to an immigration court for removal proceedings.
At Powers Law Group, the attorneys will provide the following support during your asylum interview process:
• Prepare any supplements in advance that will be needed for the interview as well as perfect the declaration in support of your asylum application.
• Prepare detailed country reports that will support your asylum claim.
• Prepare the applicant to manage their expectations with mock interviews over the course of several hours.
• Prepare the applicant for tough probing questions which will give the applicant time to gather thoughts and memories before the interview.
• Help the applicant maximize the average time of the interview. For example, the average time of an asylum interview is between 2 to 4 hours; the attorney will ensure all of the essential facts are covered during that time.
• During the interview, the attorney will actively engage with the officer to provide him or her with the proper guidance in regards to your asylum claim.
• Keep a record of all the questions and answers that were conducted during the interview in case the application gets sent to immigration court.
• Remind the applicant of key events that will help their case while the applicant might forget.
• Act as a bridge between the asylum officer and the applicant in transferring a lot of information in a short period of time.
• Conclude the asylum interview by presenting the asylum officer with a closing statement that will emphasize and summarize your case and the current conditions in your country that will prevent you from returning.
The positives to having an attorney assist you throughout the asylum process are countless. We want to make this process as easy and quick for you as possible. Effective legal representation can go a long way. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you may have. To learn more about asylum law and immigration law, contact our asylum lawyers and immigration lawyers today.
