Some people like Edward Snowden leave the United States to seek political asylum in another country. But there are thousands of people who are actually arriving to the U.S. to get protection against adverse political forces in their home country.
One such example is the escape of Grigory Rodchenkov from Russia. Mr Grigory saved his life and discovered secrets of how using doping by multiple Russian sportsmen was a politically-motivated decision supported by government. There are plenty of other examples. Such Ukrainian political refugees as P. Lazarenko or M. Ivanenko also successfully obtained asylum in the United States to avoid being persecuted in Ukraine.
Asylum in the U.S. for Political Opinion
If your political opinion also contradicts what the government or guerrilla groups think in your country, then you may arrive to the U.S. to seek political asylum. Seeking asylum in the U.S. because of a different political opinion is one of the five reasons when asylum is granted to applicants.
But let’s also define the two very important terms: what is a political opinion and who are political refugees?
Roughly, a political opinion definition can be the following: adherence to or disapproval of a certain political doctrine or political trends. For example, a few people may support dictatorship or communism. But the majority of mankind is adverse to such political regimes. And if you are persecuted for being adverse to dictatorship, communism, or a similar regime, you are considered being persecuted for a political opinion.
Political refugees are the people who escaped from the government agencies such as a public prosecution office. The stories of P. Lazarenko and M. Ivanenko are perfect examples of political refugees.
It is worth noting that you may qualify for receiving political asylum in the U.S. even if you do not have a certain political opinion. That is, if government in your country believes that your have a political opinion, although you may not genuinely have that opinion, you are still allowed to obtain political asylum in the U.S.
One of the first steps to require political asylum in the U.S. is by contacting a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your city or country. You can request a visa and move to the U.S. to start the affirmative asylum process. Although arriving to the U.S. as an unlawful immigrant is allowed for political asylum seekers, you must be ready for a defensive asylum process.
No matter how you arrive to the United States territory, you need to provide your application for asylum to an Immigration Judge or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You must also prepare convincing documentation to prove that you were or would be persecuted by the government in your country. USCIS will allow your family to move to the United States provided that you were granted asylum.
To enhance your chances for getting asylum, we strongly recommend that you hire a professional immigration lawyer. Although we do provide plenty of materials that will help you understand how to receive asylum in the U.S., we still only scratch the surface. Only a qualified expert can explain all the complexity behind the asylum laws in the U.S. and lead your through the asylum process.
Hire the best immigration lawyer and receive asylum for your political opinion in the United States.
Political opinion – views about how a state (a country) must be structured, organized, and administered. (There is no official definition for “political opinion”, but our definition of the term is quite close. Neutrality can be also considered an opinion.)