Free immigration tool · California

Do You Qualify for Asylum? Screener for CaliforniaTwo Minutes. Nothing Stored.

Asylum protects people who were persecuted, or fear persecution, because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. The screener mirrors what an asylum officer or immigration judge has to decide.

Free tool · Santos Khoury Law

Asylum Eligibility Screener

Five confidential questions covering the core requirements, the one-year deadline, and the common bars.

100% confidential. Runs in your browser, nothing is stored or sent.

Question 1 of 50%

Have you been harmed or threatened in your home country, or do you fear serious harm if you return?

Think You May Qualify?

The one-year deadline and the details of your story can make or break an asylum case. Get a professional assessment before you file Form I-589, in your language.

Schedule a Free Consultation Call (866) 369-0220

Disclaimer: Asylum eligibility depends on the specific facts of your case, current case law in your circuit, and how your claim is documented and argued. This tool provides general information only and is not legal advice. Using it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Santos Khoury Law.

How it works in California

Asylum Eligibility Screener: What It Means for a California Case

Affirmative asylum interviews for California residents run through the Los Angeles Asylum Office in Anaheim and the San Francisco Asylum Office. Referred cases are heard in the Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco immigration courts, where the Los Angeles docket is one of the deepest in the country.

Referred and defensive cases are heard at the San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego immigration courts, an estimated 136,500 pending cases. A complete application filed early is the strongest lever you control.

Call (866) 369-0220 Free Consultation

Asylum lawyers, nationwide

California immigration facts

The Courts, Facilities, and Offices That Decide California Cases

Immigration courts

San Francisco Immigration Court
100 Montgomery St, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94104
Est. wait 3.2 yrs · 12 judges · Pending 28,500
Los Angeles Immigration Court
606 S Olive St, 15th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Est. wait 4.1 yrs · 28 judges · Pending 95,000
San Diego Immigration Court
401 Mile of Cars Way, Suite 200, National City, CA 91950
Est. wait 2.8 yrs · 5 judges · Pending 13,000

Wait times and pending-case figures are estimates; confirm your hearing with your A-number through EOIR.

ICE detention facilities

Southern California arrests usually end up at Otay Mesa or Adelanto; Central Valley and Bay Area cases go to Mesa Verde or Golden State Annex. Transfers to Arizona and Texas happen when California beds fill up.

Otay Mesa Detention Center, San Diego, CA: minutes from our San Diego office
Adelanto ICE Processing Center, Adelanto, CA: the largest facility in Southern California
Imperial Regional Detention Facility, Calexico, CA
Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center, Bakersfield, CA
Golden State Annex, McFarland, CA

Someone detained? Call now

USCIS and asylum offices

Affirmative asylum interviews for California residents are generally scheduled through the Los Angeles Asylum Office (Anaheim) and San Francisco Asylum Office (Anaheim and San Francisco, CA).

USCIS field offices serving California: San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno, Imperial.

How we serve California

Our San Diego office sits ten miles from the Otay Mesa Detention Center and the San Diego Immigration Court. Our attorneys are admitted in California and appear in the Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco immigration courts.

Office: 3111 Camino Del Rio N, Suite 400, San Diego, CA 92108

Languages: English · Español · Português · العربية · Français · Hours: 24/7

Common questions

Asylum Eligibility Screener Questions From California

What is the one-year asylum deadline?

You generally must file Form I-589 within one year of your last arrival in the United States. Exceptions exist for changed circumstances (new danger, a new law, a change in your status) and extraordinary circumstances (serious illness, being a minor, ineffective counsel). Withholding of removal and CAT protection have no deadline.

Can I work while my asylum case is pending?

You can apply for a work permit after your application has been pending for 150 days, subject to the 180-day asylum clock. Delays you cause can stop the clock.

What if my fear is of a gang or cartel, not the government?

Harm by a group the government cannot or will not control can qualify, but you must tie it to a protected ground and show the state failed to protect you. These cases turn on how the claim is framed and documented.

Do I need a lawyer to apply for asylum?

You can file alone, but represented applicants win far more often. The declaration, the country-conditions evidence, and the legal theory of the case are where cases are won or lost.

Where is the asylum interview for California residents?

Affirmative interviews for California residents are generally scheduled through the Los Angeles Asylum Office (Anaheim) and San Francisco Asylum Office in Anaheim and San Francisco, CA. If the case is referred, it goes to the San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego immigration courts.

What happens after I file Form I-589?

You receive a receipt, then biometrics, then an interview notice; the wait can be years. After 150 days pending you can apply for a work permit. Keep your address current with USCIS so notices reach you.

Have a different question? Call (866) 369-0220

More free tools for California

Free and confidential

Got a Result? Let Us Tell You What It Means.

The tools show typical outcomes. A lawyer tells you what your record, your evidence, and your judge mean for you. Free consultation, 24/7, five languages.

Call (866) 369-0220 Book a Free Consultation

Every case is different. Outcomes cannot be guaranteed.