The United States is a flourishing nation with the largest economy in the world. Our financial resources provide a higher standard of living that most other countries. However, the most valuable resource available to U.S. citizens is not economic; rather it is the freedom and liberty that all we all enjoy. U.S. citizens can rest easy and not have to fear persecution because of their race, religion, or political beliefs. Unfortunately, many citizens of foreign countries do not have this luxury. Often, foreign countries will kill, imprison, and torture their own citizens because they do not belong to a particular race, religion, or political group. The United States realizes this injustice and in an effort to provide humanitarian aid current immigration law allows refugees who are persecuted in their native country to seek asylum and reside in the U.S. In order to be eligible for the refugee asylum program applicants must satisfy the strict requirements imposed under the immigration law. The immigration law has many nuances to it and applying for refugee asylum can be a very challenging process. A refugee seeking asylum should always seek the aid of a Tampa immigration attorney. An experienced Tampa immigration attorney can provide legal advice and help prepare the refugee asylum application.

Immigration law requires refugees seeking asylum to submit an I-589 Form within one year of entering the United States. However, under special circumstances asylum may be granted to refugees who apply for asylum more than one year after entering the U.S. If a refugee has resided in the U.S. for more than one year before applying for asylum the need for a Tampa immigration lawyer will be even more acute. The refugee will be required to show that the circumstances surrounding his eligibility for asylum have changed or there were extraordinary circumstances that prevented the refugee from filing with one year. The Tampa immigration attorney can rely on either changes in the refugee's native country or changes to the refugee's circumstances, which prevented the refugee from applying within one year of entering the U.S. For instance, a Tampa immigration lawyer can prove eligibility if he can show that human rights conditions in his client's native country have worsened since the refugee left. A refugee may also be eligible if he can prove that his health condition prevented him from applying for asylum within one year of entering the United States.

There are many other instances in which a refugee will not be ineligible for asylum simply for failing to apply within one year of entering the U.S. For more information contact Florida Law Group to schedule a free consultation with one of our Tampa immigration lawyers.