Certain Asylees Should Provide INS with Current Address

May 10, 2002

WASHINGTON – The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) announced today that asylees who filed adjustment of status applications on or before June 9, 1998, and have not received a decision regarding their adjustment application, should contact INS at 1-800-375-5283 to ensure that the agency has a record of their current address and check on the status of their case. (NOTE: When you call this number, first press #1 ("for information about pending applications"), and then, once there, press #2 ("for change of address of your N-400 and certain pending asylum adjustment applications"). When you call, be sure you have your application receipt number handy.) 

An asylee is a person who has received a final grant of asylum. Most persons who have been in asylee status for one year or more are eligible to file an application for permanent resident status. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, no more than 10,000 asylees may have their status adjusted to that of lawful permanent resident each year. The INS is currently adjudicating applications for asylee adjustment filed on or before June 9, 1998. An asylee who filed an adjustment of status application on or before June 9, 1998 and has not received a decision regarding the adjustment application, should contact INS at 1-800-375-5283 (see NOTE above) Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am and 6:00 pm. 

Special Notice to Iraqi and Syrian Asylees
Special provisions in the immigration laws authorize the INS to process the adjustment of status applications of certain eligible Iraqi and Syrian asylees without regard to the 10,000 numerical limitation (for further information, see our Website at: http://www.uscis.gov/) 

Asylees who are eligible for their applications to be processed under these special provisions and believe that the INS may be inadvertently treating their applications as being subject to the 10,000 cap, should contact the INS by writing to the following address: 

Nebraska Service Center
Attn: 485 SYRIAN SUPERVISOR
P.O. Box 87333
Lincoln NE 68501-7333 

– INS –