Office Of Refugee Resettlement: About ORR

Who We Serve

Acceptable documents for asylees whose status was granted under §208 of the INA:

Documents/Codes	Comments
I-94 Arrival/departure card referencing §208 of the INA	Notations may include references to employment authorization, indefinite status, and the requirement to obtain permission before leaving the United States.
AS-1 admission code on the I-94	Approved asylee principal
AS-2 admission code on the I-94	Approved spouse of an asylee principal
AS-3 admission code on the I-94	Approved child of an asylee principal
INS Form I-571	United States Refugee Travel Document *
I-766 Employment Authorization Document with the code A05
I-688B Employment Authorization Document with the provision of law 274a.12(a)(5)	This is an older version of the employment authorization document but it is still in use.
Order of an Immigration Judge Granting Asylum under §208 of the INA	An Order of an Immigration Judge will serve as proof of asylee status if the INS has waived the right to appeal the case. See Note 2 below for information about cases where the INS reserves the right to appeal. **
Asylum Approval Letter from an INS Asylum Office	Letter will note that the individual has been granted asylum pursuant to §208 of the INA and may include information concerning refugee and asylee relative petition, work authorization and the refugee travel document.
Written decision from the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)
I-730 Approval Letter	The I-730 Approval Letter may be used as proof of asylee status for derivatives.
Visa 92 (or V-92) on the I-94 Arrival/departure card	May be accompanied by the words "section 208"; Individual is the spouse or minor child of a previously granted asylee.

*Note 1 : The INS Form I-571, which is a United States Refugee Travel Document, does not distinguish between refugees and asylees. An individual with a United States Refugee Travel Document may be a refugee or an asylee.

**Note 2: If the INS has reserved its right to appeal, an Immigration Judge Order will not serve, on its own, as proof of asylee status. If an asylee brings an Immigration Judge Order that shows the INS has reserved its right to appeal, eligibility workers must wait 30 days from the date on the Immigration Judge Order. On or after the 31 st day, the eligibility worker will need to call the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) case status line at (800) 898-7180 to find out whether the INS has appealed the case. (The EOIR reports that it may take up to 5 days after the appeal deadline for the information to be relayed to the case status line.) If the INS has appealed the case, the individual is not yet an asylee and is not eligible for benefits. If the INS has not appealed the case and 30 days have passed since the date on the Immigration Judge Order, the individual is an asylee and is eligible for ORR assistance and services.