Form I-589 is the form people in the U.S. use to apply for asylum or withholding of removal.
Select our editable Form I-589 from our PDF Immigration Forms hub and open it in our editor. Then, enter your information, download the document to your device, and file it with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or the immigration court.
Form I-589 is known as the Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, and it is used when a person wants to seek asylum in the U.S. or protect themselves from being sent back to their home country.
No one is required to file Form I-589, but it is meant for non-citizens in the U.S. who fear persecution or torture in their home country and want to apply for asylum or withholding of removal. As an asylum-seeker, you can include your spouse and unmarried children under 21 in the U.S., but withholding of removal is only valid for you.
Form I-589 is due for submission within one year of the asylum-seeker’s last arrival in the U.S., unless there are changed or extraordinary circumstances that prevent them from filing. Failure to do so may result in ineligibility to apply for asylum, although withholding of removal has no deadline.
Aside from the potential ineligibility to apply for asylum, there are no other penalties for not submitting the I-589 form. However, without an approved asylum or another legal status, you risk facing immigration court and being deported.
You should file the I-589 form with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), unless you are currently in the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) proceedings. In that case, you should file with the immigration court. Furthermore, if you are an unaccompanied alien child (UAC), you should file with USCIS even if you are in immigration court proceedings.
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You can get a blank Form I-589 from pdf.net. Once you complete it in our editor, you can download the document to your device or print it to send by mail.
The Form I-589 is filed only once, within one year of your last arrival in the U.S., unless an exception applies. Once your asylum or withholding of removal is approved, there’s no reason to submit the form again.
If your I-589 form is missing information, you should open it in our PDF editor and add whatever is needed before filing, since USCIS can reject an incomplete application. Cross-check your document with a Form I-589 example to ensure everything is correct.
You can fill out your Form I-589 online, either by opening it in our PDF editor and printing it for filing or visiting the USCIS website and completing it there directly if you are eligible to file online.
Yes, this form is free to view and edit, but you need a subscription plan if you want to download it to your device. Government fees are separate; filing Form I-589 costs $100, plus an annual asylum fee while your case is pending.
You can correct mistakes on Form I-589, but the exact process depends on where your application is in the system. If the USCIS has just received it, you can prepare a correct version and send it with a short letter of explanation. However, if your interview has been scheduled, bring the updated form with you, give it to the officer beforehand, and explain your situation.
Supporting documents required with Form I-589 are marriage and birth certificates to prove relationships with other individuals on your application, and copies of passports and travel documents. You should also include reasonably available evidence of the conditions in your home country and medical records that support your claim of harm, if applicable.