A person may be eligible for a grant of asylum if they have suffered persecution (harm) in their home country or they fear they will be harmed if they are forced to return to their home country. To be eligible for asylum, the persecution must have been based on one of the five reasons contained in asylum law. These reasons are:
- Race
- Religion
- Nationality
- Membership in a particular social group
- Political opinion
A person is eligible to apply to become a Lawful Permanent Resident one year after being granted asylum status.
Typically, individuals are expected to apply for asylum no later than one year after their last entry into the U.S. unless unusual circumstances made it very difficult or impossible to apply for asylum within the one year period.