Free immigration tool · Austin

Do You Qualify for Asylum? Screener for AustinTwo Minutes. Nothing Stored.

Asylum protects people who were persecuted, or fear persecution, because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. The screener mirrors what an asylum officer or immigration judge has to decide.

Free tool · Santos Khoury Law

Asylum Eligibility Screener

Five confidential questions covering the core requirements, the one-year deadline, and the common bars.

100% confidential. Runs in your browser, nothing is stored or sent.

Question 1 of 50%

Have you been harmed or threatened in your home country, or do you fear serious harm if you return?

Think You May Qualify?

The one-year deadline and the details of your story can make or break an asylum case. Get a professional assessment before you file Form I-589, in your language.

Schedule a Free Consultation Call (866) 369-0220

Disclaimer: Asylum eligibility depends on the specific facts of your case, current case law in your circuit, and how your claim is documented and argued. This tool provides general information only and is not legal advice. Using it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Santos Khoury Law.

How it works in Austin

Asylum Eligibility Screener: What It Means for a Austin Case

Affirmative asylum interviews for Austin and Central Texas residents are scheduled through the Houston Asylum Office. Referred cases from Austin are heard at the San Antonio Immigration Court, where the wait is shorter than in Houston or Dallas but still measured in years.

Referred and defensive cases are heard at the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Harlingen, El Paso immigration courts, an estimated 135,000 pending cases. A complete application filed early is the strongest lever you control.

Call (866) 369-0220 Free Consultation

Asylum lawyers, nationwide

Austin immigration facts

The Courts, Facilities, and Offices That Decide Austin Cases

Immigration courts

Austin has no immigration court of its own. Cases from Austin and Central Texas are assigned to the San Antonio Immigration Court, about 80 miles south, or heard by video. Detained cases go to the docket of the facility holding the person.

Houston Immigration Court
606 Lamar St, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77002
Est. wait 3.8 yrs · 14 judges · Pending 52,000
Dallas Immigration Court
1100 Commerce St, Suite 600, Dallas, TX 75242
Est. wait 3.5 yrs · 8 judges · Pending 31,000
San Antonio Immigration Court
800 Dolorosa St, Suite 300, San Antonio, TX 78207
Est. wait 3.3 yrs · 10 judges · Pending 25,000
Harlingen Immigration Court
2009 W Jefferson Ave, Harlingen, TX 78550
Est. wait 2.8 yrs · 6 judges · Pending 15,000
El Paso Immigration Court
700 E San Antonio Ave, Suite 550, El Paso, TX 79901
Est. wait 2.5 yrs · 5 judges · Pending 12,000

Wait times and pending-case figures are estimates; confirm your hearing with your A-number through EOIR.

ICE detention facilities

Texas holds more ICE detainees than any other state. Austin-area arrests usually go first to T. Don Hutto in Taylor or to Pearsall, then anywhere in the state as beds open. Transfers across Texas within the first week are the norm, which is why we locate the person first and file the bond request at the facility that actually holds them.

T. Don Hutto Residential Center, Taylor, TX: 35 miles from Austin, the closest ICE facility to the city
South Texas ICE Processing Center, Pearsall, TX
Montgomery Processing Center, Conroe, TX
Houston Contract Detention Facility, Houston, TX
Bluebonnet Detention Center, Anson, TX
Prairieland Detention Center, Alvarado, TX
IAH Secure Adult Detention Facility, Livingston, TX
Port Isabel Detention Center, Los Fresnos, TX
El Paso Service Processing Center, El Paso, TX
Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX: opened in 2025 at Fort Bliss

Someone detained? Call now

USCIS and asylum offices

Affirmative asylum interviews for Texas residents are generally scheduled through the Houston Asylum Office (Houston, TX).

USCIS field offices serving Texas: Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, El Paso, Harlingen.

How we serve Austin

Immigration law is federal, so our attorneys represent Austin and Central Texas clients in the San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas immigration courts and at every Texas detention facility, by video and in person.

Languages: English · Español · Português · العربية · Français · Hours: 24/7

Common questions

Asylum Eligibility Screener Questions From Austin

What is the one-year asylum deadline?

You generally must file Form I-589 within one year of your last arrival in the United States. Exceptions exist for changed circumstances (new danger, a new law, a change in your status) and extraordinary circumstances (serious illness, being a minor, ineffective counsel). Withholding of removal and CAT protection have no deadline.

Can I work while my asylum case is pending?

You can apply for a work permit after your application has been pending for 150 days, subject to the 180-day asylum clock. Delays you cause can stop the clock.

What if my fear is of a gang or cartel, not the government?

Harm by a group the government cannot or will not control can qualify, but you must tie it to a protected ground and show the state failed to protect you. These cases turn on how the claim is framed and documented.

Do I need a lawyer to apply for asylum?

You can file alone, but represented applicants win far more often. The declaration, the country-conditions evidence, and the legal theory of the case are where cases are won or lost.

Where is the asylum interview for Austin residents?

Affirmative interviews for Texas residents are generally scheduled through the Houston Asylum Office in Houston, TX. If the case is referred, it goes to the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Harlingen, El Paso immigration courts.

What happens after I file Form I-589?

You receive a receipt, then biometrics, then an interview notice; the wait can be years. After 150 days pending you can apply for a work permit. Keep your address current with USCIS so notices reach you.

Have a different question? Call (866) 369-0220

More free tools for Austin

Free and confidential

Got a Result? Let Us Tell You What It Means.

The tools show typical outcomes. A lawyer tells you what your record, your evidence, and your judge mean for you. Free consultation, 24/7, five languages.

Call (866) 369-0220 Book a Free Consultation

Every case is different. Outcomes cannot be guaranteed.