Information for Attorneys

Attorney Post-Asylum Guide

What should I communicate to my client?

Following an asylum grant, it is important to make your client aware that they are eligible for a range of benefits as an asylee. Please advise them that accessing these will not affect their immigration status, nor will they have any sort of debt to the government. You can provide the Asylee Outreach Project’s flyer to your client on next steps following an asylum grant in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Amharic, Tigrinya, Russian, or Dari. You also may wish to provide your client with a comprehensive Post-Asylum Grant Packet for Asylees available in English and Spanish.

To connect them to a resettlement agency where they can access benefits, please visit the “Refer a Client” section below to find a resettlement agency near your client. If your client lives in Maryland, please refer them directly to the Asylee Outreach Project by calling (240) 284-3306 or emailing asyleeoutreach@hias.org.

Why should I help connect my client to benefits?

When your client wins a grant of asylum, your work may be done. For your client, however, the next phase of their life – fully settling into life in the United States – may just be beginning.

Some asylees may be quite reluctant to apply for benefits. Additionally, for many asylees, it feels odd to turn to the government for support when that same government may have been seeking to deport them.

As an immigration attorney, you are uniquely positioned to help your client get started on the right foot with this chapter of their lives: your clients trust you, and you are familiar with the U.S. immigration system. By taking a few minutes to help a client connect to benefits, you can make a world of difference.

When your client visits a service provider, they should bring:

1. A form of identification.
2. A document proving that they have received asylum, such as an Approval Letter from an Asylum Office or an Order of an Immigration Judge.
3. An I-94, if they have one.

A friendly reminder:

We encourage you to refer your client to a service provider as quickly as possible, as certain benefits are only available for a limited time.

Need Help?

If you have questions or would like to refer a Maryland client to a resettlement agency, please reach out to Asylee Outreach Project staff directly by filling out our contact form or emailing us at asyleeoutreach@hias.org.

About the benefits

Which of my clients are eligible for benefits?

Various categories of immigrants are eligible for the benefits funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), including refugees, asylees, Special Immigrant Visa holders, and others. For more complete information, visit this page from the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Immigrants who received Withholding of Removal, or who received status under the Convention Against Torture (CAT), are not eligible for ORR-funded benefits.

What benefits are available to my client?

As an asylee, your client is eligible for refugee benefits funded by the United States’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) as well as various “mainstream” benefits, including Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, and TANF.

Refugee benefits your client could receive include:

Refer a Client

Where does your client live?

In order for your client to receive benefits, they must contact a service provider in their area.

If your client lives in Maryland, please contact the Asylee Outreach Project directly at (240) 284-3306 or asyleeoutreach@hias.org for help connecting to a service provider.