Welcome!
Asylum Seekers Assistance Project
Attorney Volunteer Welcome Page
We are so happy you have decided to get involved with our work here at the Asylum Seekers Assistance Project. We truly appreciate each and every one of our volunteer attorneys and the work that they do. By lending your support, you have become a valuable part of our efforts to help asylum-seekers find and access immigration relief.
This page serves to provide you with all the information you need to represent your client in their asylum filing. Aside from this page, there is also an Attorney Resource page available for you with templates, samples, and other great tools that we have created for you. Our mission is to make this as easy as possible for our attorney volunteers. With that in mind, if you have any suggestions or think of something we could add, please let us know!
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Asylum Seekers Assistance Project
The United States recognizes the right of asylum for individuals seeking safety from persecution, as specified by international law and codified in our federal law.
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Diverse immigrant communities contribute to the rich cultural fabric of Kansas City, shaping its music, art, cuisine, and more.
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Our volunteers are key to the success of this project. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for assisting the asylum-seeking community and making a difference in the lives of the applicants you represent.
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Representing Asylum Seekers
As a Pro bono attorney representing an asylum seeker, your commitment to the client is for form preparation only. You will not be required to appear in court or to attend the asylum interview with the USCIS. You will help prepare and file their asylum application, and, as your client awaits their hearing or interview, you will assist them in applying for work authorization. Together, these two applications help preserve your client's rights and give them the ability to get work and support themselves and their family.
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Attorney Preparation
Volunteers will need to complete one of two training courses offered by Vecina, linked below. The specific course required will depend on where the client's asylum application needs to be filed. A representative from the Asylum Clinic KC will provide information on the appropriate filing location. If you are required to file with the Immigration Court, additional attorney registration is required, which is linked below.
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Engagement and Expected Timeline
During the representation you should expect to:
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File either:
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Form E-61, Notice of Entry of Limited Appearance for Document Assistance with the Immigration Court, or
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Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance with the USCIS.
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Prepare Form I-589, Application for Asylum
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Prepare Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, 150 days after submitting the I-589.
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Communicating With Your Client
You will receive an e-mail granting access to your client's file that will also indicate whether the client can communicate in English. If not, you will communicate with your client through interpreters.
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Translation of Documents
All documents submitted with the asylum application that are in a language other than English must be submitted with a full English translation.
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The translator must also sign a certification that the English language translation is complete and accurate, and that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.
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You will be provided with a template for this certification on the Attorney Resource page.
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Attorney Resource Site
You can access helpful resources by clicking here. The page is password-protected. You should have received the password along with your welcome email. If not, email Becky Tolman at btolman@asylumclinickc.org
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We will continue to add helpful materials to the Resource Site as they are developed or identified. If you want to suggest a resource to be added to the Resource Site, please e-mail Becky Tolman at btolman@asylumclinickc.org
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Office Hours
Asylum Clinic Kansas City holds office hours on Thursdays at 12pm during which you may ask any questions you have for us and listen to the discussion of others' questions, as well. You will receive an invitation by e-mail to the weekly Zoom call when you receive your client assignment.
Attorney Preparation
Please click on the appropriate training below, depending on where you have been asked to submit your client's asylum application.
Immigration Court
If you have been asked to submit to the Immigration Court, click on this training below:
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Defensive Asylum in Immigration Court
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You will need to register to get access to the curriculum. Please complete the following modules and any others you might find helpful:
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The Basics of Asylum
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Litigating Specific Types of Asylum Cases
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Bars to Asylum​
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*Please also complete registration steps 1-4 below
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
If you have been asked to submit to the USCIS, click on this training below:
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Onramp Course for Affirmative Asylum Cases
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You will need to register to get access to the curriculum. Please complete the following modules and any others you might find helpful:
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How Asylum Seekers Get to the U.S.
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Overview of Asylum Law
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Overview of the Process and the Role of the Attorney
*Note that you will not be required to attend the asylum interview and do not need to complete registration steps 1-4 below.
If you have been asked to submit to the Immigration Court, please complete these 4 registration steps below.
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REGISTER WITH EOIR
Register with EOIR here:
​https://ereg.eoir.justice.gov/#maincontent
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​Click on: Account Registration
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Follow instructions for: Attorney
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Once completed you will receive an email confirmation.
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REGISTER WITH DOJ
After you have presented your photo ID you will receive an email from Okta, prompting you to activate your DOJ Login Account.
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You will need to choose a password. The email address you used when you registered with EOIR is the email address that will be linked to your DOJ Login.
REGISTER FOR ICE eSERVICE
To serve ICE via eService, you first need an eService account. Sign up for your account here.
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You will need your EOIR ID number. When asked for your client's A Number, enter all 1's (111 111 111).
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