Asylum benefits used to be limited to people from certain countries, but now it's available to refugees worldwide. To qualify for refugee or asylum status, you must have a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political affiliation.

If you're a refugee or were granted political asylum in the U-S, you can apply for your spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 to join you here.

If you're one of the many people afflicted by war and hardship, you may consider seeking asylum in the U-S. To be considered for asylum, you must meet four requirements.