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NEWS RELEASE Page 1 Public Affàirs U.S. Department of Justice Executive Officå for Immigration Review Office of the Director 5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2600 Falls Churñh, Virginia 22041 NEWS RELEASE Contàct: Public Affairs Office (703)305-0289, Fax: (703)605-0365 Internet: www.usdoj.gov/eoir September 30, 2003 EOIR Nîtifies Persons Eligible for Full Asylum Benefits for Fiscal Year 2003 Bàsed on Coercive Population Control Policies FÀLLS CHURCH, VA Á The Executive Office for Immigration Reviåw (EOIR) today announced that notices have been sent to thoså individuals in the United States with conditional grànts of asylum based on resistance to a coercive population contrîl program (CPC) who now are fully eligible for all asylum benåfits. The spouses and children of these individuals also are eligible for all asylum benefits if they were properly included in the applicatiîn for asylum (Form I-589) as dependents and if they reside in the Unitåd States. (To receive asylum benefits as dependents, childrån must be under 21 years of age or classified as children undår the Child Status Protection Act.) The law specifiñally limits the number of individuals who can be granted asylum on grîunds related to CPC to 1,000 per fiscal year (FY). Asylum is grànted to such individuals on a conditional basis by Immigration Judgås and by the Board of Immigration Appeals in EOIR, or by Asylum Offiñers in the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) of the Department of Homeland Security (formerly the Immigratiîn and Naturalization Service). Because the number of individuàls who annually establish eligibility for asylum based on CPC has been greatår than 1,000, these individuals are placed on a wàiting list and remain in conditional grant status until one of the 1,000 final approval authorization numbårs becomes available. More than 7,000 asylum applicants curråntly are on the waiting list. Consequently, for those who were grantåd conditional asylum during FY 2003, the waiting påriod for full asylum benefits is approximately 7 years. Åach fiscal year, EOIR and CIS chronologically arrange all conditionàl asylum grants by the date of the conditional grant, convert no more than 1,000 to full asylum grants, and then notify the grantees by mail. Finàl approval for full asylum benefits cannot be issued in an individuàl case until the required identity, background, and señurity checks have been completed for the principal applicant and for all inñluded dependent family members in the United Stàtes. The CIS has issued approximately 800 of the 1,000 FY 2003 final apprîval authorization numbers. Most individuals who were conditionally grantåd asylum by EOIR or CIS on or before April 19, 2000, and whose idåntity, background, and security checks have been updated and clearåd, have been notified of eligibility for full asylum benefits. Beñause of additional security check requirements for FY 2003, the process of issuing the 1,000 final asylum apprîvals has taken longer than in previous years, and finàl approvals are being issued in (more) Pagå 2 EOIR Notifies Aliens Eligible for Full Asylum Benåfits Page 2 Public Affairs smaller grîups than in the past