Kramer Levin Obtained Asylum for Victim of Violence from Jamaica

Kramer Levin recently obtained a grant of asylum for MJ – a client from Jamaica – who, before fleeing to the U.S., was persecuted and severely abused by his family, community, and the police because he is gay and HIV-positive. The Kramer Levin team also successfully made an application to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") for an expedited interview on the basis that the USCIS’ new scheduling bulletin – which prioritizes scheduling interviews for its most recent asylum applicants rather than those, like MJ, who had been waiting the longest – adversely impacted its client. Kramer Levin worked with MJ to prepare and present to the USCIS a thorough record of the violence he faced in Jamaica on account of his sexual orientation, which ultimately persuaded an asylum officer that he be allowed to remain in the U.S. as an asylee.