Effective June 15, 2000, individuals who are granted asylum are now eligible for refugee assistance and services on the date asylum is granted. Previously, eligibility began with the month the asylee first arrived in the United States.

Documents that confirm the date asylum was granted include an I-94 arrival/departure card noting that the individual has been admitted (granted asylum) under section 208 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA); an I-94 with admission codes AS-1, AS-2 or AS-3; an order of an immigration judge granting asylum under section 208 of the INA; an I-94 arrival/departure card with code V-93; or an asylum approval letter from an INS asylum office.

This policy change may be particularly important to asylees applying for Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) or Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA). For example, if an individual enters the United States on December 1, 2000 as a tourist and is granted asylum on August 1, 2001, the individual's date of entry is August 1, 2001. It is not December 1, 2000 as would have been the case prior to this policy change.