My cousin in Germany swore I should file for asylum within 30 days of arriving or I'd lose my chance

He was right, by day 35 the case officer told me I was lucky I filed exactly when I did because they could've rejected me for being late based on my entry stamp, has anyone else gotten conflicting advice from family about filing deadlines?

2 comments

2 Comments

miller.avery1mo ago

The family advice you got wasn't completely wrong, but it's not quite the full picture either. That 30 day window is a real thing in many countries under the Dublin Regulation, but it's not set in stone for every situation. Your cousin probably meant well, but deadlines can vary depending on how you entered the country and what your specific circumstances are. The fact that you filed when you did probably saved you a lot of headaches, though some people do get extensions if they have a good reason for being late. Just goes to show that family advice, however well meaning, isn't always the same as talking to a proper immigration lawyer.

-1

mark6761mo ago

Yeah, I used to be the opposite way... I always told people to just trust their family on stuff like this. Figured your own people wouldn't steer you wrong, you know? But reading your post and the replies here kind of flipped a switch for me. It's not that family's trying to mess you up, but they're just working off what they heard from someone else, and that chain can get broken real fast. Like my cousin once told me the tax write-off rules for my truck, and I almost got dinged by the IRS because he had it half right. So I get it now... better to spend a few hundred on a lawyer than gamble with your future. Thirty days or not, I'd rather have the real rules than a well meaning guess.