Status as of October 12, 2026. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that a new asylum office in Charlotte, North Carolina, will open on October 13. Beginning that date, the office will have jurisdiction over affirmative asylum applicants residing in North and South Carolina. Interviews are by appointment only, and applicants must follow the location stated on their individual notices.
USCIS is opening a new asylum office in Charlotte on October 13, giving the agency a dedicated location for affirmative asylum cases involving residents of North Carolina and South Carolina. The agency announced the office on October 9.
The change concerns where USCIS administers affirmative asylum interviews. It does not introduce a new asylum eligibility test, alter the statutory filing deadline or automatically assign every pending case in the two states an immediate interview date.
Who falls under the Charlotte office's jurisdiction?
According to the October 9 USCIS alert, applicants who live in North Carolina or South Carolina and have filed or are filing for affirmative asylum will come under the Charlotte Asylum Office's jurisdiction beginning October 13. Applicants whose interviews are scheduled there will receive instructions from USCIS.
Affirmative asylum is the USCIS process for people generally not in removal proceedings before an immigration judge. It is distinct from defensive asylum adjudication in immigration court, which falls under the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review. Opening a USCIS office in Charlotte does not relocate court hearings or change an immigration judge's jurisdiction.
The Charlotte office address
USCIS lists the physical and mailing address as:
Charlotte Asylum Office
128 South Tryon Street, Suite 600
Charlotte, NC 28202
The office operates by appointment only. USCIS does not accept walk-ins at asylum offices. A physical or mailing address for an asylum office should not be treated as instructions to file Form I-589 there. The applicable USCIS filing instructions remain the authority for submitting an asylum application.
What applicants with pending cases should expect
The USCIS announcement establishes a new office and a geographic jurisdiction. It does not publish a complete case-transfer schedule, promise faster processing or direct everyone with an existing interview notice to change their destination. For a scheduled interview, the notice identifying the date, time and place remains controlling unless USCIS issues a replacement or other specific instructions.
USCIS directs applicants to its Asylum Office Locator for location information. It also directs them to its preparation guidance for the affirmative asylum interview. Applicants who need to reschedule before their appointment may contact the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283, according to the agency's alert.
The office opening does not itself affect whether an applicant has satisfied the legal requirements for asylum. It is a change in agency operations and interview geography. Whether it eventually reduces travel or interview backlogs will depend on scheduling and staffing results that USCIS has not quantified in the announcement.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Charlotte Asylum Office open?
USCIS announced on October 9 that the new office would begin serving applicants under its jurisdiction on October 13, 2026.
Which applicants are covered by the Charlotte office?
The new office's jurisdiction covers people residing in North Carolina or South Carolina who have filed or are filing affirmative asylum applications with USCIS. Individual interview notices control the assigned location.
Can someone visit the office without an appointment?
No. USCIS says interviews and other asylum-office services are by appointment only. The Charlotte location does not accept walk-ins or applications submitted in person.
Official sources
Disclaimer: Factum Immigration provides general information, not legal advice. For guidance on an individual case, consult a licensed immigration attorney.