The LGBT Asylum Project - Center for Immigrant Protection

The LGBT Asylum Project - Center for Immigrant Protection Exclusively dedicated to providing accessible legal representation for LGBT immigrants who are fleeing persecution and seeking asylum in the United States.

We are the only Bay Area non-profit program dedicated solely to offering accessible legal representation to vulnerable LGBT immigrants fleeing persecution abroad and seeking protection in the United States. ​

10 Points in Transgender HistoryWE’VE ALWAYS BEEN HERE.
08/21/2026

10 Points in Transgender History
WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN HERE.

Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (SHAAD) is August 20. Founded by the Southern AIDS Coalition, SHAAD is a day that indivi...
08/20/2026

Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (SHAAD) is August 20. Founded by the Southern AIDS Coalition, SHAAD is a day that individuals, communities, and organizations can unite to call attention to the number of people living with HIV in the South. SHAAD is an opportunity to provide people in the South with HIV testing and linkage to HIV medical care if necessary, education on HIV prevention, and other HIV-related care resources.

The Russian LGBT Network, one of the leading LGBTQ+ rights groups in the country, has announced that it is shutting down...
08/19/2026

The Russian LGBT Network, one of the leading LGBTQ+ rights groups in the country, has announced that it is shutting down after being designated as an “extremist” organisation by a court earlier in April.

The Network was founded in 2006 to provide legal, psychological and emergency assistance to LGBTQ+ people in Russia. One of the group’s main priorities was evacuating people from Chechnya after the community was targeted by authorities in what came to be known as an “anti-gay purge”.

The Russian LGBT Network said that the “extremist” designation had made it impossible to continue its operations publicly. In a statementshared on Telegram, the group said: “We made this decision after a serious risk assessment.”

“Continuing our public work could endanger those who took part in the organization’s activities, supported it, or received help from it. We can’t control the repressive environment, but we can do everything possible to avoid creating additional risks for people. People’s safety comes first,” the statement continued.

Under Russian policies, any individual associated with organisations that have been labelled as “extremist” could face severe consequences, including lengthy prison sentences. The designation criminalises not only participation in the organisations’ activities but also expressing support for their cause.

Today we honour the humanitarian workers who show up for others, often at great risk to themselves. Their courage keeps ...
08/19/2026

Today we honour the humanitarian workers who show up for others, often at great risk to themselves. Their courage keeps hope alive in the hardest places.

ASYLUM FEE PAYMENT WINDOWREOPENEDUSCIS told many people with a pending asylum application that they had missed the deadl...
08/18/2026

ASYLUM FEE PAYMENT WINDOW
REOPENED

USCIS told many people with a pending asylum application that they had missed the deadline to pay the annual asylum fee.

For some of those people, the online payment window has been reopened.

How long the payment windows will stay open is not known.

If you previously missed the USCIS deadline, check now to see whether you can pay. If you can, pay quickly.

How to Pay at USCIS

1 Go to the USCIS payment page
my.uscis.gov/accounts/ annual-asylum-fee/questionnaire

2 Enter your A-Number and your asylum receipt number

3 If the “Pay and Submit” button appears, your fee is due and can be paid

4 Save the Agency Tracking ID shown right after payment

A gay couple in Western Australia have won a Supreme Court battle to have a baby via surrogacy, becoming the first same-...
08/17/2026

A gay couple in Western Australia have won a Supreme Court battle to have a baby via surrogacy, becoming the first same-sex couple to receive approval from the state’s Reproductive Technology Council.

Trent and Brad Dunn first took their fight to court three years ago, after being told the Surrogacy Act 2008 required couples accessing surrogacy to be heterosexual. They challenged the law, convincing the Court of Appeal that barring them amounted to discrimination in breach of federal anti-discrimination laws.

Until the end of 2025, Western Australia was the only place in the country to ban altruistic surrogacy for gay and single men. Wider reforms are due in mid-2027, but the Dunns’ win means they, and other couples, can proceed before then.

“This has been a really long journey for us and for our family,” Brad told WAToday, describing the exhausting process of repeatedly being told to “just wait, be patient”. He said the couple met every criterion but one, “the fact that we were two men”.

The couple have now begun treatment with a surrogate, her wife and a separate egg donor. “We know plenty of challenges still lie ahead of us, but we are overjoyed to be focused now on the wonderful opportunity of parenthood,” Brad said.

Hoping to help others, they have created a template document based on their arrangement. “If it means that someone doesn’t have to experience that same pain... then this has been worth it,” he said.

FEDERAL COURT ALLOWS SOMALIA’S TPS TO ENDOn August 14, 2026-a federal district court judge in the District of Massachuse...
08/15/2026

FEDERAL COURT ALLOWS SOMALIA’S TPS TO END

On August 14, 2026-a federal district court judge in the District of Massachusetts allowed the termination of Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation to move forward by lifting the administrative stay that temporarily paused the termination of the program while legal arguments were heard in the case.

On July 30, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint arguing that the termination of Somalia’s TPS designation discriminated on the basis of race and national origin. The complaint also contained new claims that the termination violated the due process rights of Somali TPS holders and that the government official who purportedly terminated Somalia’s TPS designation did not have the legal authority to do so.

On Friday, a federal district court judge in the District of Massachusetts allowed the termination of Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation to move forward by lifting the administrative stay that temporarily paused the termination of the program while legal arguments were heard in the case.  

Although the district court recognized the “undisguised racial animus” inherent in the termination of Somalia’s TPS, the importance of TPS benefits, and the “convincing showing” of irreparable harm, the court felt bound by the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2026 decision in Mullin v. Doe that greenlit the Trump administration’s discriminatory agenda to terminate TPS for Haiti and Syria. 

08/14/2026

🏳️‍🌈 ASYLUM APPROVED! 🇧🇷

We are incredibly happy to share that one of our clients, a gay man from Brazil, has been granted asylum this August!

With this approval, 141 cases represented by the LGBT Asylum Project have now been granted permanent residence in the United States.

Every approval represents so much more than a number. It means safety, freedom, and the opportunity to build a life without fear.

We are especially proud of our incredible team, who take ownership of every case with such care, dedication, and heart. May their commitment, and every one of these 141 new beginnings, serve as a reminder that there is always reason for hope. 🏳️‍🌈❤️

Congratulations to our client, and congratulations to our team!

On August 13, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) issued an important decision affecting individuals who travel...
08/14/2026

On August 13, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) issued an important decision affecting individuals who travel outside the United States on advance parole. The BIA held that traveling on advance parole is considered a “departure” under immigration law. As a result, leaving the United States on advance parole may trigger the three- or ten-year unlawful presence bars and could require an individual to remain outside the United States before obtaining an immigrant visa. 

Importantly, the BIA stated that its new holding will apply prospectively, meaning the change applies going forward and will not be applied retroactively. 

As a result, the decision should not affect individuals who: 
1. Already obtained their green card based on past travel using advance parole; 
2. Have a pending adjustment of status application based on past travel with advance parole; or 
3. Plan to apply for adjustment of status based on advance parole travel that occurred before this decision. 

The decision primarily affects individuals who have not yet traveled on advance parole but are considering doing so. For individuals who have accrued sufficient unlawful presence, traveling after this decision may trigger the unlawful presence bar. Depending on the circumstances, they may then need to remain outside the United States for the applicable period or pursue a waiver if they qualify. 

On 7 August, the public prosecutor’s office confirmed that 71 men had been arrested and charged with “unnatural acts” am...
08/13/2026

On 7 August, the public prosecutor’s office confirmed that 71 men had been arrested and charged with “unnatural acts” amid the crackdown on same-sex relations, while 28 more had the charges against them dropped.

According to Africa News, some local celebrities have also been arrested on suspicion of homosexual acts and, in some cases, suspicion of deliberately transmitting HIV. However, the latter charges were dropped.

The new legislation was passed in March and signed into law by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye after being approved by the National Assembly with an overwhelming majority.

It doubled the maximum penalty for same-sex acts from five to 10 years in prison. The law also introduced prison sentences of between three and seven years for the “promotion” or “financing” of homosexuality.

In April, a Senegal court handed down the first conviction under the newly toughened anti-LGBTQ+ law. The court sentenced a 24-year-old man to six years in prison and a $3,300 fine. The case was an early sign of how quickly the harsher penalties are being enforced.

On 10 April, the man was convicted in Pikine-Guédiawaye, a suburb of Dakar, for “acts against nature and public indecency”, and sentenced to six years in prison.

Human Rights Watch researcher Larissa Kojoué said the law has created a climate of “constant fear” for LGBTQ+ people in Senegal.
She said arrests have intensified “because now there is backing from the state apparatus.”

At the time of the arrest, Kojoué also said: “Criminalising same‑sex conduct and arresting people for their sexual orientation or gender expression violates multiple internationally protected rights, including to equality and nondiscrimination.”

Address

526 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA
94114

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The LGBT Asylum Project - Center for Immigrant Protection posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category