USCIS Chicago Asylum Office

The Chicago Asylum Office is one of the USCIS asylum offices, at 181 W. Madison Street, Suite 3000, Chicago, IL, 60602. Its USCIS Office Locator profile says: “The Chicago Asylum Office is in Cook County, Illinois.” The profile points to USCIS’s page on how it schedules and prioritizes asylum interviews and says asylum applications are not filed at asylum offices.

General information, not legal advice. For your specific case, talk to an immigration attorney or an accredited representative.

Quick reference

As listed on the USCIS profile (checked October 17, 2026)
Office address181 W. Madison Street, Suite 3000, Chicago, IL, 60602
Phone312-849-5200
Fax312-849-5201
EmailChicago.Asylum@uscis.dhs.gov
HoursMonday–Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. by appointment only; Saturday–Sunday: Closed
Additional evidenceIf your application for asylum or NACARA 203 is pending, you may submit additional evidence by postal mail.
Satellite locations linked on the profileMilwaukee, WI; Omaha, NE; Cleveland, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Detroit, MI; St. Paul, MN; Wichita, KS; Louisville, KY
USCIS office codeZCH
Profile last updated2026-10-09 14:09:50

Alert on the USCIS profile

Starting April 20, 2026, this office no longer provides in-person information services. Visit uscis.gov/tools to find a complete list of online tools to assist you. If you have visited our website and cannot find the information you need or you need a service that we can only provide in person, call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability: TTY 800-767-1833.

Walk-ins

The Chicago Asylum Office does not accept walk-in requests or provide in-person information services. Please visit uscis.gov/tools to find a complete list of our online tools and services. If you cannot find the information you need on our website, visit the USCIS Contact Center webpage for more information about submitting an inquiry.

States, counties and ZIP codes this office serves

The Service Area section of the USCIS profile says:

This asylum office serves the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Kentucky.

USCIS’s field-office-by-ZIP file dated August 28, 2026 assigns 12,956 active ZIP codes to this asylum office (code ZCH), by state or territory: Illinois (1,568), Ohio (1,414), Michigan (1,159), Missouri (1,154), Iowa (1,054), Indiana (958), Minnesota (952), Kentucky (944), Wisconsin (877), Kansas (747), Nebraska (616), North Dakota (407), Montana (404), South Dakota (385), Idaho (317).

Getting there

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
The office is located at Madison and Wells in the business district.
Take Interstate 290 East onto Ida B. Wells Drive.
Turn LEFT (north) onto Dearborn Street.
Proceed North four blocks and turn LEFT onto Madison (westbound).
The building is two blocks on your left.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
The Chicago Asylum Office is accessible by public transportation including METRA, CTA rail, and bus. The CTA stations that serve the office are Washington stops. Most METRA rail service is available four blocks West on Madison, or four blocks South on Van Buren.

Parking and accessibility

PARKING: Public parking is available in the vicinity. USCIS does not provide parking.

ACCESSIBILITY: This office is accessible to people with disabilities at the entrances on the East or West side of the building. We encourage you to contact the office in advance if you are scheduled for an interview and need to request an accommodation.

Pending asylum cases at this office

The USCIS Asylum Division Monthly Statistics Report with data through Dec. 31, 2024 is the most recent edition USCIS has published on its data hub (checked Oct. 17, 2026). For the Chicago office it gives these figures for affirmative Form I-589 asylum applications:

Month (2024)ReceivedCompletedPending at month end
October5,477808146,484
November5,9391,411150,949
December5,9721,196155,642

The 155,642 applications pending on Dec. 31, 2024 were 10.8% of the 1,446,908 pending nationally; between Oct. 31 and Dec. 31, 2024 this office's pending count changed by 9,158. Counts are applications, not people: one application can include a spouse and children as dependents. All offices: pending asylum cases by office.

What the profile says about how the office works

  • Asylum applications are not filed at asylum offices: the profile points to the “Where to File” instructions at uscis.gov/i-589.
  • Case status for a pending asylum application is checked online with the receipt number USCIS mailed after filing, at www.uscis.gov/casestatus.
  • Asylum offices do not directly provide case services assistance related to the status of specific applications or other associated services by telephone, because of confidentiality concerns.
  • The office does not adjudicate Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition; the profile points to www.uscis.gov/i-730.
  • Closures can happen for weather and other reasons; the profile asks visitors to check the USCIS office closings page before any visit, including a scheduled appointment.

Sources

Last verified: 2026-10-17. General procedural information for educational purposes, not legal advice; for your specific case, consult an immigration attorney or accredited representative. Office details come from the USCIS Office Locator and can change; check the office closings page and your interview notice.