USCIS Houston Asylum Office

The Houston Asylum Office is one of the USCIS asylum offices, at 16855 Northchase Drive, Second Floor, Houston, TX, 77060. Its USCIS Office Locator profile says: “The Houston Asylum Office is in Harris County, Texas.” 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 address16855 Northchase Drive, Second Floor, Houston, TX, 77060
Phone281-248-5500
Fax802-860-6958
EmailHouston.Asylum@uscis.dhs.gov
HoursMonday–Friday: 7:00 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 profileFarmers Branch, Texas
USCIS office codeZHN
Profile last updated2026-10-09 14:09:50

Alert on the USCIS profile

Starting April 6, 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 (TTY 800-767-1833).

States, counties and ZIP codes this office serves

The Service Area section of the USCIS profile says:

This Asylum Office serves the following states: Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

USCIS’s field-office-by-ZIP file dated August 28, 2026 assigns 4,964 active ZIP codes to this asylum office (code ZHN), by state or territory: Texas (2,596), Oklahoma (764), Colorado (640), New Mexico (427), Utah (343), Wyoming (194).

Office policies on the USCIS profile

The profile lists these office-specific policies:

Interpreter Policy

Applicants applying affirmatively for asylum with USCIS who are unable to proceed with the interview in English must provide, at no expense to USCIS, a competent interpreter fluent in both English and the applicant’s native language or any other language in which the applicant is fluent.
Sign language interpreters are the only exception to this requirement. USCIS continues to provide sign language interpreters as a disability accommodation. Follow the instructions on your interview notice to request this disability accommodation.
If you need an interpreter and do not bring one, or if your interpreter is not fluent in English and a language you speak, and you do not establish good cause, we may consider this a failure to appear for your interview and may dismiss your asylum application or refer your asylum application to an immigration judge.
The interpreter must be fluent in English and a language you speak fluently and must be at least 18 years old. The interpreter must not be:

  • Your attorney or accredited representative;
  • A witness testifying on your behalf;
  • A representative or employee of the government of your country of nationality (if you are stateless, your country of last habitual residence);
  • An individual with a pending asylum application who has not yet been interviewed.

Evidence Policy

All supporting documentation for asylum applications be submitted at least one week (seven days) prior to the date of the asylum interview. This includes written declarations, identity documents, country of origin information reports, and all other documentary evidence. Applicants or their representatives may mail supporting documents.
Applicants who submit documentation less than one week in advance of the interview, either directly to the office, or by mail, risk having their cases rescheduled. If no good cause is established for delay, the asylum office will attribute the reschedule to the applicant. This may have an impact on the employment authorization clock.

Biometrics Requirements

All applicants, regardless of age, must have their photographs, digital signatures, and right-index fingerprints captured at an ASC. In addition to these three biometric captures, a 10-print fingerprint record is taken from applicants who are 12 years, 9 months old and older. If the applicant or any dependent did not take a 10-print fingerprint record at the ASC, please contact the Asylum Office when you receive an interview notice. If the applicant or any dependent has not complied with biometrics collection requirements, the asylum office will reschedule the asylum interview. If good cause is not established, the delay to comply with biometrics will be attributed to the applicant. This may have an impact on the employment authorization clock.

Getting there

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
From I-45 South(The Woodlands)
Take Exit 61
Left on Greens Road
Right on Greenspoint Drive
Destination is on the left

From I-45 North (Downtown)
Take Exit 61
Right on Greens Road
Right on Greenspoint Drive
Destination is on the left

Beltway 8
Take exit to Greenspoint Drive/Imperial Valley Drive
Turn North on Greenspoint Drive
Destination is on the right

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
Houston METRO:
Route 102 - Bush IAH Express
Stop #4007 Greenspoint Drive @ Benmar Drive

Parking and accessibility

PARKING:
Parking is located in the large CityNorth shopping center on Greenspoint Dr. The Asylum Office is located on the north end of the lot (large, brown building).

ACCESSIBILITY:
Please enter the building through the first door on the right and proceed to the elevators. The Asylum Office is on the second floor.

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 Houston office it gives these figures for affirmative Form I-589 asylum applications:

Month (2024)ReceivedCompletedPending at month end
October6,114396167,702
November6,5191,651172,569
December6,4831,204177,847

The 177,847 applications pending on Dec. 31, 2024 were 12.3% of the 1,446,908 pending nationally; between Oct. 31 and Dec. 31, 2024 this office's pending count changed by 10,145. 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.