The Impact of Nationality, Language, Gender and Age on Asylum Success

This report sheds light on how certain characteristics of asylum seekers have affected asylum outcomes over the past 20 years, Since the Biden Administration took office, asylum grant rates have increased from 29 percent during the previous administration to 37 percent. During some quarters (e.g., July-September 2021), the rate jumped to nearly 49 percent, which is higher than the asylum grant rate during the Obama Administration. In analyzing these numbers in greater detail, the report finds that the nationality, language spoken, gender, and age of the applicant are factors that have significant effect on asylum success rates. The authors at the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse found that under the Biden Administration, the nationality and primary language of asylum seekers mattered in similar degrees as under the Trump administration, noting that asylum seekers from certain regions of the world experienced a higher rate of success than others. The authors also found that, unlike under the previous administration, the Immigration Courts under the Biden Administration are more likely to grant asylum to women and children. (Jaisang Sun for The Immigrant Learning Center’s Public Education Institute)

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