Indians 5th Largest Group Seeking Asylum In US, Most From Gujarat

WASHINGTON, DC – The number of Indian nationals seeking asylum in the United States has seen a dramatic increase over the past three years. According to data from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Indian asylum applications surged from 4,330 in the 2021 fiscal year to 41,330 in 2023—an 855% increase. Indian officials indicate that nearly half of these applicants are from Gujarat, News18 and other Indian reported.

In 2023, Indians became the fifth-largest nationality group applying for defensive asylum and the seventh-largest for affirmative asylum. The DHS’s 2023 Asylees Annual Flow Report, released in October, revealed that 5,340 Indians were granted asylum that year.

The rise in asylum applications began in FY 2021 when there were 4,330 applicants—2,090 of whom submitted affirmative applications and 2,240 filed defensive applications. In FY 2022, the number nearly tripled to 14,570, with 5,370 affirmative and 9,200 defensive applications. By FY 2023, the total had surged to 41,330, nearly three times the number from the previous year.

The number of asylum grants has also increased. In FY 2021, 1,330 Indians were granted asylum—700 through affirmative applications and 630 through defensive proceedings. This figure more than tripled in FY 2022, when 4,260 Indians were granted asylum, including 2,180 affirmative and 2,080 defensive cases. In FY 2023, 5,340 Indians received asylum, with 2,710 affirmative and 2,630 defensive cases, making India the fifth-largest nationality for defensive asylum grants.

India Top New