Surge in US Asylum Applications from India with 855% Increase, Gujarat Leads

November 11 :
An overwhelming majority of Indians have sought refuge in the US in the last three years, a trend that reflects the continued allure of the American dream in the face of domestic hardships. The number of Indian asylum applications surged from 4,330 in the 2021 fiscal year to 41,330 in the 2023 fiscal year, an increase of 855%, according to data from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Nearly half of these applicants hail from Gujarat, according to Indian officials.

As of 2023, Indians were the seventh-largest group seeking positive refuge and the fifth-largest group seeking defensive asylum. There were 5,340 Indians awarded asylum in 2023, according to the DHS's October 2023 Asylees Annual Flow Report. The growing trend started in FY 2021, when 4,330 Indians sought asylum, with 2,090 submitting affirmative applications and 2,240 submitting defensive claims to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The number of applications nearly quadrupled the next year, reaching 14,570. Of these, 5,370 were affirmative and 9,200 were defensive. Asylum applications from India hit a new high of 41,330 in FY 2023, almost tripling the number from FY 2022.

There has been an increase in the number of Indians awarded refuge. In FY 2021, 1,330 Indians were granted asylum, with 700 granted through affirmative applications and 630 through defensive proceedings. The amount increased to 4,260 in FY 2022, a rise of more than 100%. This figure includes 2,180 for affirmative and 2,080 for defensive awards. With 5,340 asylum seekers from India in FY 2023—2,710 from affirmative and 2,630 from defensive cases—India remained the fifth most common nationality for defensive asylum grants, continuing a trend that began in FY 2022.