THE SITUATION:
In recent years, Russia's LGBTQ+ population has faced an
escalating crackdown on their rights. In 2023, the country's
supreme court designated LGBTQ+ activists as
"extremists."
Martin*, a successful Russian professional, was forced to flee
Russia in 2016 after being outed as a gay man.
THE CHALLENGE:
When Martin filed for asylum in the United States in early
January 2017, asylum applicants already faced extreme delays. He
found his application stranded in a massive backlog of unprocessed
cases.
Then, in 2018, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
reverted to the traditional "last-in, first-out" policy
for processing applications – effectively pushing
Martin's application further back in line with each new asylum
application filed. Martin's prospects for a speedy decision
dimmed further.
