CIELO/Asylum
You canāt control the decision. You can control how prepared you are.
Asylum is the most developed area of CIELO. A free guide to start with, two full courses taught in English and in Spanish, and focused resources for the two parts people find hardest: the written declaration and the interview.
Why CIELO exists
Filling in the form is not the same as building a case.
- 01
The forms assume knowledge you were never given.
Form I-589 asks you to answer questions. It does not teach you how to turn what happened into a declaration that holds together.
- 02
Your evidence has to tell one clear story.
Dates, documents and the written account all have to agree. Small inconsistencies get read as credibility problems.
- 03
You need to know what comes next.
Receipt notices, biometrics, the work permit clock, the interview. Being ready for each one is part of being prepared.
What if I leave out something that mattered?
What if my evidence isnāt enough?
What if the officer asks something Iām not ready for?
CIELO turns that uncertainty into a sequence you can work through.
Structure, not reassurance: what each part of the process asks of you, in what order, with the worksheets to do it.
Find your path
Four stages, and something built for each.
Free Guide
Start
Seven mistakes that can weaken an asylum filing, and what to do instead.
Survival Kit
Prepare
Form I-589 part by part, evidence, country conditions and what happens after you file.
Complete System
Build
Asylum law, case theory, declaration, evidence, case file and interview preparation.
Specialized Tools
Practice
Interview Questions and the Personal Declaration Guide, for one specific part.
Not sure where to begin?
See whatās inside each program.
Compare the programs
How far through the case do you want to be taken?
Stage 01 · Start
How to Apply for Asylum Without a Lawyer
For the moment before you decide anything.
Orientation
- 7 mistakes that can weaken an asylum filing
- What filing actually involves
- Downloadable guide, free to keep
Stage 02 · Prepare
Asylum Filing Survival Kit
For preparing your application and understanding the filing process.
Filing preparation
- Form I-589 walkthrough, part by part
- Document & evidence checklist
- Country conditions research guide
- Work permit roadmap
- English & EspaƱol
The full preparation
Stage 03 · Build
Complete Asylum Success System
For the whole case, from asylum law to the interview room.
Complete case preparation
- Complete filing preparation, plus:
- Asylum law and case theory
- Declaration drafting, with worksheets
- Case file organization
- Asylum interview preparation
- English & EspaƱol
Need help with one specific part of your case?
Common Asylum Interview Questions
Know what to expect at your asylum interview with this easy-to-use guide to the most common questions and topics.
See details
Asylum Personal Declaration Guide
A step-by-step guide to remembering, organizing, and writing the story of your case.
See detailsUnderstanding Particular Social Group Claims
Want to understand PSG claims better? Explaining why you were targeted can be just as important as explaining what happened to you.
See detailsSide by side
The detail
Scroll sideways →
| Stage 01Free Guide | Stage 02Survival Kit | Stage 03Complete System | SpecializedInterview & Declaration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Deciding whether to file | Preparing the application | The whole case, start to interview | One specific part |
| Form I-589 guidance | — | Part by part | Part by part | — |
| Declaration guidance | — | Covered in course | Module & worksheets | Declaration Guide |
| Case theory | — | — | Dedicated module | — |
| Evidence preparation | — | Evidence checklist | Module & checklist | — |
| Country conditions | — | Research guide | Module & worksheet | — |
| Interview preparation | — | What happens after you file | Dedicated module | Interview Questions |
| Worksheets & resources | Guide only | Checklists & roadmaps | Full worksheet set | Single resource |
| English + EspaƱol | English | English & EspaƱol | English & EspaƱol | English |
The strongest preparation happens when every part tells the same story.
The Complete Asylum Success System
Four stages, in the order a case actually moves.
The teaching comes first. Worksheets and practical resources follow the lessons they are designed to help you apply.
Understand
Asylum law and case theory. What the claim has to establish before anything is written.
Build
Your declaration and the evidence that supports it, drafted so the two agree.
Prepare
Country conditions research and Form I-589, part by part.
Move Forward
Case file organization, what happens after you file, and interview preparation.
Educational information, not legal advice.
Created by CIELO
Built from real immigration practice. Written so you can actually use it.
Rosina C. Stambaugh, Esq., LL.M.
Founder, CIELO
CIELO was created to make high-quality immigration education more accessible to people who may be preparing their cases without full legal representation.
Attorney Stambaugh has represented clients before the Department of Homeland Security (USCIS), the Department of State, in immigration court, before the Board of Immigration Appeals and before the Circuit Court, as well as in criminal matters. She has also spent years providing pro bono representation to families who otherwise may not have had access to legal help.
The materials inside CIELO are built from the frameworks, preparation steps, and practical considerations used in real immigration practice, translated into a format that self-filers can follow.
- 2019–2026Selected to the Pennsylvania Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers
- 2022Immigration Law Pro Bono Award, Pennsylvania Bar Association
- 2020Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Pennsylvania Bar Association
- MemberAmerican Immigration Lawyers Association
Two complete courses
ENGLISH&ESPAĆOL
The core CIELO courses are taught separately in English and in Spanish, so you can learn the process in the language that makes it clearest.
Full Spanish lesson experience•Full English lesson experience•Spanish worksheets where available
Every lesson in both courses exists in English and in Spanish, along with the core worksheets. Several supplementary reference PDFs are currently English only, and are identified as such inside the Spanish course.
Free guide
Start here. It costs you nothing.
How to Apply for Asylum Without a Lawyer sets out seven mistakes that can weaken an asylum filing, and what to do instead.
- 7 mistakes that can weaken an asylum filing
- How the pieces of an asylum case fit together
- Written by an immigration attorney. Free to keep.
Because your future is too important to leave to guesswork. Educational information, not legal advice.
Questions before you start?
Is this legal advice?
Can this replace a lawyer?
Are the courses really taught in Spanish?
What is the difference between the Kit and the System?
Does this guarantee my case will be approved?
How do I access it after I buy?
Two complete courses · English & EspaƱol
Walk in prepared, not hoping.
Work through asylum law, case theory, your declaration, evidence, country conditions, Form I-589, case organization and the interview in one structured CIELO program. In English or in Spanish.
Educational information, not legal advice.
No immigration outcome is promised or implied.
