Expert Work

Firsthand insight into how asylum and refugee cases are screened, interviewed, analyzed, reviewed, and decided.

Jason Marks spent eleven years at USCIS as an Asylum Officer, Refugee Officer, Asylum Training Officer, and Supervisory Refugee Officer. He provides independent expert consultation, case assessment, litigation support, analysis, and professional training across the U.S. asylum and refugee systems.

His perspective is both legal and operational—grounded in interviewing applicants, assessing credibility and eligibility, reviewing records, training officers, supervising adjudications, and navigating complex inadmissibility issues, mandatory bars, and national-security concerns.

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11years serving in USCIS asylum and refugee programs
Thousandsof asylum and refugee cases adjudicated or reviewed at USCIS
Hundredsof USCIS asylum and refugee officers trained
Globalassignments in the United States and across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania

Services

Specialized support for complex matters.

01

Attorney consultations & case assessment

Focused consultation with counsel on complex asylum, refugee, and related immigration matters, including case theory, evidentiary development, adjudicative risk, testimony, procedural posture, and how the record is likely to be evaluated, developed, and decided from an officer or supervisory perspective.

02

Expert declarations

Independent expert analysis concerning USCIS asylum and refugee operations, adjudicative practice, officer training, supervisory review, policy implementation, and related institutional issues.

03

Litigation support

Support for counsel developing claims, evidence, briefing, examination strategy, institutional background, and expert presentation in matters involving asylum or refugee adjudication.

04

Case-file & adjudicative-record review

Close review of filings, interview records, assessments, notices, declarations, and supporting evidence to identify strengths, inconsistencies, unanswered questions, record-development needs, and likely adjudicative concerns.

05

Mock asylum & refugee interviews

Realistic interview simulations followed by structured feedback on clarity, chronology, responsiveness, credibility concerns, testimony development, and likely areas of follow-up. Preparation—not scripting.

06

Training & CLEs

Customized programs for law firms, nonprofits, bar associations, law schools, universities, and professional audiences on affirmative asylum and Form I-589 adjudication, overseas refugee processing and Form I-590 adjudication, unaccompanied children (UACs), fear-screening processes, legal elements, interviewing, credibility, testimony development, mandatory bars, TRIG, security review, and policy implementation.

07

Policy, operational & media analysis

Briefings for organizations, researchers, journalists, and productions seeking an informed account of agency structure, adjudicative practice, implementation risk, and the difference between formal policy and frontline reality.

08

Speaking

Panels, keynote conversations, guest lectures, podcasts, and moderated discussions on asylum, refugee protection, immigration policy, USRAP, overseas processing, public service, Ukraine, and institutional practice.

Selected areas of experience

Legal, adjudicative, and operational depth.

  1. 01

    Affirmative asylum adjudication (Form I-589), overseas refugee adjudication (Form I-590), asylum pre-screening, credible- and reasonable-fear screening, and CAT-related protection issues

  2. 02

    Unaccompanied children (UACs), child-sensitive interviewing and testimony development, procedural considerations, and protection issues affecting children

  3. 03

    Asylum and refugee eligibility, legal-elements analysis, nexus, protected grounds (including particular social group), dual-nationality and other citizenship issues, third-country residence or protection, the one-year filing deadline, firm resettlement, and discretionary determinations

  4. 04

    Interviewing, testimony development, credibility assessment, country conditions, officer notes, assessment structure, and decision documentation

  5. 05

    Mandatory bars, criminal and security-related inadmissibility, TRIG and material support, national-security vetting, FDNS coordination, and CARRP-related processes

  6. 06

    Officer training, mentoring, supervisory review, quality assurance, circuit-ride leadership, and policy implementation

  7. 07

    Afghan refugee and asylum adjudications, Operation Allies Welcome-related processing, classified and unclassified reporting, elevated review, and institutional operations

Selected Expert Work

Expert analysis and practitioner resources.

Expert Declaration — Federal Asylum Litigation →Expert analysis in federal litigation challenging the application of complex asylum bars during initial screening, involving an Afghan applicant facing removal.Afghan Practitioner Guide →Preparing Afghan Protection CasesA free, adjudication-focused guide for attorneys and advocates covering life-history development, country conditions, difficult eligibility issues, and preparation for the full adjudicative process.

Inquiry

Let me know how I may be most helpful. Please do not include confidential or sensitive information in your initial outreach.

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