Expert Work
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.
Services
01
Focused consultation with counsel on complex asylum, refugee, and related immigration matters, including case theory, evidentiary development, adjudicative risk, testimony, procedural posture, unaccompanied children, and the questions likely to arise from an officer or supervisory perspective.
02
Independent expert analysis concerning USCIS asylum and refugee operations, adjudicative practice, officer training, supervisory review, policy implementation, and related institutional issues.
03
Support for counsel developing claims, evidence, briefing, examination strategy, institutional background, and expert presentation in matters involving asylum or refugee adjudication.
04
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
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
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
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
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
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
Unaccompanied children (UACs), child-sensitive interviewing and testimony development, procedural considerations, and protection issues affecting children
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
Interviewing, testimony development, credibility assessment, country conditions, officer notes, assessment structure, and decision documentation
Mandatory bars, criminal and security-related inadmissibility, TRIG and material support, national-security vetting, FDNS coordination, and CARRP-related processes
Officer training, mentoring, supervisory review, quality assurance, circuit-ride leadership, and policy implementation
Afghan refugee and asylum adjudications, Operation Allies Welcome-related processing, classified and unclassified reporting, elevated review, and institutional operations
Inquiry
Let me know how I may be most helpful. Please do not send confidential or sensitive information through the website inquiry form.