Is my interview in Newark or at the Manhattan Branch?
Read your interview notice: USCIS says it gives the date, time and location. As read on October 31, 2026, USCIS gives both addresses one service area: Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, limited to 41 Pennsylvania counties and 50 New York counties, including Manhattan and the Bronx. Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island appear under the New York Asylum Office in Bethpage, and 26 other Pennsylvania counties under the Arlington Asylum Office. We found no current USCIS rule saying which applicants go to which Newark address. A 2022 USCIS list for one applicant group did split them, but it is old and should not guide you now. To find an office, USCIS points to its online Asylum Office Locator.
How do I get into the building at 100 Mulberry Street?
USCIS says to use the first-floor entrance, Suite 199, underneath the escalator. After security, you take an elevator to the 16th or 17th floor for the interview. PATH, NJ Transit and Amtrak reach Newark Penn Station; from there, walk southwest on Raymond Plaza West, right on Market Street, right on Mulberry Street, and the building is on your right. Drivers have two approaches. From New York City, Delaware, or Pennsylvania on I-78, USCIS uses NJ-21 North, left on Lafayette Street, right on Mulberry Street, building on the right. From I-280, it uses NJ-21 South, right on Center Street, left on Mulberry Street, building on the left. Paid lots vary in price, and USCIS encourages public transit.
Where exactly is the Manhattan Branch?
USCIS lists 201 Varick Street, Sixth Floor, Suite 629, New York, NY 10014, with the entrance on West Houston Street. The same building holds the Varick immigration court, which EOIR lists on the 5th Floor in Room 507. They are separate agencies: a USCIS interview notice sends you to the 6th Floor office, and a hearing notice sends you to the court. If your paper is from an immigration court, use our guide to confirming a hearing date and court. USCIS lists the 1 train at Houston Street, the A, C and E at Spring Street, PATH at Christopher Street, and the M20 and M21 buses. It lists metered parking on Varick and Hudson Streets and nearby garages, with rates that may change.
Can I call, email or stop by with a question?
Do not stop by. Since April 20, 2026, USCIS says this office no longer offers in-person information services at either address. The phone is 973-848-3100 and the email is NewarkAsylumOfficeMailbox@uscis.dhs.gov, but staff do not give case status by phone; use uscis.gov/casestatus with your receipt number. USCIS warns against emailing a Social Security number or A-Number unless it is in an encrypted or password-protected attachment. The USCIS Contact Center, 800-375-5283, TTY 800-767-1833, answers Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. Mail for both locations goes to the Mulberry Street address, including extra evidence for a pending case. A new Form I-589 is never filed at this office; USCIS sends you to the form's filing instructions.
What if I cannot make my interview date?
Call the Contact Center at 800-375-5283, not the office. USCIS takes the request before the appointment, on the day, or within 10 days after a missed interview, and asks for your reason and any evidence. You must prove exceptional circumstances, and USCIS answers in writing. There is one exception: if USCIS did not mail the notice to the latest address you gave it through its update procedures, it reschedules without that proof. A request may affect your eligibility for work authorization. Also check USCIS's office closings page before leaving, even with a scheduled appointment. Whether you will be interviewed at all is a separate question, covered in our guide to affirmative asylum.
What happens if I miss the interview or my lawyer cannot come?
USCIS acts once 10 calendar days pass after a missed interview with no reschedule request. If you have a lawful basis to remain in the U.S., it dismisses the application. If you do not, it refers the application to an immigration judge. If you are on parole, it decides case by case whether to end the parole and refer the case. Form G-28 does not stop the interview when a lawyer is absent, and USCIS says you are responsible for your lawyer's attendance. If a reschedule is denied and your lawyer cannot come, you either sign a waiver and proceed alone or accept referral to court, which USCIS treats as a failure to appear. Our asylum practice page explains representation.