In addition to the information posted by MazeMyan, the person applying for asylum i.e. you, have to able to prove that you personally have faced threat/injuries as a result of your affiliation with one of the five criteria listed above. It is NOT enough to show that a family member or colleague faced harrassment etc if it did not personally impact you. The additional hurdel is that due to a large number of fake applications, USCIS is very particular about the statament of facts that you present and in recent months has begun a system of checking the facts as you claim with what the U.S embassy in the home country believes/knows to be true..meaning, you can't say whatever the heck you want. The fallout of an unsuccessful application can be very severe; If your asylum petition is rejected, you have the right to appeal the decision by USCIS to the BIA (Board of Immigration Appeal) but if the BIA also rejects your petition, the only option in deportation- either the U.S Govt will deport you which renders you ineligible to re-enter the U.S for 10 years from the date of deportation. The second alternative is to opt for a "voluntary departure" which means you agree to leave on your own terms. Immigration auhtorities will give you a departure date by which time you HAVE to leave the country, failure to do so renders you inadmissible for another 10 years. If you leave on your own within the time given, you are eligible to apply for re-entry after 5 years from the date of deportation. I know lots of people think they can fool the system and not show up for deportation hearings, but, failure to appear at removal hearings is an offense also punishible by bar of 10 years from re-entry. All this means is that you need to be careful before applying for Political Asylum..I know lots of people think it's easier to get it but this is a big misconception.