@Hanuman1:
No, they did not have an asylum case.
They wanted to apply for asylum, but the lawyer refused because asylum for someone from Nepal who’s been here more than a year is almost never approved in court. So the firm went with Cancellation of Removal instead. And it worked.
The lawyer was really surprised to find out that the NTA issued to them had already been filed with EOIR, which made the Master Calendar Hearing come up in less than five weeks at Hyattsville, Maryland. Otherwise, this kind of case takes more than a year to get relief. Everything in the case moved extremely fast. He said the one good thing was that the other side attorney didn’t dispute or object to anything in the court. It shows how much they want to push people out and hit their quota.
The lawyer’s office also said the smart thing is to keep your papers handy at all times, make copies, have an extra person ready if you get locked up, and make sure a bond person is available. Don’t just sit at home waiting for some miracle to happen. Do what is needed. In this case, this family had done their homework.