USCIS has recently announced important updates regarding the filing location and documentation requirements for specific affirmative asylum applications submitted by mail. As part of these changes, a new edition of Form I-589 has been introduced, and certain documentation procedures have been modified. Under the revised guidelines, applicants are no longer required to include passport-style photos, multiple copies of the form,…
According to a report by Bloomberg, immigration officials have made significant strides in reducing the processing time for work permits of asylum seekers, following an unsuccessful attempt to hold the government accountable for worsening delays. Last year, the percentage of work permit applications processed by USCIS within the court-mandated 30-day timeframe dropped to less than 5% due to a surge…
USCIS is moving the processing of Form I-730 for following-to-join refugees from the Los Angeles Asylum Office to the newly established Form I-730 Processing Unit at the Asylum Vetting Center in Atlanta. The adjudicative processes for Form I-730s filed by refugee petitioners will remain the same, and only the processing location will change. USCIS will issue notices to petitioners with…
AILA Asylum Committee member Randall Chamberlain argues against in his article the expansion of the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) that was recently announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden. He states that the expansion closes a loophole within the agreement, which previously did not apply to people caught crossing irregularly…
U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Kyrsten Sinema have introduced the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act of 2023 with the aim of enabling asylum seekers to find employment and achieve self-sufficiency sooner. The waiting period before asylum seekers can receive work authorizations would be reduced under the legislation. Senator Angus King is a co-sponsor of the bill. The Asylum Seeker Work…
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that the Biden administration will reveal a new border security plan to handle an expected surge of migrants after pandemic-era immigration restrictions lift on May 11. Republican lawmakers have criticized the administration’s handling of the border, with Sen. Roger Marshall even filing a vote of no confidence resolution against Mayorkas. Illegal border crossings are…
