USCIS announced a proposed regulation that would lengthen work authorization application wait times for asylum seekers.

USCIS announced a proposed regulation that would lengthen work authorization application wait times for asylum seekers. On Friday, September 6 USCIS announced a proposed regulation to remove the maximum 30-day processing time requirement for asylum applicant work authorization applications. Currently, USCIS has 30 days from the filing date of Form I-765 to grant or deny the employment authorization request. Citing issues with resource allocation and national security, USCIS is seeking to “eliminate the regulation articulating a 30-day processing timeframe,” which would give USCIS officers discretion in application processing times. If the 30-day requirement is removed, the loss in compensation to asylum seekers could be up to $774.76 million annually, according to the USCIS proposed rule. The full rule was scheduled to be published on Monday, September 9. USCIS will accept feedback on the rule until November 8, 2019.

– Weekly Immigration Briefing by Olivia Hester, Immigration Law Analyst at Docketwise

Posted in: Immigration

posted on: September 18, 2019