Online employment authorization filing now available to some asylum applicants

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that certain asylum applicants can now file applications for employment authorization online.

Key Points:

• Applicants under category (c)(8) Pending Asylum and Withholding of Removal Applicants and Applicants for Pending Asylum under the ABC Settlement agreement may now file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online.
• Eligible applicants may file Form I-765 150 days after filing an asylum application.
• Due to delays in issuing receipts for asylum applications, USCIS said pending asylum applicants may use their Form I-589 filing date for the purposes of Employment Authorization Document eligibility.

Additional Information: USCIS said it made this change in order to improve processing efficiency and reduce wait times. Only certain categories of applicants are eligible to file Form I-765 online. USCIS may deny applications without refunding fees for individuals who submit Form I-765 online under an ineligible category. More information about filing Form I-765 is available here.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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