'Could take 14 to 173 years...': New rules for US asylum seekers could tighten access to work permits

Donald Trump

• Trump proposes stricter work permit rules for asylum seekers
• New rule could suspend work permits for many asylum applicants
• Illegal migrants must notify authorities within 48 hours

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The administration of Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a proposed rule that would significantly tighten access to work permits for asylum seekers, framing the move as an effort to curb fraudulent claims and ease pressure on the immigration system.

Under the plan, employment authorisation for many asylum applicants could be suspended for extended periods. “For too long, a fraudulent asylum claim has been an easy path to working in the United States, overwhelming our immigration system with meritless applications,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said. “We are proposing an overhaul of the asylum system to enforce the rules and reduce the backlog we inherited from the prior administration. Aliens are not entitled to work while we process their asylum applications. The Trump administration is strengthening the vetting of asylum applicants and restoring integrity to the asylum and work authorisation processes.”

Officials pointed to the scale of pending cases to justify the proposed changes. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services currently has more than 1.4 million affirmative asylum applications awaiting adjudication, a figure the administration noted is comparable to the entire population of the state of New Hampshire.

If finalised, the rule would bar new asylum applicants from receiving work permits until average processing times for certain cases fall to 180 days or less. According to the administration’s estimate, it could take anywhere from 14 to 173 years to reach that threshold and resume issuing work permits under the new standard.

The proposal also targets migrants who entered the United States illegally. Such individuals would not be eligible for new work permits unless they notified authorities within 48 hours of crossing the border that they feared persecution in their home country.

At present, asylum seekers are allowed to apply for employment authorization after a waiting period of about 150 days. The administration argues the new framework would reduce incentives for filing frivolous, fraudulent, or otherwise meritless asylum claims by revising filing and eligibility requirements tied to pending applications.