Asylum Seekers Face Longer Work Permit Wait Times Under Rule

Work permits for asylum seekers will likely be delayed under a final rule that removes the current requirement that permit applications must be decided within 30 days.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said the regulation is needed because it doesn’t meet the 30-day adjudication requirement more than half the time. The agency said it adjudicates approximately 78% of permit applications within 60 days, however.

It also said the rule is intended to ensure that it “has sufficient time to receive, screen, and process applications for an initial grant of employment authorization based on a pending asylum application,” while also reducing ...