You are welcome here.
ASAP is the largest organization of asylum seekers in the United States. Members receive time-sensitive immigration updates and work together for change.
USCIS and immigration courts can now require an annual asylum fee of $102 if your asylum application has been pending for at least one year. Previously, a judge had paused these fees, but the judge ended that pause on February 2.
Courts have blocked the government from ending TPS for Burma (Myanmar), Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, South Sudan, and Syria are valid for now. TPS for Somalia is ending on March 17, 2026. TPS for Ethiopia is ending on February 13, 2026. See updates for each country with Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Starting on January 21, 2026, the U.S. government is pausing processing of immigrant visas for 75 countries. The 75 countries are: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
We frequently update this page with new information for asylum seekers.
Travel restrictions for individuals from specific countries start on January 1, 2026. USCIS has stopped approving most immigration benefits for individuals from these countries, including asylum, green cards, and work permit renewals. The countries are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This news is in addition to announcements affecting individuals from 19 other countries earlier this month.
Work permits issued after December 4, 2025 to asylum seekers will be valid for 18 months, instead of 5 years. However, if you received a 5-year work permit on or before December 4, 2025, it is still valid for 5 years. This change also applies to some other immigrants.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments about whether the birthright citizenship Executive Order is legal, as part of a lawsuit called Barbara v. Trump. The Supreme Court will probably decide this issue by early July 2026. Today, all babies born in the U.S. are U.S. citizens.
"I followed the instructions in this video, and today I got my work permit." — ASAP Member
"Not only are we here to seek a safe home, but we are also here to improve the country." — ASAP Member
