Updates for ASAP Members – December 2025

ASAP members: We are so sorry for how things are changing, and we will do our best to keep you updated. We are proud to stand alongside you, and we will continue to fight for your rights, no matter how difficult things become. Please read our December update below.

January 7 Update

• Some immigration judges are sending notices to asylum seekers stating that the $100 annual asylum fee in immigration court is due. If you receive a notice, it should include a deadline, and you can pay online. This is happening even though a federal judge had previously paused the annual asylum fee in ASAP members' lawsuit. We do not believe that USCIS is starting to charge the fee again.

Recent News

• 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. 

• At this time, USCIS is not approving new immigration benefits for individuals from 40 countries, including asylum, green cards, and renewal work permits. The government also made other negative announcements affecting individuals from these countries.

• USCIS is also pausing all asylum decisions for individuals from any country, but they say they will still accept new asylum applications and conduct interviews.

• We do not know if immigration court cases will be impacted by the pause. But here are some things to know before your next immigration court hearing.

• Asylum seekers can apply for commercial driver’s licenses again. The government tried to stop many immigrants from receiving CDLs, but a court blocked the change for now.

• TPS for Burma (Myanmar) is ending on January 26, 2026. TPS for Haiti is ending on February 3, 2026. Courts have stopped TPS for Syria and South Sudan from ending for now. Read updates for every country with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). 

• Initial work permit delays have increased.

• ASAP and our partners in the Work Permit Coalition are advocating for automatic work permit extensions.

• Read about safety measures and other information for asylum seekers. 

• Read more about how laws are changing for asylum seekers. 

Survey 

• With so many changes, we want to understand what issues ASAP members care about most. Please respond to this short survey by December 8 [Survey is closed].

Resources for members

• Search for a lawyer and other services.

• Read answers to more than 100 common immigration questions.

• Watch videos about asylum, work permits, and more.

• Look up your ASAP membership card.

• Are you receiving these updates in the wrong language or to the wrong email or phone number? Fill out this form to update your contact information, to switch your language to English or Spanish, or to cancel your ASAP membership.

You can view previous updates for ASAP members here.