The U.S. government passed a new law that will add fees for asylum applications and work permits

On July 4, 2025, the U.S. government passed a new law. This law adds new fees to apply for asylum and work permits, and makes other changes that impact ASAP members. These are some of the key changes. 

Work permits for asylum seekers 

It will now cost $550 to apply for a first work permit as an asylum seeker. Before, there was no fee. The fee to renew a work permit as an asylum seeker will likely also increase. But it is not yet clear what the new renewal fee will be. It will not be possible to apply for a fee waiver. 

We do not know when USCIS will start charging these new fees – you can check this USCIS website and select “I-765” for the latest information. 

The new law also says that some work permits for asylum seekers will automatically end after an asylum seeker loses their case. But this is only true in specific circumstances – learn more here. 

In one piece of good news, thanks to ASAP members’ advocacy, this law does NOT shorten the length of work permits for asylum seekers. (Originally, the bill included a proposal that would have shortened work permits for asylum seekers to only 6 months.) New work permits for asylum seekers continue to be valid for 5 years.

Asylum applications 

It will now cost $100 to submit a new asylum application, and $100 per year to continue with your asylum case. It will not be possible to apply for a fee waiver. Before this change, there were no fees to apply for asylum.

The government has not yet set up a system to pay these fees, or provided many details about how the fees will work. Below we are sharing what we know for now for people in different situations: 

• Applied before July 4: If you applied for asylum before July 4, 2025, it is unclear if you will need to start paying the $100 annual fee in 2025 to continue your asylum case. We will update this page if we learn more. 

• Applying with USCIS after July 4: We do not know when USCIS will start charging the fee for new asylum applications. You can check this USCIS website and select “I-589” for fee information before submitting an application. 

• Applying in immigration court after July 4: For now, you are supposed to be able to submit your asylum application in immigration court without the fee, and then pay the fee later. However, there have been reports of some judges refusing to accept asylum applications without the $100 payment. If this happens to you, you can try to submit your asylum application again with a copy of this government document that says the court should accept it. 

 We will update this page as we learn more. 

TPS and TPS-based work permits 

The fee to apply for TPS and the fee to apply for a work permit based on TPS will both increase. But we do not know when USCIS will start charging the new fees. You can check this USCIS website and select the correct application for the latest information. 

New work permits based on TPS will only be valid for one year, or until the expiration date of the TPS – whichever is shorter. Based on our current understanding of the law, this should only apply to new work permits based on TPS. 

Work permits based on parole 

The fee to apply for a work permit based on parole will increase. But we do not know when USCIS will start charging the new fee. You can check this USCIS website and select “I-765” for the latest information. 

New work permits based on parole will only be valid for one year, or until the expiration date of the parole – whichever is shorter. Based on our current understanding of the law, this should only apply to new work permits based on parole.

Other changes

This bill made many other changes, some related to immigration and some about other issues. 

This bill increases the amount of money that the government can spend on immigration arrests and detention.

The bill also increased fees for other immigration applications and processes, such as Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). If you are planning to submit a new application to USCIS, you can check this USCIS website and select your form.