Asylum applicants don't qualify for a work permit until their case is won or a certain number of days have passed with no decision.

Under U.S. immigration laws, only certain immigrants are allowed to work, usually after they apply for a work permit called an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The only sure way to receive a work permit as an asylum applicant is, unfortunately, to win your case. After a win, you would not only gain the right to work in the U.S., but would not need to apply for an EAD with which to do so. Your asylum grant allows you to obtain an unrestricted Social Security card, which is all you need to present to an employer.

However, some applicants for asylum will qualify based on the length of time they've waited for a decision on their case, as discussed in this article.

How Long Must an Asylum Applicant Wait Before Qualifying for an EAD?

Until August 25, 2020, asylum applicants had to have been awaiting a decision (from the asylum office, immigration court, or a higher court) only 150 days before becoming eligible to receive the EAD. And, applicants would need to have been waiting a total of 180 days before the work permit could be issued.

These eligibility rules have since been changed, however, by USCIS. But the changes are the subject of litigation. In fact, they were temporarily put on hold by a federal court in the case of Casa de Maryland, Inc. v. Wolf, pending the final outcome of the case.

If the changes survive the litigation then, in order to apply for an EAD with a pending application, you will need to have been waiting 365 days or more with no initial decision on your application from the asylum office or from the immigration court.

Is a wait that long likely to happen? In the past, you could expect to wait months or even years before you spoke to an asylum officer or immigration judge about your asylum application. But USCIS has taken steps to combat what it saw as a problem of people applying for asylum mainly to get a work permit. In 2018, it began scheduling recent asylum applicants BEFORE people who'd applied earlier, to make sure they had less of a chance of receiving a work permit. (Speak to an attorney for the latest information on how long you are likely to wait.)

Different I-589 Filing Procedures Depending on What Stage Your Application Is At

If you're applying with USCIS ("affirmatively"), you'll get a receipt notice telling you when it receives your application, which will be the date you begin counting the 150 or 365 days (depending on which rules ultimately win out).

If you're applying after being placed in removal proceedings, you might not have to be in front of an immigration judge to get the process started. In the past, courts allowed people to "lodge" (give to the court in person or, during the COVID-19 pandemic, via email) a not-entirely-complete asylum application. It is uncertain, however, whether lodging will continue under the new rules.

Under the lodging procedures, the court stamps your copy, so that when applying for your EAD you can show USCIS that date for purposes of figuring out when you're eligible. You'll still have to officially "file" your full asylum application with the immigration judge later, but before having been in the United States for one year.

Another option if you’re in removal proceedings is to file your full asylum application with the immigration court as part of the proceedings. That application will be the one the immigration judge reviews in considering your case for asylum. The court will stamp your copy with the date, so that when you apply for your EAD you can prove to USCIS that the 150 or 365 days started that day.

Your wait to apply for an EAD could be even longer. If your asylum application has been been delayed by something you did and the delay is still ongoing when you apply, your EAD application will be denied under the new rules. (Under the old rules, your delay would "stop the clock," and restarting it could be difficult.)

You might end up delaying your asylum application for any of various reasons. For example, you might request more time, or fail to show up for a fingerprinting appointment, or request to submit additional evidence, or submit additional evidence less than 14 days before your interview, or fail to bring an interpreter to your interview.

If you're in removal proceedings, the government can consider your case delayed if you ask for your case to be postponed so you can get an attorney; if you ask for more time to prepare your case; if you say no when the judge asks you if you want your asylum claim to be heard sooner than normal; or if you file a motion that delays your case.

Procedures to Apply for a Work Permit

If the required number of days pass with no initial decision on your asylum application, you'll need to determine whether you are eligible for a work permit and take steps to apply for it.

In the past, immigration regulations gave USCIS up to 30 days to make a decision on I-765s from asylum applicants. However, the government is attempting to do away with that regulation as well in 2020, saying USCIS needs more "flexibility."

The application process involves filling out USCIS Form I-765. For more detailed instructions, see How to Apply for a Work Permit as an Asylum Applicant.

For in-depth information on asylum and refugee protections and all key immigration law issues, see U.S. Immigration Made Easy by Ilona Bray (Nolo).