Changes Coming on Aug 21- Be Aware

I think they summarized the situation well, regarding the two new rules, to take effect August 21(30 day EAD issuance rule) and August 25 (waiting 1 year to submit EAD application):

New rules

a) USCIS doesn't have to make decisions on an EAD application within 30 days.
b) Wait 365 days after asylum application to submit an EAD application.

New grounds of 'inegilibity' to apply and obtain an EAD as an asylum applicant:

a) Applied for asylum after 1 year? Sorry, no EAD for you
b) Convicted of a serious offense? Sorry, no EAD for you
c) Entered this US without being inspected at a port of entry? Sorry, no EAD for you
d) etc.

These are devastating changes. What this means, essentially, is that even after waiting one year, USCIS will take it's sweet time to adjudicate your EAD application. Who knows how long that will take? Potentially, people will be waiting years to get an EAD, on top of waiting for the asylum application to be processed.
 
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Do you guys think that it'll be blocked now?[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately the blockage of this rule is a few years down the road. I think the best case scenario is one year
 
Do not count on political changes to make things better. In 2008, i met a guy from Africa with no status in Chicago. At that time, he was saying he looked forward to obama getting elected so that he can get a path to citizenship. 14 years later, nothing has happened.

Do not plan your life based on political changes. Trust me, it never works. These new rules will be on the books for years, do not count on them being removed any time soon.
 
Unfortunately the blockage of this rule is a few years down the road. I think the best case scenario is one year
Do not count on political changes to make things better. In 2008, i met a guy from Africa with no status in Chicago. At that time, he was saying he looked forward to Obama getting elected so that he can get a path to citizenship. 14 years later, nothing has happened.

Do not plan your life based on political changes. Trust me, it never works. These new rules will be on the books for years, do not count on them being removed any time soon.[/QUOTE]
You're right; we should not plan our life based on that. if its on cogress etc. But in this case Chances are; as its already in front of federal Judge. Like in Obama era the federal judge blocked his order "giving status to parents of USCs" ... And also i guess couple of years ago, Trump's immigration changes were blocked by a Judge
 
Do not count on political changes to make things better. In 2008, i met a guy from Africa with no status in Chicago. At that time, he was saying he looked forward to obama getting elected so that he can get a path to citizenship. 14 years later, nothing has happened.

Do not plan your life based on political changes. Trust me, it never works. These new rules will be on the books for years, do not count on them being removed any time soon.

^^ THIS!! If you believe that some president, congressman or a “future bill” is going to change your life, you are living in a fool’s paradise. Try to find solution to your problems in the existing realities. That way whether the political change happens or not would not matter to you. Great piece of advice for life in general. Right now people are pinning their hopes on 3 things - trump shall lose, Biden will be elected and he will remove all the rules, make it easier for immigrants and perhaps bring in an immigration reform. Remember, the last major immigration reform was in 1965...it’s a political landline that no one wants to touch. Reagan is still blamed for his 1986 “amnesty”.
 
Also there will be fee for EAD.

would also become one of the few countries in the world to charge an individual for applying for asylum ($50) and raise the cost for an asylum applicant to apply for an employment authorization document (EAD) from the current zero to $490, one of many policy changes to discourage potential asylum applicants. DHS commented, “DHS does not believe that the EAD fee is unduly burdensome for asylum seekers.”
 
Also there will be fee for EAD.
It's a rule implemented by people in DHS who have NO idea the position of asylum seekers. I think, people who were asylees should work at DHS. This will help DHS to implement items that make sense.

I had zero money when I was fighting my asylum case. Where would one find $50 for the application? $490 for the EAD? This is brutal stuff.
 
Let it be; If they do any faster :)
The asylum procedure will certainly become a lot slower if Trump does not get re-elected even if there was no pandemic because:

1) The USCIS hired too many extra asylum officers in the past 3 years, which is part of the reason for their financial crisis. Just compare the number of interviews conducted in 2016 vs 2019 and you'll see the huge difference. They were planning on hiring more AOs before the pandemic but it won't happen. The administration's policy of using under-trained AOs is heavily criticized and we will see a reduction in the number of AOs that do affirmative interviews. They will probably relocate some of their forces to the border to do credible fear interviews.

2) The southern border will be re-opened and the immigration court waiting time will increase drastically as a result of migrants flowing in.

Add the effect of pandemic-induced slowdown to the above and you face a wait time of 5-6 years to get an interview if you're lucky. Don't forget that if you applied during the pandemic, you will be definitely buried underneath a heavy backlog because more people apply after you while the asylum office does no interview and the LIFO system will screw you later. The asylum offices don't do shit right now. My lawyer had only one interview at the Chicago office within 2 months after they reopened.

Finally, Biden called the COVID-related travel ban that Trump imposed on China Xenophobic. China is the second largest source of affirmative asylum applicants in the US and I could imagine Biden ending the travel ban just to look like a good old Democrat. Once the US embassies start issuing tourist visas again, the asylum scene will turn into a real shit show.
 
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