A sweeping proposal from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could leave thousands of asylum applicants in the United States waiting not just months—but potentially decades—for the right to work.
Under a draft rule unveiled by President Donald Trump’s administration, employment authorization for new asylum applicants would be halted until federal processing times fall to an average of 180 days or less. On paper, that benchmark sounds procedural. In practice, current backlogs make it a distant horizon.
Government estimates suggest that, based on present timelines, restoring work permits could take anywhere from 14 years to more than a century. Officials note that improvements in efficiency or policy shifts could shorten that span—but the numbers underscore the scale of the bottleneck.
The administration frames the move as a recalibration. The goal, it says, is to deter what it characterizes as weak or fraudulent asylum filings made primarily to obtain work permits, while easing the strain on the adjudication system and allowing for more rigorous security checks. Employment authorization, the proposal emphasizes, is discretionary—not automatic.
The draft regulation would also narrow eligibility. Migrants who entered the country unlawfully would generally be barred from receiving new work permits or renewing existing ones. Exceptions would be limited, including for those who promptly notified border authorities—within 48 hours—of a credible fear of persecution or other urgent circumstances.
The proposal is expected to draw court challenges and sharp political debate. It forms part of a broader immigration agenda aimed at tightening both legal and unauthorized entry pathways. Public comments will be accepted for 60 days once the measure is formally published, after which the administration can move toward finalizing the rule.
For asylum seekers, the stakes are immediate and personal. Without work authorization, applicants often rely on community networks, charity, or local assistance programs while their cases inch forward. If the rule is adopted as drafted, the waiting room could become far longer—and far more uncertain.
