What Applicants Need to Know About the Latest DHS Announcement On July 27, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an important change to the affirmative asylum process that could affect thousands of applicants with pending cases. Under a new interim final rule, USCIS may now refer certain affirmative asylum applications directly to an Immigration Judge without first conducting an asylum interview. For many applicants, this represents a significant p
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a major rule change affecting people with pending affirmative asylum applications. Under the new interim final rule, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services may refer certain affirmative asylum applications directly to the immigration courts without first conducting an interview with a USCIS asylum officer. This is a significant departure from USCIS’s longstanding practice of generally offering affirmative asylum applicant
If you have a pending asylum application in the United States, you may be required to pay the Annual Asylum Fee (AAF). Understanding whether the fee applies to your case, where to pay it, and how to complete the payment correctly is essential to protecting your immigration case. This guide explains who must pay the fee, how to determine where your case is pending, and the payment process for each agency. Who Must Pay the Annual Asylum Fee? The Annual Asylum Fee generally appl
