About
    Mission and Values
    Our Members
    Our Staff
    Our Board
    Our Priorities
    Jobs and Internships
    Get Newsletter
    Press
    Members
    Become a Member
    Common Questions
    Facts about our Members
    Member Priorities
    Work Permits
    How to Apply
    The CASA Lawsuit
    The Tony N. Lawsuit
    Help
    Donate

    Search

Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP)

  • About
    • Mission and Values
    • Our Members
    • Our Staff
    • Our Board
    • Our Priorities
    • Jobs and Internships
    • Get Newsletter
  • Press
  • Members
    • Become a Member
    • Common Questions
    • Facts about our Members
    • Member Priorities
  • Work Permits
    • How to Apply
    • The CASA Lawsuit
    • The Tony N. Lawsuit
  • Help
  • Donate
  • Español

51 Mayors Join ASAP Members to Fight for Faster Work Permits!

April 20, 2023

Across the United States, mayors and city governments are joining Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP) members in the fight for faster work permits!

On March 28, 2023, over 50 mayors and city governments sent a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). They asked USCIS to make it faster and easier for asylum seekers to get a work permit, and shared other specific ideas from ASAP members. The mayors who signed the letter represent many large cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, North Miami, and Austin!

ASAP worked on this letter in response to ASAP members’ number one priority –  to speed up processing for work permits and the asylum system.

As one ASAP member from Nigeria explained: “I would like to shorten or eliminate the wait completely for asylum seekers to be able to apply for work authorization. It is an extreme hardship to have to wait years for the asylum process to be completed and not be able to obtain work authorization.”

ASAP staff collected many ideas from members about how to improve the work permit system and shared those ideas anonymously with the mayors. The mayors agreed with ASAP members that USCIS should process work permits more quickly and that work permits should be valid for a longer time!

In the letter, the mayors said: “Our communities have asylum seekers that want to work to support themselves and their families, and at the same time, the employers in our city face a historic labor shortage. Our cities and municipalities feel these unnecessary delays.”

You can read the full letter and all of the recommendations here.

We are excited that so many mayors and city governments are following the lead of ASAP members! It is important that the government knows that mayors across the United States agree with ASAP members and believe that asylum seekers should get work permits faster. We hope this letter will push USCIS to make it faster and easier for asylum seekers to get a work permit.

Learn more:

  • You can watch a NBC news report on the mayors who are advocating for faster work permits here. (This video is in English.)
  • If your work permit is delayed, you can read more about what you can do at this ASAP page.

 


Latest News

05 Oct

Member Spotlight: Deema and Farrah

One day in 2022, after spending months out of work while her work permit application made its way through a...

04 Oct

ASAP Reaches 500,000 Members

Dear ASAP members, ASAP has reached 500,000 members! We are so excited to share this news with you. With over...

03 Oct

5 Ways to Change the Asylum Process

ASAP is the largest community of asylum seekers in U.S. history. We ask all ASAP members an optional question: “What...

19 Jul

ASAP Member Wendi Celebrates Win

Wendi, a single mother seeking asylum from Guatemala, played a central role in ASAP’s CASA v. Mayorkas lawsuit that led...

01 May

Justice for Separated Families

Learn how Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project members have been fighting for justice for separated families for five years in this...

25 Apr

10 Million+ Resources Views

ASAP’s legal educational resources—videos, infographics, FAQs, and more—have now been accessed more than 10 million times!

01 Jun

Members Propose Changes to USCIS

In April of 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (a government agency also known as “USCIS” that decides immigration applications,...

30 May

Media Features ASAP Members

ASAP members spoke out in dozens of media outlets, from the New York Times to People Magazine to CNN.

29 May

ASAP Videos Viewed 1 Million Times

ASAP posts bilingual videos on YouTube that help asylum seekers navigate the complex U.S. immigration system.

20 May

ASAP’s 2022 Annual Report

View ASAP’s latest annual report! The report features quotes from members and staff, one member’s story of fighting for change,...

Join Us Here!

  • Donate
  • About
  • Press
  • Members
  • Privacy Policy
  • Help
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2023 · Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project · Site by Ready to Blog Designs

  • Español