US attorneys Banned remote participation for asylum seekers
Los Angeles/Apr 30, 2026
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh
US, Trump administration is moving to end attorneys' remote participation in certain immigration interviews.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in an alert that, effective May 18, attorneys will no longer be permitted to appear via video or telephone for interviews at USCIS field offices, including asylum interviews and certain immigration relief interviews conducted under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act at asylum offices.
A new proposed rule would make it impossible for asylum seekers to apply for an initial work permit. It would also make work permit renewals more difficult. But this proposed rule is NOT final yet.
Government has stopped issuing new automatic work permit extensions for people applying to renew their work permits on or after October 30, 2025. But if you already received a 540-day extension on or before October 29, your extension is still valid!
Now costs $560 to apply for a first work permit as an asylum seeker. (Before, there was no fee.) The fee to renew an asylum-based work permit increased by $275. If you are renewing your work permit online, it now costs a total of $745. If you renew your work permit by mail, it now costs a total of $795.
On April 23, 2026, Immigration limits for 40 countries
U.S. government has announced new immigration limits for individuals from specific countries. These limits affect individuals already in the United States, as well as those outside the United States.
USCIS has paused processing of almost all immigration applications for people from these countries, including asylum, renewal work permits, permanent residency (green cards), and Form I-730 to apply for family members after you win asylum. However, this pause does NOT apply to initial work permits based on seeking asylum, category (c)(8). USCIS is still supposed to process initial work permit applications based on seeking asylum within 30 days.
USCIS has also said that even if it does again begin processing immigration applications for people from one of these countries, being from one of the countries on the list will be a “significant negative factor” in deciding many immigration applications, such as asylum or adjustment of status to permanent residence.
The government said they will review past immigration approvals won by people from these countries who arrived in the United States on or after January 20, 2021, and could reverse past approvals. The Policy Memorandum, published on December 2, instructs government officials to make a list of cases to review within 90 days.
Individuals from the 40 countries also face restrictions when traveling to the United States.
- These countries are: Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Burundi, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, The Gambia, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
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