Oasis and ASAP release tool to track when annual asylum fee deadline is approaching
WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP) and Oasis Legal Services (Oasis) launched a new tool at Asylum.Info which notifies asylum seekers with cases before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) when their annual asylum fee is due.
The annual asylum fee was created in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” in 2025. USCIS created harsh consequences for failure to pay the fee: rejection of an asylum application, and termination of work authorization for asylum seekers.
“When the government introduces new payment requirements that are confusing and difficult to navigate, the consequences for asylum seekers are devastating. Missing a deadline would put someone’s immigration case at risk. At Oasis, we built this tool to help make sure our clients don’t fall through the cracks. We’re partnering with ASAP to reach a million asylum seekers directly. This is one way we’re pushing back against barriers that put our community at risk and making sure asylum seekers have a better chance to stay safe,” shared Adam Ryan Chang, Executive Director at Oasis Legal Services.
Oasis and ASAP partnered to create Asylum.Info -- an automated tool for asylum applicants that tracks USCIS asylum fee updates daily to ensure users have real time information, helping them ensure their asylum application remains active. Asylum seekers have a 30-day window to pay the annual asylum fee. However, the agency has failed to send adequate notice to hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, making it all the more critical for asylum seekers to sign up for Asylum.Info and monitor when their fee is due.
“We often hear from ASAP members who want to pay this fee, but are worried they might miss their window,” said Swapna Reddy, co-executive director of ASAP. “We built this tool alongside Oasis and our members to stop that from happening. For asylum seekers navigating an already complex and stressful process, a simple alert, and the peace of mind it provides, can make the difference between being able to seek asylum in the U.S. or having your case dismissed.”
At this time, USCIS has been temporarily blocked from rejecting asylum applications and terminating work authorization by a court order. Through this litigation, USCIS made clear that 227,186 asylum applications were at risk of being rejected before the court order took effect. Despite the pause in implementing adverse consequences at this time, USCIS is continuing to charge asylum seekers the annual asylum fee.
“I am so grateful that ASAP and Oasis have created this tool, said Valerie, an ASAP member who previously missed her payment period because she never received notice. “It will be so helpful to asylum seekers, especially for families like mine, who have been worried we would miss our chance to pay. I signed up, and hope others will too!”
"The creation of the new annual asylum fee created so much fear and anxiety for the LGBTQ+ immigrants we serve. We're deeply invested in our clients, and we wanted to make sure that no fee deadline gets missed. We're proud to share this resource with asylum seekers so they can have a little more peace of mind," said Leanne Brotsky, Director of Operations at Oasis Legal Services.
The Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP) believes that asylum seekers can make
change by standing together. We work with our members and their families— over 1 million asylum seekers — to build a more welcoming United States. Learn more about ASAP’s work at asaptogether.org.
###
Oasis Legal Services empowers low-income LGBTQ+ immigrants who have survived violence and persecution due to their sexuality, gender identity, and/or HIV status by increasing access to quality, culturally responsive legal representation and social services. Oasis is the leading provider of legal and social services for LGBTQ+ immigrants on the West Coast, supporting hundreds of asylum seekers annually and over 1,000 current clients with pending asylum applications.