Asylum Fees: Filing, Annual, and Work Permit Costs

Applying for asylum in the United States now costs $100 to file, and the asylum application fees don’t stop there: a $100 charge repeats every year the case sits pending, and the first work permit runs $550. All three were created by H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21) in 2025, and none of them can be waived or reduced.¹

The $100 Filing Fee for Form I-589

The regulatory filing fee for Form I-589 (Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal) is still listed as zero in the USCIS fee schedule at 8 CFR 106.2.² That zero covers both affirmative filings with USCIS and defensive filings before an immigration judge. What changed is that H.R. 1 layered a separate $100 asylum application fee on top, which USCIS began collecting in fiscal year 2025.¹ The total cost to file a new asylum application is $100.

This fee cannot be waived or reduced under any circumstances.¹ Applicants who qualify for a fee waiver on other immigration forms still have to pay it. One narrow exception exists: members of the Ms. L. Settlement Class and their Qualifying Additional Family Members are not required to pay H.R. 1 fees as of February 5, 2026.³ To claim it, write “Ms. L Settlement Class Member” on the first page of the paper Form I-589.

The $100 Annual Fee While Your Case Is Pending

For each calendar year an asylum application remains pending, the applicant owes a $100 Annual Asylum Fee, paid online.⁴ It’s separate from the $100 filing fee, and it also cannot be waived.

Miss the deadline and the consequences are serious. If an applicant fails to pay within 30 days of receiving a notice, USCIS will reject the pending asylum application and deny any associated work permit application.⁴ Since asylum cases often take years, this recurring charge adds up.

When the fee is due depends on the filing date. For applications filed on or before October 1, 2024, and still pending at the end of fiscal year 2025, the first payment was due at that point, with subsequent payments due each September 30. For applications filed after October 1, 2024, the fee is due on the one-year anniversary of the filing date and annually after that.⁴

Work Permit Costs

An asylum applicant can file for employment authorization 150 days after submitting a complete asylum application and can receive the work permit once 180 days have passed. The form is I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) under eligibility category (c)(8).⁵

The initial (c)(8) work permit has historically been free of the USCIS regulatory filing fee. H.R. 1 changed that by adding a $550 fee for an initial asylum applicant EAD, with no fee waiver available. Renewals and extensions carry a $275 H.R. 1 fee that also cannot be waived, though USCIS may waive the separate pre-existing regulatory fee on renewals if the applicant qualifies.¹ A successful regulatory fee waiver on a renewal still leaves the $275 H.R. 1 charge in place.

For applicants who arrived with little money, $550 is a real barrier during the months of waiting for a hearing.

What Can and Cannot Be Waived

The most important line to draw in 2026 is between H.R. 1 fees and everything else. The $100 application fee, the $100 annual fee, the $550 initial EAD fee, and the $275 EAD renewal fee cannot be waived or reduced under any circumstances.¹

Pre-existing USCIS regulatory fees may still be waivable. Applicants can file Form I-912 (Request for Fee Waiver) on eligible forms by demonstrating financial hardship, and asylees are specifically listed as a category that may request a fee waiver for any application or petition related to their status, so long as the form itself is eligible.⁶ The practical impact for asylum seekers is narrow, because the regulatory fee for Form I-589 is already zero and the initial (c)(8) EAD had no regulatory fee. Where a waiver matters most is on EAD renewals.

To qualify, applicants must clearly demonstrate inability to pay with evidence such as documentation of means-tested public benefits currently received, including the benefit’s name, the granting agency, and proof the benefit is active.⁷

How to Pay

USCIS no longer accepts checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper-filed forms unless the applicant qualifies for an exemption.⁸ For paper filings, the two standard payment methods are:

Credit, debit, or prepaid card, using Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions) placed on top of the application package.⁹
ACH bank transfer, using Form G-1650 (Authorization for ACH Transactions) to pay from a U.S. bank account.⁸

Applicants without banking or electronic payment access may request a paper payment exemption using Form G-1651. If approved, they can pay with a check or money order drawn on a U.S. financial institution and made payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.⁸ Online filings use Pay.gov.⁹ Submitting the wrong fee amount or the wrong payment method will result in rejection of the filing.

Other Costs to Plan For

Certified translations run outside the USCIS fee schedule but come with almost every case. Every foreign-language document filed with USCIS must include a certified English translation, and the translator must attest in writing that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate. Professional certified translation typically costs $25 to $40 per page, so a case with a birth certificate, marriage certificate, police reports, and affidavits can run a few hundred dollars.

Biometrics: the 2024 USCIS Fee Rule folded the biometrics services fee into the filing fees for most USCIS forms, so the old standalone biometrics fee no longer applies to most applicants filing directly with USCIS. For cases in immigration court, the biometrics fee for background checks is $30 per person.¹⁰

Travel while a case is pending: Form I-131 (Application for Travel Documents) carries its own filing fee, and H.R. 1 may have added additional charges depending on category. USCIS directs applicants to its fee calculator for the current amount, since fees have changed multiple times since 2024.¹¹ Leaving the country while an asylum case is pending is risky on the merits, so this expense applies to relatively few applicants.

After a grant of asylum: one year later, an asylee becomes eligible to apply for lawful permanent residence on Form I-485. USCIS directs asylees to its fee schedule for the current I-485 filing fee, and asylees in this category may submit Form I-912 to request a fee waiver.¹² Adjustment also requires a medical exam by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon. Costs vary by provider and location but generally range from $250 to $650, with vaccinations extra. No fee waiver covers the medical exam.

Legal help is the largest expense for most applicants and sits entirely outside USCIS fees. Private immigration attorneys typically charge $250 to $600 per hour, and flat-fee arrangements for asylum cases commonly run several thousand dollars. Applicants who cannot afford a private attorney should contact local legal aid organizations or check the list of recognized organizations maintained by the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review.

1
Federal Register. USCIS Immigration Fees Required by HR-1 Reconciliation Bill
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 106.2 – Fees
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
4
Federal Register. USCIS Immigration Fees and Related Procedures Required by HR-1 Reconciliation Bill
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form G-1055 – Fee Schedule
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for Asylees