Comment Submitted by Adriel Wilson
AnonymousOpposeIndividual
Summary: The commenter opposes the proposed policy, arguing that requiring asylum seekers to pay an annual fee is cruel and contrary to American values. They also express concern that the policy would negatively impact the U.S. tech and knowledge industries by causing skilled workers to lose their employment authorizations.
This policy is bad. Requiring asylum seekers to pay an Annual Asylum Fee for every year their applications remains pending, and then rejecting that application if the fee isn't paid within 30 days of notification is cruel and unusual, considering people are coming to us for help. An ideal our country was founded on!
But not only is this an issue for asylum seekers it is an issue for people who were hired specifically to work here in the U.S. If an application is rejected due to nonpayment, USCIS will deny any pending Form I-765 application for employment authorization tied to the asylum case. Individuals who had already received work permits based on a pending asylum application will lose their authorization immediately. These individuals are hired because they have special skills that could not be found in the US. This bill would hurt much of our knowledge & tech industry. Don't do it.