Where Do I Pay the $100 Annual Asylum Fee?
Noncitizens who file Form I-589, application for asylum, must pay an Annual Asylum Fee (AAF) for each calendar year their application remains pending. Read the details here.
How Much Do I have to Pay?
The Annual Asylum Fee (AAF) is $100 per application for each calendar year that the application is pending. An application which is pending for five years should cost $500. An application which is pending for three years should cost $300. I use the term “should” because the U.S. immigration agencies (USCIS, court, and the embassies) have never in the history of our country had a system of charging fees per year for a pending case. Such a system will be difficult to sustain. After the Republicans are no longer the majority in Congress – which could happen as soon as 2026 with the next election for representatives – the AAF payment requirement could be gone.
Where Can I Pay The Annual Asylum Fee?
As shown in the chart below, the place to pay the AAF depends on whether the application was filed with Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR, known as Immigration Court) or US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). ALWAYS make sure that the Immigration Court and USCIS have your current and complete address, so you get letters about the AAF.
Filing Where | Situation | Where to Pay |
USCIS | Filing for First Time – online through noncitizen’s USCIS account | Pay through USCIS account portal at time of filing application https://myaccount.uscis.gov/sign-in |
USCIS | Filing for First Time – sending a paper application to USCIS | Mail check together with asylum application at time of filing |
Immigration Court | Filing for First Time with EOIR online – Attorney will use portal of EOIR | Online payment through EOIR portal https://epay.eoir.justice.gov |
Immigration Court | Filing for First Time with EOIR paper — Attorney will mail application to Immigration Court | Online payment through EOIR portal https://epay.eoir.justice.gov |
USCIS | Filed an asylum application with USCIS after October 1, 2024, that is still pending | Pay through USCIS account portal. SEE BELOW. https://myaccount.uscis.gov/sign-in |
Immigration Court | Filed an asylum application with EOIR after October 1, 2024, that is still pending | Online payment through EOIR portal https://epay.eoir.justice.gov |
The USCIS website states – without explaining how – that the government will take on the expense of “issuing personal notices” to asylum applicants for the first time the AAF is due. These notices “will include the amount of the fee, when it must be paid, how the fee must be paid, and the consequences of failing to pay. USCIS will provide guidance for future years’ AAF payments in subsequent issuances.”
Do I Have To Pay This Year, Or Next Year?
Noncitizens who filed an asylum application after October 1, 2024, must pay the AAF on the one-year anniversary of their filing date, and each year thereafter on that same date. If you filed your asylum application on December 15, 2024, you have to pay the AAF on December 15, 2025.
Those with an asylum application pending with USCIS do not need to pay until AFTER they get a letter from the government because the USCIS website claims that asylum applicants “do not have to monitor the time their application has been pending and if the AAF applies to them.” The EOIR website has not stated that noncitizens in removal proceedings will get any kind of warning to pay their annual fees. Immigration Judges likely will deny asylum applications and issue deportation orders for those who do not have documents showing they paid the Annual Asylum Fee.
What Happens if I Don’t Pay on the Date It’s Due?
Make no mistake: failure to pay the Annual Asylum Fee may cause your asylum application to be denied as abandoned. The AAF is yet another attempt by this administration to strip noncitizens of their right to seek protection in the United States through the laws of asylum. The current president has spoken often about ending asylum and appointed officials to dismiss (pretermit) asylum applications in Immigration Court without giving noncitizens a change to show their evidence.
Blandon Law attorneys are ready to protect you if your asylum application is denied for failure to pay the AAF. If you or someone you love needs to remain in the safe haven of the United States, call 954.385.0157 or Click “For Future Clients” to schedule a chat with our asylum immigration experts.
#AsylumProcess #AnnualAsylumFee #ImmigrationSupport #LegalAdvice #BlandonLaw #AsylumProtection #USImmigrationLaw #ImmigrationAttorney #SafeHaven #ImmigrationDefense
All team members speak Spanish.
Disclaimer – These entries are based on real life events. Family member names, when used, are real. Client names are changed for privacy.
