What is the Asylum Work Permit Clock?

What is the Asylum Work Permit Clock?       

• The asylum clock is an electronic tracking system that counts how many days your I-589 asylum application has been pending with immigration. 
• The clock starts as soon as immigration receives your filed application. 
• You can file for a work permit, also called an Employment Authorization Document (or an EAD), 150 days after immigration receives your asylum application.  

IMPORTANT: There must be at least 150 days on your asylum clock for immigration to accept your properly filed work permit application. You must wait until your clock has 150 days before applying for your work permit.

While you wait, your clock can be stopped and started for different reasons. For example: 

• A clock may stop if an applicant asks an immigration judge for more time to find an attorney or more time to prepare their case.
• The clock may stop if an applicant misses their scheduled biometric fingerprint appointment.

How can I find out how many days are on my asylum work permit clock?

The process for checking your asylum clock may be different depending on whether or not you are in immigration court. 

1. If you are NOT in immigration court removal proceedings, you should have filed your asylum case affirmatively with USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services).

• You should have received an I-589 asylum application receipt notice from USCIS listing the date your application was received.
• The receipt number is in the top left corner of your asylum application receipt notice (see below). 

• Enter your receipt number in the USCIS Online Case Portal: https://egov.uscis.gov/

• The Online Case Status Portal will tell you if your clock is stopped and the reason it was stopped.
  • If the system does not say your clock is stopped, you can assume it is running as of the receipt date on your asylum application receipt notice 

2. If you ARE in immigration court removal proceedings, you should have filed your case defensively with the immigration court (also called the Executive Office for Immigration Review, or EOIR) where your case is currently scheduled.

• If you have an Alien Registration Number (A-number), call the EOIR immigration court hotline at 1 [phone] and follow the prompts to enter your A-number and get to your case information. 
  • The EOIR telephonic Hotline is available in English and Spanish
  • You can find your A-number on your immigration paperwork, including your court summons, which is called a Notice to Appear (NTA)
    • Your A-number is located in the top right corner of your NTA (see below). 

• If your asylum application is pending with the immigration court, the hotline will tell you how many days are on your asylum work permit clock.

• If the hotline says, “There is no clock” this means you do not have an asylum application pending with the immigration court. This might be because: 
  • The immigration court has not yet received your asylum application
  • The immigration court has received your asylum application, but they have not yet entered your case into the system

**If you have both an I-589 asylum receipt notice and an A-number, you can access your EAD clock information using both options 1 and 2 above**

What can I do if my asylum work permit clock is stopped or the number of days on my clock is incorrect?

1. If your case is NOT filed in immigration court, call the USCIS Contact Center at     1 [phone] and follow the prompts.

• The USCIS Contact Center is available in English and Spanish
• You will need your receipt number for USCIS to find your information. You can find your receipt number in the top left corner of your asylum application receipt notice (see picture on the previous page).
• Ask to speak with a live representative.
• Then, ask the representative to restart or correct your clock. 

2. If your case IS filed with the immigration court, you must call the court where your case is scheduled and ask them to restart or correct your clock. The location of your court determines what phone number to call. 

• To find out your court’s location and contact information, visit the Automated Case Information System at acis.eoir.justice.gov (also available in Spanish). You can also scan the QR code below. 

SCAN THE QR CODE TO SEE THE  STATUS OF YOUR CASE

                                                                                                                                           

• You will need your A-number and the date you filed your asylum application for the immigration court to find your information.
• Call the number listed for your court and explain that you need to speak to the court administrator for help with your asylum clock.  
• The court staff answering the phone should be able to speak in English and Spanish, and may also be able to get a language line to assist with communication in other languages. 

What if I do these steps and my clock is still stopped or incorrect?

Ultimately, some asylum work permit clock issues may be more complicated and require additional steps to correct. 

If you are not currently receiving legal assistance with your asylum case, you can reach out to the following organizations to look for free or low-cost legal help:

• Immigration nonprofits: Visit the Immigration Advocates Network webpage (https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory/) to search for important information about immigrant rights nonprofits in the United States that offer free or low-cost legal help. You can use your zip code to find local organizations, or select your state. A zip code is the 5-digit number at the end of your U.S. mailing address.
• Pro se help desks: Look over this list (https://help.asylumadvocacy.org/pro-se-help-desks/) of organizations that provide limited scope legal assistance to asylum seekers without lawyers in immigration court. Please reach out to these organizations directly for details on their services.
• Private immigration lawyers: Look over this list (https://help.asylumadvocacy.org/private-attorneys/) of private immigration lawyers in different cities. Immigrant ARC ) does not know these lawyers personally, but other local nonprofits recommended them. These offices do charge money, but you can always ask if an office can offer payment plans. Please contact these firms or attorneys directly for details on their services. This list is organized alphabetically by state and city. 

What should I know when I search for a lawyer?

These are some important things you should know when searching for a lawyer:

1. A notary is NOT a lawyer in the United States.
2. Before you hire a lawyer, ask how much experience they have with asylum cases in the immigration court.
3. There are lawyers who work pro bono (without cost) and private lawyers. All lawyers, paid or unpaid, have the same professional responsibilities.
4. The lawyer should offer a contract in your language that includes a clear price and a description of the legal services that they will provide.

What can I do if I call an office and no one answers? 

If no one answers when you call a lawyer’s office, you can leave a voicemail with your name and phone number. And you can keep trying!

What should I do if the lawyer says they cannot help me?

If the organization or the lawyer says that they cannot help you, you can ask them if they have recommendations for other trustworthy lawyers in your area. Some offices only take certain types of cases—that is why it is important to continue your search for a lawyer and call various offices.