Congressman Dan Goldman Calls on Biden Administration to Utilize Parole Authority and Expedite Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Process

Current 150-Day Waiting Period Prevents Migrants From Obtaining Legal Work, Exacerbates Labor Shortage 

Read the Letter Here 

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today joined Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and other members of the New York Delegation in urging the Biden Administration to utilize its parole authority to allow new asylum seekers to immediately apply for work authorization. When applying forwork authorization through parole, individuals are not required to wait 150-days, allowing migrants to more easily integrate into communities and become eligible to work.

Under the current system, asylum seekers are unable to legally provide for their families for nearly half a year, placing additional strain on underfunded community organization to provide them with housing, food, and medical services.

“New York continues to welcome a growing number of asylum seekers with open arms, but we can’t do it alone.” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “The most common request from migrants I have met in my district is to be allowed the opportunity to get lawful work and build a life here for themselves and their families. The bureaucratic red-tape that burdens migrants with a 180-day waiting period for work authorization is a meaningful barrier that the federal government must address without further delay. Utilizing parole and reducing the waiting period for work authorization will bolster our humanitarian efforts and address one of the core issues in our immigration process and our economy.”

Congressman Goldman is also fighting for to reduce the 180-day waiting period in Congress through the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act. This legislation would also to reduce the current 180-day waiting period for work authorization eligibility to only 30-days.

In 1996 a federal law was passed requiring asylum seekers to wait half a year after filing an asylum petition before getting authorization to work. The law also requires that, once a person has filed an asylum claim, they must wait a minimum of 150 days before applying for a work authorization, which can be granted 180 days after filing the asylum claim. Because of technical issues and delays in processing work authorization requests, this time period is often longer.

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