Congressman Dan Goldman Fights to Remove Barriers to Work Authorization for Incoming Migrants

Over $400 Filing Fee Prevents Migrants Escaping Poverty, Violence, and Oppression from Finding Legal Work in U.S.

Congressman Goldman Pushing for Filing Fee Waivers to Allow Tens of Thousands of Migrants in New York to More Quickly Obtain Work, Provide for Themselves and Their Families

Read the Letter Here

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13),and other Democratic members of the New York Congressional Delegation in sending a letter requesting that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) waive the filing fee for the Application for Employment Authorization (I-765) for parolees and allow new migrants to more quickly obtain safe and legal work.

“The United States has a responsibility to provide an orderly and legal pathway to work for those who are seeking safety and protections from the circumstances they fled from in the countries of origin,” the members wrote. “Comprehensive immigration reform is long past due. However, we can make these critical changes now that can provide immediate relief to this vulnerable population.”

The letter sent to USCIS Director Ur Jaddou urges the agency to waive the $410 filing fee for I-765 forms which are required before migrants are legally authorized to work. Approximately 110,000 migrants have arrived in New York City, and many are eligible to apply for a work permit, yet the filing fee continues to pose a barrier to many potential applicants.

Along with the request to waive the fees of all I-765 forms, members asked USCIS to make the I-912 fee waiver forms available for online submission.

Congressman Dan Goldman has been laser-focused on addressing the influx of migrants to New York City and creating a fairer, more humane immigration system. Earlier this year, Congressman Goldman led the call for the Biden Administration to extend and redesignate Temporary Protected Status to Venezuela, El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua alongside Congresswoman María Salazar, and business and labor leaders.

Additionally, Congressman Goldman has continued to call for expediting work authorization applications for new migrants. In March, he cosponsored the ‘Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act,’ to reduce the current 180-day waiting period for work authorization eligibility to only 30-days, allowing asylum seekers to more quickly apply for a work permit.

Read the letter here and below:

Dear Director Jaddou:

We write to request that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) waive the filing fee for the Application for Employment Authorization (I-765) for parolees in order to expedite the work authorization process and provide these individuals the ability to legally and safely work. We appreciate the Administration’s attention to this urgent humanitarian issue.

Since the spring of 2022, approximately 110,000 migrants have arrived in New York City. Today, about 60,000 of them remain under the City’s care. While we anticipate many of these migrants will apply for asylum, those with parolee status are already eligible to apply for a work permit, which would give them legal work authorization ((c)11 category) for the duration of their parole. However, the I-765 filing fee poses a significant barrier to many potential parolee applicants.

Currently, the filing fee for I-765 application is $410. Many parolees have fled their countries of origin for urgent humanitarian reasons - fleeing oppression, violence, poverty, or persecution. As these individuals are unable to work legally or safely without a valid work authorization, the filing fee is simply unattainable for many, leaving them in limbo under the City’s care. Reducing barriers to applying for employment authorizations will allow parolees to achieve self-sufficiency and reduce the strain on the city’s resources.

We therefore respectfully request that USCIS waive the $410 filing fee for all I-765’s filed by parolees in order to provide parolees access to work permits without any financial burden. Lastly, as you consider our request to waive the fees of all I-765 forms for parolees, we further ask USCIS to consider making I-912 fee waiver forms available to submit online, to reduce the burden of having to mail these forms to USCIS. The United States has a responsibility to provide an orderly and legal pathway to work for those who are seeking safety and protection from the circumstances they fled from in the countries of origin. Comprehensive immigration reform is long past due. However, we can make these critical changes now that can provide immediate relief to this vulnerable population.

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