The Biden administration announced a rule change on Friday, a policy to speed up the time it takes to get work authorization for asylum applicants from 180 days to 90 days after filing an asylum application. The rule also removes various barriers that have stalled or denied permits in the past. According to officials, this new rule helps migrants and tries to ease labor shortages in the agriculture, hospitality, and health sectors.
Those arguing on behalf of the policy stress that allowing asylum applicants to seek out work even more swiftly produces financial freedom through less public welfare dependency. For many in business, as emphasized by policy leaders at multiple briefings with U.S. members, this development marks a sure positive step, indicating that several skills mismatch jobs could begin to become dealt with now through asylum claims underway.
Critics counter that the policy would encourage more migrants to apply for asylum, thus clogging the system with frivolous claims. Some say efforts should go toward ensuring border security and improving processes of adjudication instead of increasing benefits for asylum seekers. Others wonder whether the shorter timeframe will overstretch resources within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, possibly at the expense of other immigration programs.
The policy marks a sea-change in how the U.S. approaches asylum seekers, focusing squarely on integration and contribution to the economy. Over the next few months, its impacts on migration patterns and the labor market will be highly observed.
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