Do you need to pay the new annual asylum fee for USCIS? Here are the steps to follow

Since last Friday, May 29, thousands of immigrants with pending asylum applications in the United States are required to pay a new annual fee of $102 to keep their cases active, a measure initiated by the Trump administration that is now fully in effect.

The rule, known as the Annual Asylum Fee (AAF, for its acronym in English), was established by the Department of Homeland Security through a temporary regulation that took effect on May 29 and implements the requirements of the H.R. 1 Reconciliation Act of 2025.

According to the official USCIS announcement, applicants have 30 days from receiving the notification to make the payment.

The consequences of non-payment are severe: "If a foreigner does not pay the annual fee within 30 days of notification, USCIS will deny their pending asylum application. If a foreigner lacks legal status in the United States, USCIS will also initiate their removal process."

In addition to rejecting the case, USCIS will deny any employment authorization request (Form I-765) linked to that application, and those who already had an approved work permit could lose it immediately.

The fee applies to all applicants whose asylum application has been pending for over a year, whether with USCIS or immigration courts, and must be paid on a recurring basis while the process remains open. There are no exemptions for financial hardship.

It is estimated that there are almost four million pending asylum applications between USCIS and immigration courts, with average waiting times exceeding two years.

How to pay the fee step by step

The payment process is conducted online through the official USCIS portal. Below are the steps:

1. Go to the USCIS payment portal at my.uscis.gov/accounts/annual-asylum-fee/questionnaire.
2. Enter your information: the Alien Number (A-Number) and the receipt number of your asylum application or the notification received.
3. If you do not have your receipt number, call USCIS at 800-375-5283 and say "InfoPass" to speak with an agent.
4. Check if your case is ready for payment: if the system confirms it, click on "Pay and send."
5. Select a payment method: the system accepts credit cards, debit cards, electronic bank transfers, and prepaid cards.
6. Keep the receipt: after entering the payment details, the system will generate a number known as "Agency Tracking ID." Please retain it.
7. Complete the payment: check the confirmation box and click on "continue."
8. Confirm the transaction: if it was successful, you will see a confirmation screen.
9. Keep the official receipt: USCIS will send it to your online account or by postal mail.

If the case is before an immigration court, payment must be made through the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) portal.

USCIS began sending formal notifications to affected applicants starting October 1, 2025.

The agency warns that official text messages come exclusively from the number 872466 (USAIMM) and that any other number may be a fraud attempt.

The public comment period on the provisional regulation remains open until June 29, 2026.