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Original Date Announced
January 26, 2018USCIS announces it will interview the most recent affirmative asylum applicants first. This policy is intended to reduce incentives to file frivolous or non-meritorious asylum applications in order to obtain work authorization. Individuals not granted asylum will be promptly placed into removal proceedings. Obama administration had switched to processing claims based on date of filing to reduce the backlogs.
[ID #28]
USCIS: Affirmative Asylum Interview SchedulingEffective Date
January 29, 2018Current Status
Fully in EffectOriginal Trump Policy Status
Status: Final/ActualTrump Administration Action: Change in PracticeSubject Matter: Asylum, Withholding and CATAgencies Affected: USCISPre Trump-Era Policies
- September 8, 2016 Beginning in Dec. 2014, USCIS had prioritized asylum interviews in chronological order, hearing the oldest cases first. Before this change, INS/DHS would interview the most recent cases first. The change was made to interview older applications first because the backlog had become overbearing—with applicants waiting five years or more for an asylum interview. USCIS: The Affirmative Asylum Process
Documents
Trump-Era Policy Documents
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New Policy
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Prior Policy
Original Source:
USCIS: The Affirmative Asylum Process