Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation.
For the first time in the history of the United States, asylum seekers will have to pay to file an asylum application.
The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” or OBBA, mandates new minimum fees for immigration and visa applications. The legislation authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney General to raise fees above the minimum, and all fees are subject to an annual inflation adjustment starting in fiscal year 2026.
Asylum seekers must now pay a host of new fees — $100 to file a claim, an additional $100 for every year their application is pending, and $550 to apply for a work permit. OBBA bars asylum seekers from receiving fee waivers. Of the 149 countries that are signatories on the 1951 Refugee Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol, only three impose application fees on asylum seekers.
At least half of asylum seekers’ work permit fees must go to “detecting and preventing immigration benefit fraud.” The Trump administration has used baseless accusations of fraud to discredit numerous government programs, as well as the 2020 presidential election. However, last year Trump himself was convicted of fraud related to his business dealings and fined over $360 million dollars.
The top countries of origin for asylum seekers in fiscal year 2023 were El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, with a total of over 90,000 people from those countries applying for asylum.
The legislation imposes a $250 fee on children who apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, although fee waivers are available. The program allows abused, neglected or abandoned children to stay in the United States and apply for lawful permanent residency and a work permit.
People applying for nonimmigrant visas, which includes students, temporary agricultural workers, and physicians, will now have to pay a $250 “visa integrity fee.” CNN reported that those visiting from countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Program, such as Israel and France, only have to pay the fee if their trip lasts more than 90 days.
It will now be harder for people to challenge a judge or Department of Homeland Security officer’s decision on their case. Appealing to the Board of Immigration Appeals will cost over $1,000. The previous fee was $110.
Some of the most punishing fees are reserved for those detained by federal officers. People who were ordered to be deported because they missed a court appearance will have to pay $5,000 if they are later arrested by ICE. A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, published last year, found that people often miss their immigration court dates for a variety of reasons, including because they did not understand or receive the notice, they lacked transportation, or they were unable to take time off of work.
The new fees will have devastating consequences for desperate people fleeing life-threatening situations. The nonprofit advocacy group Global Refuge said OBBA transforms “humanitarian protection into a pay-to-play system.”
As Trump rounds up immigrants living in the United States, he’s made clear who is welcome to come here — the wealthy. He’s proposed a “Trump Card” which would provide a path to citizenship in exchange for $5 million dollars.
The Trump Card website states that it’s not yet available, but will be coming. The website features a picture of the gold card, which has Trump’s face emblazoned on it, in between the State of Liberty and an eagle.
”Wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card,” Trump told reporters in February. “They’ll be wealthy and they’ll be successful and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people. And we think it’s going to be extremely successful, never been done before anything like this.”
Press freedom is under attack
As Trump cracks down on political speech, independent media is increasingly necessary.
Truthout produces reporting you won’t see in the mainstream: journalism from the frontlines of global conflict, interviews with grassroots movement leaders, high-quality legal analysis and more.
Our work is possible thanks to reader support. Help Truthout catalyze change and social justice — make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation today.