Washington-On April 29, 2026, DHS published an interim final rule that establishes consequences if aliens with a pending asylum application do not pay the Annual Asylum Fee (AAF) within 30 days of notification. The consequences for not paying the AAF timely are effective May 29, 2026.
Effective May 29, 2026, we will reject pending Form I-589 asylum applications for aliens who do not timely pay the AAF. DHS will receive public comments submitted on or before June 29, 2026. See the web alert for more information.The rule also states that we will keep the filing fee for Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, if we reject the form.
Use this form to apply for asylum in the United States and for withholding of removal (formerly called “withholding of deportation”). You may file for asylum if you are physically present in the United States and you are not a U.S. citizen.
Obtain asylum in the United States by:
Filing for affirmative asylum if you are not in proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR); or
Filing for asylum defensively if you are in proceedings before an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) at EOIR. See “Where to File” section below for information about how to determine if you are in proceedings before EOIR.
If you fail to file Form I-589 within 1 year of your arrival in the United States, you may not be eligible to apply for asylum under section 208(a)(2)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Form I-589 is available to read in 12 languages, including: Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Dari, French, Haitian Creole, Pashto, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Turkish, and Vietnamese. However, please note that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) only accepts completed forms in English. The translations provided are for informational purposes only and are not to be used for official submission. USCIS will only accept the official English language version of all forms.