How to Pay your Annual Asylum Fee

WHAT IS THE ANNUAL ASYLUM FEE?

 

USCIS and the Immigration Court (EOIR) both charge an annual asylum fee of $102 for individuals with a pending asylum application (Form I-589). The fee must be paid once a year, and it helps cover the cost of processing asylum cases.

 

Which office handles your case depends on how your case started:

 

- If your case is with USCIS (an "affirmative" case, meaning you applied on your own), you will pay through your myUSCIS account.

- If your case is with the Immigration Court (a "defensive" case, meaning your asylum application came up during removal proceedings), you will pay through the EOIR payment portal.

 

If you are not sure which applies to you, contact our office and we will confirm.

 

GENERAL RULE

 

Pay the fee within one year of the date you first paid it. If your case has been pending for a year and you have not yet paid the fee, pay it as soon as possible.

 

Whenever you pay, save a screenshot of the confirmation page, and a screenshot or copy of your bank or card statement showing the charge. This is especially important if you do not receive a fee receipt in the mail.

 

HOW TO PAY THROUGH USCIS (myUSCIS account)

 

1. Log in to your myUSCIS account at my.uscis.gov.

2. Go to my.uscis.gov/accounts/annual-asylum-fee/start/overview.

3. Enter your A-number and your I-589 receipt number when prompted.

4. Enter your debit or credit card information and submit payment.

5. Save a screenshot of the payment confirmation page.

6. Check your bank or card statement in the following days to confirm the charge, and save a screenshot of that statement.

7. Send both screenshots to our office through the client portal or by email.

 

Note: if your case includes family members listed as derivatives on the same Form I-589 (such as a spouse or children), only the principal applicant pays. Derivatives do not pay separately.

 

HOW TO PAY THROUGH EOIR (Immigration Court)

 

1. Go to the EOIR payment portal at epay.eoir.justice.gov/index.

2. Select the payment option: "Court - Form I-589, Annual Asylum Fee for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal (AAF)."

3. Enter your A-number.

4. Enter your bank account information or debit/credit card number and submit payment.

5. Save a screenshot of the payment confirmation page.

6. Check your bank or card statement in the following days to confirm the charge, and save a screenshot of that statement.

7. Send both screenshots to our office through the client portal or by email.

 

Note: because each respondent files an individual Form I-589 in Immigration Court, every person in the family who has applied for asylum, including a spouse or minor children, must pay separately. The date you pay this year becomes your personal anniversary date, meaning the fee will be due again on that same date each year.

 

QUESTIONS?

 

If you have any trouble making your payment, or if you are not sure which portal applies to your case, contact our office before your deadline so we can help.