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At a time when Maine, and many other states, face a critical shortage of workers, ensuring as many people as possible are able to work simply makes sense.
That’s why it’s frustrating that one group of willing workers — those seeking asylum in the U.S. — face numerous roadblocks to employment. They have to wait too long to seek authorization to work, and then when they receive it, it may run out too quickly.
To ease the latter problem, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services temporarily changed a rule in 2022 to automatically renew work authorizations for qualified asylum-seekers for up to 540 days. The authorizations previously had lasted only 180 days before requiring renewal. The temporary rule was extended in April.
The extension came as the agency faced large backlogs of both initial work authorization applications as well as applications for renewals. Because of the processing delays, those who already have permission to work could lose it, especially if the authorization reverted to the shorter time period.
To avoid this, Gov. Janet Mills, Rep. Chellie Pingree and Sen. Angus King earlier this month asked the Biden administration to make the rule c hange permanent.
The agency quickly did so, announcing last week that the extension is now permanent.
Although the Trump administration, which will take the reins in January, could later undo this change, permanently extending these work authorizations can hopefully bring more certainty to asylum-seekers across the country and to their employers.
“Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) are a lifeline,” the Maine trio wrote in a Dec. 6 letter to the heads of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “They allow immigrants and asylum seekers to provide for themselves and their loved ones and integrate into their new communities while navigating the adjudication process. They also provide critical relief to employers.”
“Our state of Maine, for example, has nearly two jobs open for every job seeker — every willing and able worker makes a difference in our communities, especially in essential but understaffed sectors like health care,” Pingree, Mills and King added.
While a permanent extension of work authorization is good news, changes are also needed at the front end of the process so that asylum-seekers can work more quickly. Currently, they must wait more than half a year after their arrival to apply for authorization to work.
As we and many others have said for years, this is nonsensical.
Maine last year requested a waiver from this rule from the U.S. Department of Labor. Several other states have requested similar waivers, which are unlikely to be granted because it is up to Congress to change this requirement, legal experts have said.
Members of Maine’s congressional delegation have worked for years to pass a bill to ease this work authorization wait time. While comprehensive immigration reform is needed, this narrow change shouldn’t have to wait for movement on the larger issue.
Allowing asylum-seekers to work more quickly would have the dual impact of allowing them to support themselves sooner and more consistently rather than depending on public and charitable assistance, while also growing the ranks of potential workers amid workforce challenges for businesses. It remains a rare opportunity for a win-win.
