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Elected officials calling for expedited work authorization for asylum seekers

The current rules in place make it so that those seeking asylum must wait 180 days after filing for asylum before filing for work authorization.

News 12 Staff

May 22, 2023, 9:32 PM

Updated 578 days ago

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Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams are calling on the federal government to make changes to the work authorization program. 
As migrants are continually bused into New York and thousands of jobs in hospitality, service, and the farm industries are going unfilled, both city and state officials are trying to take out two birds with one stone by calling on the federal government to speed up the work authorization process for migrants.  
Mayor Eric Adams called on the federal government for this expedited work authorization process back in April on the anniversary of asylum seekers arriving into the city on buses. The current rules in place make it so that those seeking asylum must wait 180 days after filing for asylum before filing for work authorization. 
Adams said that over 5,800 asylum seekers arrived last week, and that business leaders across the five boroughs are ready to provide training and jobs when the time comes.