Help Asylum Seekers Find Safe Haven in NYC: Donate to ASC

Asylum Support Clinic (ASC) assists asylum seekers arriving in New York City from all over the world to apply for asylum and work authorization. Until July 22, 2025, immigrants had the right to apply for both asylum and work authorization free of charge. As you can see in the update below, the administration will now - for the first time ever - charge for these applications. It will cost $550 to apply for work authorization and $100 to apply for asylum, plus $100 for each year that the asylum application is pending. Needless to say, this is completely out of reach for the vast majority of asylum seekers.

Our goal is to raise $32,000 so that we can continue to help migrants and their families in their quest to escape persecution, violence, and life-threatening situations in their home countries.

Please donate what you can. A contribution of any size can make a crucial impact on the lives of the immigrants who come through our doors–now more than ever.

(See 7/27/25 update below for information on the draconian new fees and our $32,000 goal.)

Background on ASC. ASC’s services are free, and our costs are low because our work is carried out by a pool of dedicated volunteer lawyers, interpreters, document writers, and child care providers, along with three part-time staff. We do everything possible to keep our expenses to a minimum, but we need these funds to provide essential services to people in need, including the basic application fees.

Since opening its doors in 2022 at the Rutgers Presbyterian Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, ASC has assisted more than 400 asylum seekers and their families apply for asylum and work authorization. Most of the refugees ASC has worked with are from Latin America, but they also come to ASC from Jamaica, China, Tajikistan, Cameroon and other African nations. For example, ASC has helped:

Immigrants seeking asylum want to stay, work, and raise their families here in safety. ASC can help them reach their goals but only if we have enough money to meet the increasing need for our services. Please help us meet our fund-raising goal of $32,000.

[GoFundMe donations are not tax deductible. If you prefer to make a tax deductible donation, consider donating through ASC’s fiscal sponsor, Rutgers Presbyterian Church. Instructions on how to donate are on the website .]