New Bill Scraps Fees for Unaccompanied Children Seeking Asylum and Work Permits, Mandates Refunds

This new legislation, the "Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act of 2025," is essentially an overhaul of previous policies that critics argued put up financial and physical barriers for vulnerable kids seeking safety in the U.S. The bill zeroes out several key immigration application fees for current and former unaccompanied alien children (UACs), including those for asylum applications, employment authorization documents (EADs), and various court processing fees. It also explicitly repeals the fee for applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), a critical protection for abused or neglected children.

Clearing the Financial Hurdles

Imagine you’re a teenager who fled violence and is now trying to navigate a complex legal system—and you’re immediately hit with hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars in fees just to apply for protection or a job. This bill wipes that slate clean (Sec. 3). For a former UAC seeking an EAD to work legally—say, stocking shelves or working construction while their case is pending—the employment authorization fee is eliminated. This is a massive shift, removing a practical barrier that often forces young people to wait longer or work illegally. Furthermore, any UAC who previously paid these fees under the prior law is due a refund, which the government must process within 180 days of the bill becoming law (Sec. 7). This means money back in the pockets of people who can likely use every dollar.

Ending Intrusive Examinations and Protecting Sponsors

The bill also addresses two major non-financial concerns. First, it puts a hard stop to body examinations conducted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) that were authorized under the previous law (Sec. 5). This prevents potentially traumatic and physically intrusive procedures on children in government custody, which is a significant win for child welfare advocates who cite the American Academy of Pediatrics on the risks of detention.

Second, the legislation creates a firewall to protect the adults who step up to care for these kids. Under the prior law, information about sponsors—often family members—could be shared with immigration enforcement agencies, leading to arrests and deportations. This bill explicitly bans the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from sharing sponsor information with DHS or any other federal agency for the purpose of immigration enforcement (Sec. 6). For families, this means a parent or relative can step forward to sponsor a child without fear of being targeted, which should significantly reduce the time children spend in government custody.

The Real-World Impact

What this all boils down to is restoring a degree of due process and basic humanity for children seeking refuge. By eliminating fees, a young person seeking asylum can now focus on their legal case rather than scrambling to pay application costs. By protecting sponsors, the bill makes it easier to move children out of institutional settings and into family homes, which is critical for their health and development. The only real challenge here is administrative: DHS and DOJ now have the task of setting up the systems to identify and refund all those previously paid fees within the six-month deadline, which is no small feat for federal bureaucracy.