By Ted Hesson WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Work permits for asylum applicants could be paused for 'many years' under a ...

Under the draft rule, work permits, officially known as Employment Authorization Documents, would be withheld until average asylum processing times fall below 180 days.

Asylum applicants may be forced to wait 18 months to apply to work legally in the U.S. under the new rule.

Migrants from Haiti stand in line outside the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid (COMAR) government office to apply for asylum in Mexico City, Tuesday, Jan.

The Department of Homeland Security  has proposed a regulation aimed at decreasing incentives for individuals to submit fraudulent asylum applications solely to obtain authorization for employment.