Thank you for the clarification. I was under the impression that pending asylum would have priority over F-1 status (which is still not terminated but I will likely fall out of status before I even get to asyum interview) since I am eligible for an unrestricted work permit and a limited number of federal benefits (would make sense to pay FICA tax just like everyone else) which may or may not contradict F-1 status. I've encountered opinions that if you work using an asylum-based work permit and not an F-1-based work permit that technically already should lead you to falling out of status. But I suppose it is turning into more of an immigration issue, rather than a tax-related issue.
Again, thank you very much for your help!
