Great news for those renewing their employment authorization! Starting today, certain renewal applicants who have submitted Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, will enjoy an automatic 180-day extension of their expiring employment authorization and/or employment authorization documents (EADs) while waiting for their renewal application to be processed.
Back in May 2022, USCIS introduced a temporary final rule (TFR) that extended the automatic extension period for certain EAD renewal applicants from 180 days to an impressive 540 days. Although today’s change is not retroactive, all previous up to 540-day automatic extensions will stay in place.
USCIS is evaluating the need for a new regulatory action, similar to the May 2022 TFR, despite ongoing operational improvements and efforts to expedite EAD processing.
For those eligible, automatic extensions for employment authorization and EAD validity will adhere to the original up to 180-day period. This applies to applicants who timely file a Form I-765 renewal application on or after October 27, 2023.
Suppose you previously received the increased automatic extension under the TFR. In that case, it will end either when you receive a final decision on your renewal application or when the up to 540-day period expires (counted from the expiration date of your employment authorization and EAD), whichever comes earlier.
In other positive developments, USCIS has updated its Policy Manual to extend the maximum EAD validity period to five years for certain categories of noncitizens, including those admitted as refugees, granted asylum, and more.
USCIS is actively working to minimize gaps in employment and/or employment authorization documentation for those with pending EAD renewal applications. Additional personnel and processing improvements are being implemented to reduce the median processing time for certain EAD applications to just 30 days.
The commitment to speeding up EAD processing times and preventing unnecessary expiration of timely-renewed EADs remains strong. For more details, check out USCIS’s Automatic Employment Authorization Document Extension page
Source: USCIS
