Overview
- An interim final rule now applies to EAD renewal filings made on or after Oct. 30, 2025, ending the prior Biden-era automatic extension of up to 540 days.
- Affected groups include asylum seekers, refugees, adjustment-of-status applicants, and H‑4 spouses, who must stop working at card expiry if renewals are still pending.
- USCIS frames the move as a national-security measure to ensure screening is completed before authorizing continued employment.
- Exceptions are limited to extensions provided by statute or Federal Register notices, such as certain TPS cases, and the separate 180‑day STEM OPT extension; extensions granted before Oct. 30 remain valid.
- Employers are updating I‑9 reverification and tracking to prepare for lapses in work authorization, with analysts warning of disruptions that could particularly hit Indian nationals; DHS is accepting public comments through Dec. 1.