Overview
- Effective December 5, USCIS is issuing and renewing Employment Authorization Documents for up to 18 months for refugees, asylees, withholding grantees, and applicants with pending asylum, withholding, adjustment of status, suspension of deportation, or NACARA cases.
- Under the One Big Beautiful Bill, work permits for TPS applicants and beneficiaries, parolees including those paroled as refugees, and spouses of entrepreneur parolees are limited to one year or the end of underlying status, applying to I‑765 applications pending or filed on or after July 22, 2025.
- USCIS confirms the policy applies to applications pending or filed on or after the effective dates, while cards issued earlier remain valid for their original terms.
- The October 30 interim final rule that ended most 540‑day automatic EAD extensions remains in place, increasing renewal frequency, Form I‑9 reverifications, and the risk of work‑authorization gaps.
- USCIS cites fraud prevention and public‑safety concerns for the shift, pointing to the recent National Guard shooting in Washington, D.C., and some coverage notes new statutory EAD fees with limited waiver options under OBBA.