Overview
- The rule took effect on October 30, 2025, and filings submitted by October 29 remain eligible for the prior 540-day automatic extension.
- Workers who file renewals after the cutoff cannot keep working if their current EAD expires before USCIS approves a new card, with attorneys warning of possible sanctions for employment on an expired permit.
- USCIS cites enhanced security vetting as the rationale, while practitioners report renewal timelines that can stretch many months, risking employment gaps for EAD-dependent families.
- DACA recipients and some TPS beneficiaries continue under separate provisions set by statute or Federal Register notices, whereas asylum applicants, certain TPS holders, H-4/E/L spouses, and green card applicants are among those likely to face interruptions.
- In related moves, USCIS introduced a tougher naturalization civics test on October 20, and separate reports claim a new $100,000 annual H-1B fee, a change that remains thinly sourced and described as inapplicable to status changes or extensions.