Overview
- USCIS reduced the maximum validity of Employment Authorization Documents from five years to 18 months for multiple categories, applying to new and pending filings as of December 5, with earlier cards keeping their original dates.
- Some groups tied to parole and Temporary Protected Status face one‑year EAD limits under previously announced rules, which USCIS says apply to I‑765 applications filed or pending since July 22.
- A USCIS memorandum freezes adjudication of key benefits for nationals of 19 countries, covering forms such as I‑485, I‑90, I‑131 and I‑751, while agencies continue to accept filings and conduct preliminary checks.
- USCIS has paused issuing decisions on pending asylum applications since November 28, stating that new filings and interviews will proceed during the internal review.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration is evaluating expanding a U.S. travel prohibition to more than 30 countries, with the list and timing not yet disclosed.