U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on 4 December issued an interim final rule slashing the validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for asylum applicants and other humanitarian categories from five years to just 18 months. According to Director Joseph Edlow, the change will give the agency “more frequent opportunities to vet applicants for security concerns.” The rule took effect upon publication in the Federal Register and applies to new cards; existing five-year EADs remain valid until expiry.
Employers in sectors such as food processing and healthcare—where asylum applicants form a significant share of the workforce—warn that the shorter validity will multiply renewal cycles and increase the risk of unintended lapses, potentially forcing workers off payroll. USCIS says it will “strive” to approve renewals within 150 days but offered no service-level guarantees.
![Work-Permit Validity for Asylum Seekers Cut from Five Years to 18 Months]()
The measure is part of a broader clamp-down following last week’s fatal shooting of two Guardsmen by an Afghan parolee. Combined with the current freeze on most asylum decisions, the new rule signals a strategic pivot toward deterrence even in legal humanitarian channels.
Employers should audit I-9 files to flag workers who will fall under the 18-month regime and budget for more frequent legal spend. Mobility managers should also educate business units that an EAD card expiring in mid-2027 today may need renewal by mid-2027 under the new timeline, adding uncertainty to long-term assignments.
Employers in sectors such as food processing and healthcare—where asylum applicants form a significant share of the workforce—warn that the shorter validity will multiply renewal cycles and increase the risk of unintended lapses, potentially forcing workers off payroll. USCIS says it will “strive” to approve renewals within 150 days but offered no service-level guarantees.
The measure is part of a broader clamp-down following last week’s fatal shooting of two Guardsmen by an Afghan parolee. Combined with the current freeze on most asylum decisions, the new rule signals a strategic pivot toward deterrence even in legal humanitarian channels.
Employers should audit I-9 files to flag workers who will fall under the 18-month regime and budget for more frequent legal spend. Mobility managers should also educate business units that an EAD card expiring in mid-2027 today may need renewal by mid-2027 under the new timeline, adding uncertainty to long-term assignments.
