In a sweeping policy reversal with immediate operational impact, USCIS on Saturday shortened the maximum validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for refugees, asylees, Temporary Protected Status holders and green-card applicants from five years to just 18 months.
USCIS says the shorter window will force more frequent security re-checks and help detect fraud sooner. Critics counter that the change will swamp an agency already facing 1.6 million EAD backlogs and could push thousands of workers—and the U.S. employers that rely on them—into status lapses.
![Work-Permit Validity Slashed From Five Years to 18 Months for Humanitarian and Adjustment Applicants]()
For business-immigration programs, the harshest blow falls on employment-based adjustment-of-status candidates waiting in long green-card queues. They must now reapply (and pay new fees) every year-and-a-half to keep work and travel authorization, straining corporate legal budgets and project planning.
Immigration lawyers warn that renewal filings cannot be submitted more than 180 days before expiry, yet current processing times already exceed five months in many service centers. That mismatch raises the likelihood of costly work stoppages for key talent unless USCIS introduces automatic-extension relief similar to its 540-day rule for certain categories.
Employers are urged to audit foreign-national work-authorization end dates this week and file early where possible. Communication plans for managers and payroll teams will be critical to avoid I-9 compliance gaps.
USCIS says the shorter window will force more frequent security re-checks and help detect fraud sooner. Critics counter that the change will swamp an agency already facing 1.6 million EAD backlogs and could push thousands of workers—and the U.S. employers that rely on them—into status lapses.
For business-immigration programs, the harshest blow falls on employment-based adjustment-of-status candidates waiting in long green-card queues. They must now reapply (and pay new fees) every year-and-a-half to keep work and travel authorization, straining corporate legal budgets and project planning.
Immigration lawyers warn that renewal filings cannot be submitted more than 180 days before expiry, yet current processing times already exceed five months in many service centers. That mismatch raises the likelihood of costly work stoppages for key talent unless USCIS introduces automatic-extension relief similar to its 540-day rule for certain categories.
Employers are urged to audit foreign-national work-authorization end dates this week and file early where possible. Communication plans for managers and payroll teams will be critical to avoid I-9 compliance gaps.
