Atlanta-based immigration boutique Bhavya Chaudhary & Associates sounded the alarm on March 9, noting that USCIS’s Service Center Operations Directorate now lists 80-percent-completion times of 19.5 months for Form I-131 Advance Parole applications. Work-authorization (I-765) requests tied to adjustment of status hover at 6–8.5 months, while other categories stretch well past a year.
![USCIS Processing Times for Advance Parole and EADs Top 19 Months, Firm Warns]()
In light of these mounting delays, VisaHQ can help employers and foreign nationals stay proactive by providing real-time status tracking, document checklists, and expert guidance on consular processes; explore their U.S. services at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/ to mitigate disruptions and maintain compliance.
The update attributes the delays to a triple shock: the October 30, 2025 rollback of 540-day automatic EAD extensions, the December 5 reduction of renewal validity from five years to 18 months, and ongoing vetting surges for “high-risk-country” applicants. For employers, the biggest pain point is workforce continuity. Foreign employees awaiting renewal may lose work authorization, triggering I-9 reverification headaches and potential back-pay liability. The firm recommends that mobility teams file renewals at the 180-day mark, explore premium processing where available, and prepare contingency staffing plans. Advance Parole delays also threaten international assignments: an adjustment applicant who departs without a valid travel document abandons the green-card case. HR should counsel employees to postpone non-urgent travel and to request emergency parole appointments only for verifiable humanitarian grounds. Some applicants are resorting to mandamus litigation; USCIS’s Office of the Ombudsman reports a 22 percent rise in mandamus inquiries over FY 2025. Whether the agency will reinstate broader automatic extensions remains an open question, but stakeholders are lobbying for relief before the busy summer-travel season.
In light of these mounting delays, VisaHQ can help employers and foreign nationals stay proactive by providing real-time status tracking, document checklists, and expert guidance on consular processes; explore their U.S. services at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/ to mitigate disruptions and maintain compliance.
The update attributes the delays to a triple shock: the October 30, 2025 rollback of 540-day automatic EAD extensions, the December 5 reduction of renewal validity from five years to 18 months, and ongoing vetting surges for “high-risk-country” applicants. For employers, the biggest pain point is workforce continuity. Foreign employees awaiting renewal may lose work authorization, triggering I-9 reverification headaches and potential back-pay liability. The firm recommends that mobility teams file renewals at the 180-day mark, explore premium processing where available, and prepare contingency staffing plans. Advance Parole delays also threaten international assignments: an adjustment applicant who departs without a valid travel document abandons the green-card case. HR should counsel employees to postpone non-urgent travel and to request emergency parole appointments only for verifiable humanitarian grounds. Some applicants are resorting to mandamus litigation; USCIS’s Office of the Ombudsman reports a 22 percent rise in mandamus inquiries over FY 2025. Whether the agency will reinstate broader automatic extensions remains an open question, but stakeholders are lobbying for relief before the busy summer-travel season.
