The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced a significant extension to work permit validity periods in its move to ease delays and ensure continued employment authorization for non-citizens.

The new policy was implemented through a temporary final rule that extends the automatic extension period for certain Employment Authorization Documents from 180 days to a maximum of 540 days.

This also applies to eligible applicants who have timely filed EAD renewal applications on or after October 27, 2023, and those who file between now and September 30, 2025.

The Director of USCIS, Ur M. Jaddou emphasized the importance of this initiative in minimizing disruptions in employment authorization for non-citizens awaiting processing of their EAD renewal applications.

The statement said “Over the last year, the USCIS workforce reduced processing times for most EAD categories, supporting an overall goal to improve work access to eligible individuals. However, we also received a record number of employment authorization applications, impacting our renewal mechanisms.

“Temporarily lengthening the existing automatic extension up to 540 days will avoid lapses in employment authorizations.”

This TFR complements USCIS’s ongoing efforts to streamline the work authorization process and improve access to employment opportunities for authorized individuals in the United States.

The extended validity period is expected to benefit a substantial number of EAD renewal applicants, including asylum seekers and Temporary Protected Status holders.

The estimates suggest this policy could positively impact roughly 800,000 individuals and their respective employers.