USCIS Ends Automatic Extensions for Immigrant Work Permits

The Department of Homeland Security has announced the immediate termination of automatic extensions for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), affecting hundreds of thousands of immigrants annually. The policy change, which takes effect October 30, 2025, reverses a Biden-era protection that granted up to 540 days of automatic work authorization while renewal applications were being processed. 

In my opinion, the extension was necessary due to slow processing by USCIS. Part of this was Covid. Part of it was the leftover chaos of the first Trump administration. 

Who’s Affected: The rule impacts green card applicants, refugees, asylum seekers, H-4 visa holders (spouses of H-1B workers), and other categories of immigrants who previously received automatic extensions while waiting for USCIS to process their renewal applications. Between 293,000 and 450,000 people apply for EAD extensions each year.

The Impact: Without automatic extensions, immigrants whose work permits expire will lose their legal right to work until USCIS completes processing their renewal—even if they filed their paperwork on time. USCIS currently processes about 49,000 applications monthly while receiving approximately 52,800, creating a processing backlog.

The Administration’s Rationale: DHS claims the change is necessary for national security, requiring additional background checks, criminal record reviews, and potentially new biometric data collection. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow stated the policy emphasizes “robust alien screening and vetting” over what he called prioritizing “aliens’ convenience ahead of Americans’ safety and security.”

Criticism: Screening and vetting did still occur with automatic extensions. Using public safety as an excuse for ending the practice of automatic extensions is bogus. USCIS can set any applicant for a biometrics appointment where fingerprints are taken and those fingerprints get ran through FBI and DHS databases. Immigration advocates and labor organizations have strongly opposed ending the extensions. The AFL-CIO warned the policy “destabilizes key industries” and harms the economy.

Read the full story: USCIS Ending Work Authorization (EAD) Automatic Extensions