US Extends Expired Work Permits By 1.5 Years

The US govt has decided to extend the tenure of work permits by an additional 18 months for specific categories of immigrants, including those seeking green cards and spouses of H-1B visa holders.

According to the department of homeland security, the extension period of up to 180 days will automatically be extended to up to 540 days from the expiration date stated on the current Employment Authorisation Cards (EADs).

Non-citizens with a pending renewal application still covered under the 180-day automatic extension will be granted an additional extension of up to 360 days for up to 540 days past the expiration of the current EAD.

In addition to this, non-citizens with a pending renewal application and a valid EAD on 4 May 2022 or who timely file an EAD renewal application before 27 October 2023 will be granted an automatic extension of up to 540 days if their EAD expires before the renewal application is processed.

"The change will immediately help about 87,000 immigrants whose work authorization has lapsed or is set to in the next 30 days. Overall, the government estimates that as many as 4,20,000 immigrants renewing work permits will be protected from losing their ability to work for the duration of the policy," Indian-American community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.