We are updating guidance in the Policy Manual to increase the maximum validity period to 5 years for initial and renewal Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain noncitizens who are employment authorized incident to status or circumstance, including those admitted as refugees, paroled as refugees, and granted asylum, as well as recipients of withholding of removal.

We are also increasing the maximum validity period to 5 years for initial and renewal EADs for certain noncitizens who must apply for employment authorization, including applicants for asylum or withholding of removal, adjustment of status under INA 245, and suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal.

Read more here: USCIS Increases Employment Authorization Document Validity Period for Certain Categories.

On Sept. 20, 2023, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela for 18 months, and a redesignation of the country for TPS. The redesignation will become effective on the date announced in an upcoming Federal Register notice. Only individuals who were already residing in the United States on or before July 31, 2023, will be eligible for TPS under this redesignation.

For additional information, please see the news release.

On Sept. 13, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a decision on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Final Rule. For more information, see our web alert.

USCIS is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify the types of evidence USCIS evaluates to determine eligibility for extraordinary ability (E11) and outstanding professor or researcher (E12) EB-1 immigrant visa classifications.

Visit uscis.gov/policy-manual for more information.

USCIS recognizes that unforeseen circumstances, such as the Sept. 8 earthquake in Morocco and the Sept. 11 flooding in Libya, may affect your ability to respond to information requests related to your USCIS application, petition, or immigration request. If you cannot submit evidence or respond to a notice or request in a timely manner for reasons directly tied to an unforeseen circumstance, you may show how the disrupting event affected your ability to appear for an interview or submit documents as required. Additionally, if certain immigration documents were damaged, destroyed, or lost, you may request expedited processing to replace those documents.

Please review our Immigration Relief in Emergencies or Unforeseen Circumstances page for further information.

You are likely eligible to apply for an employment authorization document (EAD) to legally work in the United States if:

• You were recently paroled into the United States and that parole remains valid; or
• You have applied for asylum and that application has been pending for at least 150 days.

If you have not already started the EAD application process, you can begin here by creating a USCIS account online and filing Form-I-765. USCIS will mail your EAD to the address you provided in your application if your application is approved. If necessary, you can file a paper application for Form I-765 instead.