United States: USCIS Reduces Maximum Validity Period from Five Years to 18 Months for Several Categories of EADs, Including Adjustment of Status EADs

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently updated its Policy Manual to reduce the maximum validity period of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain categories of aliens.

The maximum validity period for initial and renewal EADs will be changed from 5 years back to 18 months for the following individuals:

Individuals admitted as refugees;
Individuals granted asylum;
Individuals granted withholding of deportation or removal;
Those with pending applications for asylum or withholding of removal;
Those with pending applications for adjustment of status; and
Those with pending applications for suspension of deportation, cancellation of removal, or relief under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act.

This change affects aliens with I-765 applications for employment authorization that are pending on, or that are filed on or after December 5, 2025. Existing EADs will remain valid through their expiration date.

Additionally, the validity period for initial and renewal employment authorization documents will be one year or the end date of the authorized parole period or duration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), whichever is shorter for the following categories:

Individuals paroled as refugees;
Individuals granted TPS;
Individuals granted parole;
Individuals with a pending TPS application; and
Spouses granted entrepreneur parole.

These validity period requirements apply to any Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, pending on, or filed on or after July 22, 2025.

According to USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, “Reducing the maximum validity period for employment authorization will ensure that those seeking to work in the United States do not threaten public safety or promote harmful anti-American ideologies. After the attack on National Guard service members in our nation’s capital by an alien who was admitted into this country by the previous administration, it’s even more clear that USCIS must conduct frequent vetting of aliens.”

For more information, please click here.

Contact Us. If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-483-4549 or call 619-819-9204.

Helpful Links

JOIN OUR NEW FACEBOOK GROUP

Need more immigration updates? We have created a new facebook group to address the impact of the new executive orders and other changing developments. Follow us there!