While obtaining and maintaining a valid Employment Authorization Document, or EAD, is critical to many clients, it is not always easy to determine who qualifies for an EAD, how and when to apply, and when a fee is required. These Frequently Asked Questions address the requirements for several categories of noncitizens eligible to apply for EADs, including applicants for asylum and adjustment of status, U and T nonimmigrants, TPS holders, recipients of deferred action (including DACA), VAWA self-petitioners, refugees and asylees, parolees, and others. The FAQs also explain when work authorization is automatically extended, when and how to renew an EAD, and when a fee waiver is available.

CLINIC submitted a public comment on June. 8, 2022, in response to USCIS Temporary Increase of the Automatic Extension Period of Employment Authorization and Documentation (EAD) for Certain Renewal Applicants.

Calling USCIS’s National Customer Service Center (NCSC) can be time consuming. Here are some tips on making your communications with the NCSC more productive.