The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced that it will temporarily increase the period of automatic extension of employment authorization for temporary protection (TPS) asylees, refugees and other applicants.
USCIS announced in a statement the Temporary Final Rule (TFR), which increases the period of automatic extension of Employment Authorization Documents (EAD), this with the aim of speeding up the processing of processes in the agency.
In this way, applicants eligible for EAD renewal will have an extension period of up to 540 days, starting on May 4, 2022. In addition to the 180 days of automatic extension, an additional 360 days will be granted for a total of 540 days.
Applicants who have a pending Form I-765 renewal application are eligible for this 540-day extension, for example: Refugees, Asylees, Pending Asylum Application, N-8 and N-9, Current TPS and Initial Application pending, VAWA self-petitioners, among others. Check the complete list on the USCIS portal: https://www.uscis.gov/es/automaticaempleoead.
“As USCIS works to address the backlog of EAD cases, the agency has determined that the current 180-day automatic extension of employment authorization is insufficient at this time,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. .
Likewise, he indicated that this temporary rule is key so that non-citizens eligible for the automatic extension can maintain their employment and continue to support their families. In addition, this measure will benefit the economic and workforce recovery that was severely curtailed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This timeline will provide an opportunity for USCIS to recover from staffing shortages and implement additional strategies to meet application processing goals, not only for this form but for all pending applications.
