The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced major changes to the validity of work permits, a move that will affect thousands of Indian professionals and families living in the U.S. The agency says these shorter Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) are meant to improve security checks and help detect risks more frequently. Under the new rules, many categories that previously received five-year work permits — including green card applicants, H-1B workers waiting for status updates, refugees, asylees, and those with pending asylum cases — will now receive EADs valid for only 18 months starting December 5, 2025. Another set of rules under the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ will further reduce work permits for individuals on parole, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and related categories to just one year from July 22, 2025.
These changes also bring new fees and stricter renewal requirements. Immigration lawyers warn that shorter validity periods will force people to submit more renewal applications, increasing backlogs and making it harder for many to continue working without interruption. For Indian nationals stuck in long green card backlogs, this could create even more uncertainty, as many depend on long-term EAD and travel documents to maintain their jobs. USCIS argues that the new policy will strengthen national security and prevent fraud, but critics say the frequent renewals may overwhelm the system and cause unnecessary job disruptions. The new rules apply to both pending and newly filed applications.
