On May 4, 2022, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) will increase the automatic extension period for eligible
Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) from 180 days
to 540 days. Only EADs that are already
eligible for the existing 180-day extension may receive an
additional 360-day extension for a total of up to 540
days.
Status categories eligible for the automatically
extended EADs include pending adjustment of status applicants,
those holding refugee status and those beneficiaries in Temporary
Protected Status (TPS), in addition to spouses of eligible E or L-1
applicants holding eligible EADs.
USCIS introduced the Temporary Final Rule (TFR) to
temporarily increase the automatic extension period for certain
EADs from 180 days to 540 days. USCIS indicates the rule was
implemented to help avoid gaps in employment and provide more
predictability for U.S. employers.
