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ARTICLE · 15 DECEMBER 2025

USCIS Rolls Back Extended EAD Validity: What Employers Need To Know

Seyfarth Shaw LLP
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Effective December 5, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a significant change to Employment Authorization Document (EAD) validity periods.

United StatesImmigration
Belma Burkic
Belma Burkic
Mia Batista
Mia Batista
Julia Barnard
Julia Barnard
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This alert was first published as an update.

Effective December 5, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a significant change to Employment Authorization Document (EAD) validity periods. The maximum validity for certain categories will be reduced from five years to 18 months, reversing the extension introduced in September 2023. USCIS cites security and fraud-prevention concerns as the primary reasons for the rollback.

This policy change, coupled with the recent elimination of the 540-day automatic extension rule (effective October 30, 2025), imposes significant compliance and workforce management challenges for U.S. employers.

Who Is Impacted?

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