Automatic Extension of Immigrant Work Permits Under OIRA Review

Regulations on the automatic extension period for immigrants’ pending work permit renewals are under review at the White House.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services previously issued a temporary rule in April increasing the automatic extension period for employment eligibility from a 180 days to a year and a half. Most applicants for work permit renewals at the time were seeing wait times of as much as 16 months.

That temporary measure will sunset next year. But USCIS is still working through a large backlog of work permit applications. A final rule addressing the automatic extension (1615-AC78) went to ...