DHS Extends Duration of Immigrant Work Permits in New Rule (2)

An automatic grace period for immigrants renewing employment authorization documents will be extended under a Department of Homeland Security rule released Tuesday.

Immigrants seeking to renew temporary work permits get an automatic extension of 180 days if their document expires while their application is pending. Regulations issued by DHS permanently increase that automatic extension to 540 days.

The regulations follow two temporary rules offering the 540-day automatic renewal period, including one issued earlier this year as US Citizenship and Immigration Services dealt with large backlogs of applications. Earlier this spring applicants faced wait times of as much as 16 months. ...