Work permits explained: what an EAD is and how renewals work now

Step 1 — Know what an EAD is

An Employment Authorization Document (EAD) is a card, Form I-766, and one way to prove you’re authorized to work in the U.S. for a specific time period (USCIS — EAD). People call it a “work permit.” Two details matter most: your eligibility category, under “Category”, and the end date, next to “Card Expires” (USCIS — M-274, 5.1).

If you’re 18 or older, USCIS says you must always carry your EAD, Green Card or other proof of alien registration with you (USCIS — Immigration Documents). For how employers check it, see finding a job.

Step 2 — Find out whether you need one

USCIS describes two reasons to apply for an EAD (USCIS — EAD):

• Your status already lets you work, and you want proof. This is called “incident to status”: asylees and refugees, for example, can work as soon as they get that status but may still apply for an EAD as proof (USCIS — Form I-765 instructions).
• You must ask for permission first. USCIS’s examples include people with a pending green card (Form I-485) or asylum (Form I-589) application, and F-1 or M-1 students (USCIS — EAD). Parolees or people with deferred action, for example, can’t accept a job until USCIS approves the I-765 (USCIS — Form I-765 instructions).

You don’t apply for an EAD as a permanent resident, because your Green Card proves you can work, or if your nonimmigrant status lets you work for a specific employer, such as H-1B, L-1B, O or P (USCIS — EAD).

The full list of categories is in the I-765 instructions. You enter one category code, and it can change with your situation, for example from pending to granted asylum (USCIS — Form I-765 instructions). 4Livo can’t tell you which category fits you; see free immigration legal help.

Step 3 — Apply with Form I-765

You can file online through a USCIS account, or on paper (USCIS — I-765), while you’re in the U.S. (USCIS — Form I-765). You need a U.S. mailing address; USCIS sends your card there (USCIS — Form I-765 instructions).

Before you file:

• Use the accepted edition. USCIS may reject a paper form with missing pages or pages from another edition (USCIS — I-765). In October 2026, because of a court order, USCIS was accepting the 08/21/25 edition, not the newer 09/15/26 one (USCIS — I-765). Check again on the day you file.
• Use the right address. It depends on your reason for applying and your category, and it changed on October 7, 2026 (USCIS — I-765); see the filing addresses (USCIS).
• Check the fee. Some I-765 fees changed on October 16, 2026, and a request with the wrong fee is rejected (USCIS — Fee Schedule). Some filers can ask for a fee waiver with Form I-912, but the extra fees set by the law known as H.R. 1 can’t be waived (USCIS — Fee Schedule).
• Gather the evidence. Generally: a copy of your I-94, passport or travel document; a copy of your last EAD or of a photo ID; two identical passport-style photos; and the evidence for your category (USCIS — Form I-765 instructions). Photos must not be retouched (USCIS — I-765). Foreign-language documents need a full, certified English translation (USCIS — Form I-765 instructions).
• Sign it, and keep a copy. USCIS rejects unsigned forms (USCIS — I-765); anyone who helped you must sign too (USCIS — Form I-765 instructions), and USCIS recommends keeping a copy (USCIS — Form I-765 instructions).

Step 4 — While you wait

• Processing time. Check USCIS’s Case Processing Times page with the form, category and office on your receipt notice (USCIS — Case Processing Times). We don’t copy the numbers; they change.
• Biometrics. If USCIS schedules an appointment for fingerprints, a photo and a signature and you miss it, it may deny your application (USCIS — Form I-765 instructions).
• Moving? Update your address with USCIS and the Postal Service right away, or your card could get lost and you may need to reapply and pay again (USCIS — I-765). Noncitizens must report a new address to USCIS within 10 days of moving, with a few exceptions (USCIS — Change of Address).
• After approval. The card should be produced within 2 weeks and mailed by USPS Priority Mail; Case Status Online shows the tracking number. Allow 30 days from approval before asking about a missing card (USCIS — I-765).
• If it’s denied. There is no appeal, but you can file a motion to reopen or reconsider (Form I-290B) within 30 days, or 33 if the denial was mailed (USCIS — Policy Manual). Get legal help quickly.

Step 5 — Get your Social Security number

SSA says you’ll likely also need a Social Security number, which lets employers report your earnings (SSA). SSA describes a shortcut: if you request the card in the SSA section of your work permit application, USCIS sends SSA the data and the card should arrive within 14 days after your EAD (SSA). However, the current paper Form I-765 (edition 08/21/25) only asks for your SSN “if known” and has no section to request a card (USCIS — Form I-765).

If you didn’t request a card, SSA says you can apply at a Social Security office after you receive your EAD, with originals such as your EAD and birth certificate (SSA). See our Social Security number guide.

Step 6 — Renew on time: how renewals work now

• No automatic extension for most people. Since October 30, 2025, filing a renewal no longer extends an expiring or expired EAD, “unless otherwise provided by law or through a Federal Register notice” (USCIS — M-274, 5.0). USCIS names extensions for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) documents among the limited exceptions (USCIS, October 29, 2025). On October 14, 2026, DHS made this change final (Federal Register).
• TPS cards may be extended by a Federal Register notice for your country or by an individual notice, usually a Form I-797; during a Federal Register extension, a card that looks expired stays valid (USCIS — TPS).
• Filed before October 30, 2025? Some renewals in certain categories may carry an extension of up to 540 days (USCIS — M-274, 5.1).
• Cards last less time. For applications pending or filed on or after December 5, 2025, the maximum validity for refugees, asylees, people with a pending asylum or green card application, and a few other groups dropped from 5 years to 18 months; since July 22, 2025, parole and TPS cards last one year or until the parole or TPS ends, whichever is shorter (USCIS, December 4, 2025). Shorter cards mean renewing more often.
• When to file. USCIS encourages filing as soon as your EAD is within 180 days of expiring (USCIS — EAD); its I-765 page also says to file at least 90 days before it expires (USCIS — I-765). Waiting longer makes a lapse in your permission to work more likely (USCIS, October 29, 2025).
• Not too early, either. A renewal card’s validity generally starts on the day it’s approved, and USCIS generally doesn’t backdate or postdate it to match the end of your current card (USCIS — Policy Manual).

If your card may expire before the new one arrives, talk to a legal provider early; finding a job explains what your employer may ask.

Step 7 — If your card has a mistake, is lost or never arrives

• Mistake made by USCIS (such as a typo): no new form or fee. Send an online service request (“EAD Replacement due to USCIS Error”) and mail the card back by U.S. Postal Service to the address on USCIS’s page; it takes about 30 days from when USCIS receives the card (USCIS — EAD).
• Mistake not caused by USCIS: file a new Form I-765 with the fee if required, the listed documents and the card with the error (USCIS — EAD).
• Lost, stolen or destroyed: file a new Form I-765 with the fee if required (USCIS — EAD) and a statement explaining what happened (USCIS — Immigration Documents). A replacement keeps the original’s validity dates and category, so it doesn’t extend your permission (USCIS — Policy Manual).
• Never arrived: you can submit a non-delivery inquiry (USCIS — EAD). If an outdated address caused it, you generally must file a new form and pay (USCIS — Immigration Documents).