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Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (December 8, 2025) - On December 4, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its policy manual to reduce the maximum validity period for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain categories of noncitizens.The update also incorporates changes to these EAD validity periods made by recent legislation.
In its press release announcing the update, USCIS touted the change as a means of ensuring "proper vetting and screening of" noncitizens, which the agency said will enable it to "deter fraud" and detect noncitizens "with potentially harmful intent" and process them for removal from the U.S.
Pursuant to the update, the maximum validity period for both initial and renewal EADs will be cut from five years to 18 months for the following categories of noncitizens:
- Noncitizens admitted as refugees;
- Noncitizens granted asylum;
- Noncitizens granted withholding of deportation or removal;
- Noncitizens with pending applications for asylum or withholding of removal;
- Noncitizens with pending applications for adjustment of status under INA245; and
- Noncitizens with pending applications for suspension of deportation, cancellation of removal, or relief under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act
This change will affect noncitizens who have applications for employment authorization that are pending or filed on or after December 5, 2025.
The USCIS' update also implements a provision of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" that establishes that the validity period for initial and renewal EADs will be the shorter of either one year or the end date of the authorized parole period or duration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the following categories:
- Noncitizens paroled as refugees;
- Noncitizens granted TPS;
- Noncitizens granted parole;
- Noncitizens with a pending TPS application; and
- Noncitizen spouse of entrepreneur parole
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