US announces extension for some expiring immigrant work permits

The Biden administration has announced that certain categories of immigrants, including those seeking green cards and spouses of H-1B visa holders, would be permitted to use their expired work permits for an additional 18 months, offering a reprieve to thousands of Indians working in this country and prevent further disruption for US employers. A Green Card, known officially as a Permanent Resident Card, is a document issued to immigrants as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing permanently in the US. The move announced by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday will go into effect from Wednesday May 4, 2022. The extension period of up to 180 days will automatically be extended to up to 540 days from the expiration date stated on the current Employment Authorisation Cards (EADs), the Department of Homeland Security said.
"As USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) works to address the pending EAD caseloads, the agency has determined that the current 180-day automatic extension for employment authorisation is currently insufficient," said USCIS Director M. Jaddou. "This temporary rule will provide those non-citizens, otherwise eligible for the automatic extension, an opportunity to maintain employment and provide critical support for their families, while avoiding further disruption for US employers," he said.The policy is meant to address the unprecedented backlog of 1.5 million work permit applications at the nation's legal immigration agency, leaving tens of thousands unable to work legally and exacerbating labour shortages."The change will immediately help about 87,000 immigrants whose work authorisation has lapsed or is set to in the next 30 days. Overall, the government estimates that as many as 4,20,000 immigrants renewing work permits will be protected from losing their ability to work for the duration of the policy," Indian-American community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria