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The United States government announced this Thursday that work permits for several groups of immigrants will no longer be valid for five years, but will now only be valid for 18 months, according to a statement from the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The decision, which will take effect this Friday, December 5th, will affect refugees, asylees, asylum seekers with pending cases, and individuals applying for permanent residency or deportation relief.
USCIS explained that the change aims to strengthen the background checks for immigrants and prevent fraud in work permits.
According to the agency, the reduction will allow for "more frequent monitoring" of those who are working legally in the country.
The director of the agency, Joseph Edlow, stated that the measure will ensure that "those who seek to work in the United States do not pose a threat to public safety or promote ideologies contrary to national values."
The provision is part of the H.R. 1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted by President Donald Trump on July 4th, which establishes shorter validity periods for beneficiaries of humanitarian programs such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or parole.
USCIS specified that the new limits will apply to both pending applications and those submitted from the date the regulation comes into effect.
The measure, he added, will allow for quicker detection of immigrants with illegal intentions or those who pose risks to national security.
In October, USCIS announced a groundbreaking change in the work permit renewal process for immigrants, which will impact millions of individuals with non-permanent immigration status.
Starting from October 30, 2025, the automatic extension of employment authorization documents (EAD) has been abolished, except for a few specific exceptions.
This measure, driven by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), modified a policy that since 2022 allowed certain immigrants to continue working while waiting for the approval of their renewal.
Recently, the United States government issued a direct warning to foreigners who have exceeded their allowed length of stay, emphasizing that they will be identified and deported.
USCIS, through its official account on X, urged those who are "out of status" to use the voluntary self-deportation tool.
"It is possible that you have legally entered the U.S. for a temporary visit, but if you stay longer than allowed, you will be identified and expelled. If you have exceeded the permitted time, use the CBP Home app to self-deport," he emphasized.
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