The Trump administration on Thursday rolled back the work-permit window for asylum-seekers. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is cutting the validity of work permits, known as Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), from five years to 18 months. The change, announced Thursday, will also affect several noncitizens.
The agency said the change is meant to allow officers to run more frequent background checks on noncitizens who are working in the country. Officials believe shorter renewal cycles will help them spot fraud, catch identity-related risks and remove people who may pose a threat.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the decision was made keeping public safety in mind. He referred to the recent attack on National Guard members in Washington, DC, saying it strengthened the need for “frequent vetting.”
US cuts work permit validity
The return to the 18-month limit applies to several people, including: “Refugees, individuals granted asylum, people granted withholding of deportation or removal, those waiting for a decision on asylum or withholding, applicants who are trying to adjust their immigration status, and individuals seeking suspension of deportation, cancellation of removal or protection under long-standing humanitarian programs,” according to USCIS.
USCIS said the new validity period will apply to any work-permit request pending or filed on or after December 5, 2025.
Another set of rules comes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed earlier this year by President Donald Trump. Under that law, certain parole categories and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) groups will be limited to one-year work permits, or shorter if their parole or TPS period ends earlier.
This includes individuals paroled as refugees, people granted TPS and applicants waiting for TPS decisions. Other parole categories, including the spouses of entrepreneurs who enter the US under the International Parole Program, will also get only one-year work permits. These rules begin for applications pending or filed on or after July 22, 2025.
Why the crackdown now
In his statement, Edlow said shortening the work-permit window will help ensure that people working in the US “do not threaten public safety or promote harmful anti-American ideologies.” Edlow added, “After the attack on National Guard service members in our nation’s capital by an alien who was admitted into this country by the previous administration, it’s even clearer that USCIS must conduct frequent vetting of aliens.”
The accused shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome under the Biden administration. He was later granted asylum earlier this year under the Trump administration. Following the attack, USCIS announced a temporary halt on all immigration benefit requests from foreign nationals from 19 countries the Trump administration now considers “high-risk.”
The 19 countries are: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
