Work permit

General information, not legal advice. Checked October 10, 2026.

What it is

A work permit (EAD) is a USCIS card that shows you can work in the U.S. You ask for it with Form I-765. It is not a green card or an immigration status. It only lets you work while it is valid.

Official sources: USCIS · Form I-765 ↗

Who

People who can apply include those with a pending asylum case (c)(8), TPS (a)(12) or (c)(19), parole (c)(11), a pending green card (c)(9), and DACA (c)(33). If your asylum case is pending, you must wait 150 days after filing it. USCIS cannot issue the permit before day 180.

Official sources: USCIS · Manual: EAD categories, validity ↗ · USCIS · Form I-765 ↗

How

1. Find your category in the I-765 instructions (uscis.gov/i-765).
2. File on paper or, if your category allows it, online with a free USCIS account. Today you can file online for: TPS (a)(12) and (c)(19), pending asylum (c)(8), parole (c)(11), DACA (c)(33), F-1 students with OPT (c)(3)(A), (B) and (C), and some pending green card cases (c)(9) (by uploading the PDF). Check the list at uscis.gov/file-online. On paper, use only the 08/21/25 edition (the date is at the bottom of each page of the form).
3. Mailing addresses changed on October 7, 2026. Check yours on uscis.gov before you mail.
4. On paper, pay by card (Form G-1450) or from a U.S. bank account (Form G-1650). Online, you pay on the site.
5. You can ask for your Social Security number on the same I-765, for free. If you do not get your Social Security card 14 days after you receive your work permit, contact Social Security.
6. Keep your receipt (I-797C). After approval, the card can take up to 30 days to arrive.

Official sources: USCIS · Form I-765 ↗ · USCIS · Forms you can file online ↗ · USCIS · I-765 fees (G-1055) ↗ · Social Security · SSN with Form I-765 ↗

How much it costs

• General fee and DACA: $520 / $470.
• Pending green card paid on or after April 1, 2024: $260. If you paid before April 1, 2024 and it is still pending: $0.
• First permit for pending asylum: $570.
• Renewal for pending asylum: $795 / $745.
• First permit for TPS or parole: $1,090 / $1,040.
• Renewal for TPS or parole: $800 / $750.
• Refugees, asylees (first permit) and some other groups: $0.

For asylum, TPS and parole, part of the cost is the H.R. 1 fee. You pay it separately, and it cannot be waived. Check the amount at uscis.gov/g-1055 on the day you file.

Official sources: USCIS · I-765 fees (G-1055) ↗ · Federal Register · FY2027 H.R. 1 fees ↗

Deadlines

• Renew 180 to 90 days before your card expires.
• If you filed your renewal on or after October 30, 2025, your permit is no longer automatically extended while you wait (neither the 540 days nor the 180 days from before). If your card expires before the new one arrives, you may have to stop working. If you filed before that date and had an automatic extension, you keep it. Extensions given by law or official notice, such as some for TPS, also still apply.
• Maximum length: 18 months for asylum (pending or granted), refugees, pending green card and others, if your application was pending or filed on or after December 5, 2025 (they could last up to 5 years before). A permit you already got for 5 years stays valid until the date on your card. 1 year (or less) for TPS and parole. Up to 2 years for DACA.
• Processing times change every month. Check them at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times.

Official sources: Federal Register · Auto-extension ended ↗ · USCIS · Manual: EAD categories, validity ↗ · Federal Register · FY2027 H.R. 1 fees ↗ · USCIS · Form I-765 ↗ · USCIS · Processing times ↗ · USCIS · Policy Manual updates ↗

Watch out

• Do not use the 09/15/26 edition of the form: because of a September 14, 2026 court order, USCIS is not accepting it for now. Before you mail it, check uscis.gov/i-765 to see which edition is accepted that day.
• A missing signature, the wrong category or the wrong payment means rejection.
• Keep your address up to date with USCIS and the post office.
• Forms are free at uscis.gov. No one can guarantee or speed up your permit for money.
• Rules change often, and some are in court. If you are unsure, talk to an immigration lawyer or an accredited representative. Some nonprofits may help for free (EOIR list at justice.gov/eoir).

Official sources: Federal Register · FY2027 H.R. 1 fees ↗ · USCIS · Form I-765 ↗ · USCIS · I-765 fees (G-1055) ↗ · EOIR · Free legal services ↗