Biden administration extends work permit for selected categories of immigrants in the US

Washington : U.S. immigration officials are making it easier for immigrants to get work permits. They announced a new rule that extends the automatic renewal period for certain work permits from 6 months (180 days) to 1.5 years (540 days). This will help immigrants continue working legally while their applications are being processed. It will also benefit businesses by ensuring their employees can keep working without interruption.

This is the latest step by the Biden administration to allow work-authorised individuals to get into the workforce, supporting the economies where they live. The announcement will benefit the South Asian immigrants primarily.

The announcement came after a recommendation was made by Ajay Bhutoria, advisor to President Biden on the White House Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Commission.

"Over the last year, the USCIS workforce reduced processing times for most EAD categories, supporting an overall goal to improve work access to eligible individuals. However, we also received a record number of employment authorization applications, impacting our renewal mechanisms," said USCIS Director Ur M Jaddou, according to an official press release.