The End of 540-Day EAD Extensions: What You Need to Know

On October 30, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security eliminated the 540-day automatic extension granted to certain types of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). This change affects hundreds of thousands of workers who previously could continue working while their renewal applications were being processed.

Without automatic extensions, workers may lose their employment authorization due to processing delays—even when they've filed on time and remain eligible to work. The policy eliminates automatic extensions for 18 categories of workers, including: humanitarian cases, family-based immigration, work visas for derivatives, long-term residents, and special categories.

Workers in these categories must monitor their applications closely and plan for potential gaps in employment authorization.

For additional information and the list of categories that will no longer have access to the 540-day automatic extension: Categories Previously Eligible for Automatic Extensions