An Adjustment of Status EAD is the work permit you apply for on Form I-765 while your Form I-485 green card application sits with USCIS. You qualify as long as the I-485 is pending, and you file under eligibility category (c)(9). Two changes from late 2025 shape every application filed now: the maximum validity dropped from five years to 18 months, and the automatic extension that used to bridge renewal gaps ended for renewals filed on or after October 30, 2025.
Who Qualifies
You qualify if you have a properly filed I-485 pending with USCIS. Federal regulations place adjustment applicants in category (c)(9) and protect you from being treated as unauthorized while the I-485 is pending, provided you either hold work authorization from USCIS or had valid authorization that has not expired.1eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.12 – Classes of Aliens Authorized to Accept Employment
Eligibility lasts only as long as the I-485 does. If the adjustment application is denied, withdrawn, or otherwise closed, the EAD becomes invalid no matter what date is printed on the card. The printed date is not what controls your right to work. The pending I-485 is.
Do Not Work Before the Card Is Approved
Starting a job before the EAD is issued can sink the green card case itself. Federal law bars certain applicants from adjusting status if they have engaged in unauthorized employment, whether before or after filing the I-485.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7, Part B, Chapter 6 – Unauthorized Employment The bar does not apply to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouses, parents, and unmarried children under 21) or to VAWA-based applicants, along with a few other narrow categories. For everyone else, wait until you have the card.
How to Apply
File Form I-765 and select eligibility category (c)(9). USCIS accepts the form online through a USCIS account or by mail.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization Online filing is usually faster and lets you upload documents directly.
Along with the form, submit:
- Proof that the I-485 is pending. If you are filing the I-765 together with the I-485, no separate proof is needed. If filing separately, include a copy of your I-485 receipt notice (Form I-797C) or other evidence that the application is pending.
- Two identical passport-style color photos, 2 by 2 inches, taken recently against a white or off-white background, with a full frontal view. Lightly write your name and A-Number on the back in pencil or felt pen.
- An identity document. A copy of your most recent EAD (front and back) works. If you have never had an EAD, submit a copy of your passport, a birth certificate with photo ID, or another government-issued identity document showing photo, name, and date of birth.
C09 applicants are exempt from submitting a copy of Form I-94 or a passport as a travel document, though you still need a passport or equivalent as your identity document.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765 Instructions for Application for Employment Authorization Any non-English document must include a certified English translation with the translator’s signed statement of accuracy, name, address, and date.
Filing Fees
What you pay depends on when the I-485 was filed. Under the fee rule effective April 1, 2024, applicants who filed the I-485 on or after that date pay a separate fee for the I-765. Before that rule, the EAD was included in the I-485 fee.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 2024 Final Fee Rule If you filed and paid for the I-485 before April 1, 2024, you should owe nothing for I-765 renewals while that I-485 remains pending.
Fees adjusted for inflation took effect on January 1, 2026, so check the current schedule (Form G-1055) on the USCIS website before filing. The wrong fee gets your application rejected.
Requesting a Social Security Number
Form I-765 has a section that lets you request a Social Security Number in the same filing. If you complete it, USCIS forwards your information to the Social Security Administration after approving the EAD, and SSA mails the card separately, typically within about 14 days.6Social Security Administration. Apply for Your Social Security Number While Applying for Your Work Permit and/or Lawful Permanent Residency Make sure your name, date of birth, parents’ names, and country of birth on the form are accurate, because SSA uses that data to issue the card.
After You File
USCIS mails a receipt notice (Form I-797C) with a unique receipt number you can use to track the case. Keep it. During any future renewal, it may be your proof that an application is pending.
USCIS may schedule biometrics at a local Application Support Center for fingerprints and a photograph.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part C, Chapter 2 – Biometrics Collection Not everyone gets a separate appointment; USCIS sometimes reuses biometrics already on file. If a notice comes, attend. Missing it can stall the case.
Processing times shift by service center and time of year. Check the USCIS processing times page for Form I-765, category (c)(9). Once approved, the card is mailed to the address on your application.
Expedited Processing
USCIS accepts expedite requests case by case. Qualifying grounds include severe financial loss not caused by your own late filing, urgent humanitarian situations such as serious illness or a family death, and clear USCIS processing errors.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part A, Chapter 5 – Expedite Requests Needing to work, by itself, does not qualify. You need documentation, and approval is discretionary.
How Long the Card Is Valid Now
Before December 5, 2025, USCIS could issue AOS-based EADs valid for up to five years. A policy update effective that date cut the maximum for category (c)(9), among others, to 18 months.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Updating Certain Employment Authorization Document Validity Periods The change applies to any I-765 that was pending or filed on or after December 5, 2025. Five-year cards issued before that date remain valid through their printed expiration.
The practical effect is real. With a five-year card, many applicants never had to renew. With 18 months, most will renew at least once, and possibly more than once, depending on how long the I-485 takes. Watch the expiration date.
Renewing Without a Gap in Work Authorization
To renew, file a new I-765 while the I-485 is still pending. File as early as USCIS permits, because there is no longer a safety net for most applicants.
The 540-day automatic extension that used to bridge the wait for a new card ended. Renewals filed on or after October 30, 2025, receive no automatic extension of work authorization or of the EAD card itself.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension If the current card expires before USCIS processes the renewal, you cannot legally work during the gap. Combined with the 18-month validity ceiling, timing matters more than it used to. If you are staring at a documented financial hardship because of a looming gap, an expedite request is worth considering.
Renewals filed before October 30, 2025, still carry the 540-day extension. During that period, an expired EAD paired with the I-797C receipt notice for a timely filed renewal proves work authorization, provided the category on the card matches the category on the receipt.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. M-274, 5.1 Automatic Extensions Based on a Timely Filed Application to Renew Employment Authorization
The EAD Does Not Let You Travel
This trips people up, so it belongs alongside the work rules. Leaving the United States while the I-485 is pending, without an approved advance parole document, generally causes USCIS to treat the green card application as abandoned.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While Your Green Card Application Is Pending with USCIS To travel and return, request advance parole on Form I-131. You can file it with the I-765 and I-485 or separately later.
If you file I-765 and I-131 together, USCIS may issue a combo card that works as both work permit and travel document. It looks like a regular EAD but reads “Serves as I-512 Advance Parole.”13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Issue Employment Authorization and Advance Parole Card for Adjustment of Status Applicants An EAD without that language is not a travel document. Applicants in valid H-1B or L-1 status are an exception and can generally travel and return on their H or L visa to resume employment with the same sponsor.
Showing the Card at Work
The EAD is a List A document on Form I-9, so it establishes both identity and work authorization by itself. A combo card is accepted the same way. Employers cannot demand a specific document or reject a valid EAD in favor of a green card or other proof. A card with a future expiration date is legally sufficient, and refusing it or demanding extras beyond what Form I-9 requires can be document abuse.
If You Move
Federal law requires notifying USCIS of an address change within 10 days. The fastest route is updating your address through your USCIS online account, which replaces the paper filing. You can also mail Form AR-11.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card Biometrics notices and the physical EAD card both go to the address USCIS has on file. A wrong address means missed appointments and a lost card, either of which can turn into a real problem for the case.