A C10 work permit is the employment authorization document (EAD) issued under 8 CFR 274a.12(c)(10) to people with a pending application for cancellation of removal, suspension of deportation, or special rule cancellation under NACARA.1eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.12 – Classes of Aliens Authorized to Accept Employment It lets you work legally in the United States while an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals decides your case. As of December 2025, newly issued C10 cards are valid for a maximum of 18 months, and automatic extensions for renewal applicants have been eliminated.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Reduced Validity Periods for Newly Issued Employment Authorization Documents
Who Qualifies
You are eligible for a C10 EAD only if you have a properly filed, still-pending application for one of three specific forms of relief:
- Cancellation of removal under Section 240A of the Immigration and Nationality Act
- Suspension of deportation under the former Section 244 of the INA, for cases initiated before April 1, 1997
- Special rule cancellation of removal under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA), which covers certain Guatemalan, Salvadoran, and Nicaraguan nationals
The regulation requires that your relief application has been “accepted by the Service or EOIR,” the agency that runs the immigration courts.1eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.12 – Classes of Aliens Authorized to Accept Employment Your eligibility lasts as long as the case is pending before an immigration judge or on appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Once a final administrative decision is issued, C10 eligibility ends with it.
The most common underlying case is cancellation of removal for non-permanent residents, which requires 10 years of continuous physical presence, good moral character throughout that period, and proof that your removal would cause exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent, or child.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1229b – Cancellation of Removal; Adjustment of Status Hardship to yourself alone does not count. NACARA cases use a more lenient hardship standard drawn from the pre-1997 suspension rules.
How to File Form I-765
You apply by filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with USCIS.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization In Part 2, Item 27, enter the eligibility category code (c)(10). Getting that code wrong sends the application into the wrong queue.
Supporting Documents
You must show that your underlying relief case is actually pending. Include a copy of the application you filed with the immigration court — Form EOIR-42A (cancellation for non-permanent residents), Form EOIR-42B (cancellation for permanent residents), or Form I-881 (NACARA suspension). A receipt notice or hearing notice from the court typically works as proof of acceptance.
You also need two identical color passport-style photos, 2 by 2 inches with a white or off-white background and your head centered in a frontal view, taken recently.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765 Instructions – Application for Employment Authorization Include a clear photocopy of a government-issued identity document. If that document is not in English, add a full English translation with the translator’s certification of competence and accuracy, plus their name, signature, address, and the date.
Fee and Payment
The filing fee for a C10 I-765 depends on whether you are filing an initial application or a renewal, and USCIS updates its fee schedule periodically. Confirm the current amount using the USCIS Fee Calculator before you submit.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees Sending the wrong amount causes USCIS to reject the whole package.
USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper filings. Pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450, or directly from a U.S. bank account using Form G-1650.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions The I-765 instructions also allow C10 applicants to request a fee waiver from the immigration judge handling the removal case if they cannot afford it.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765 Instructions – Application for Employment Authorization
Where to Mail It
The application goes to a USCIS Lockbox facility whose address depends on your state of residence. Lockbox addresses change, so check the current filing instructions on the USCIS website before mailing. Use a delivery method with tracking.
How Long a C10 Card Now Lasts
C10 cards used to be issued for up to five years.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Some EADs Can be Valid for up to 5 Years On December 4, 2025, USCIS reduced the maximum validity period to 18 months. The reduction applies to any application pending on or filed on or after December 5, 2025.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Reduced Validity Periods for Newly Issued Employment Authorization Documents If you already hold a five-year C10 card, it remains valid until its printed expiration date.
Combined with processing times that often stretch past six months, an 18-month card means renewals come around fast. USCIS allows renewal filings up to 180 days before expiration, and you should use that full window.
Renewals No Longer Get an Automatic Extension
Before October 30, 2025, C10 holders who filed timely renewals received an automatic extension of their work authorization while USCIS processed the new application. An interim final rule effective October 30, 2025 ended automatic extensions for renewal applications filed on or after that date.9Federal Register. Removal of the Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Documents
The consequence is a real gap risk. If your renewal is still pending when your current EAD expires, you cannot legally work until USCIS issues the new card. Your underlying case stays active, but employment authorization lapses in the meantime. Filing at the earliest point in the 180-day window is the only way to shrink that gap, and given current backlogs it may not close it entirely.
What Happens After You File
USCIS issues Form I-797C, Notice of Action, confirming receipt and assigning a case number.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action You can track the case through the USCIS online portal. Most applicants then receive a biometrics appointment notice for a local Application Support Center, where fingerprints, a photograph, and a digital signature are captured for background checks and card production.
If something is missing or unclear, USCIS sends a Request for Evidence. Respond promptly and completely; ignoring or delaying an RFE response leads to denial. Processing times vary from a few months to over a year depending on backlog. After approval, the physical EAD arrives by mail. Keep your address current with USCIS.
Requesting a Social Security Number
Form I-765 has a section where you can request a Social Security number at the same time. If USCIS approves the application, it shares the necessary data with the Social Security Administration, and your SSN card usually arrives about two weeks after your EAD.11Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers and Immigrant Visas If you skip that section, you can still apply in person at a Social Security office after your EAD arrives. Bring the original card; SSA will not accept a photocopy.
Once you begin earning wages, federal tax obligations follow, and your specific filing requirements turn on your tax residency status under U.S. tax law rather than your immigration status.12Internal Revenue Service. Tax Information and Responsibilities for New Immigrants to the United States
Do Not Travel Outside the United States
A C10 EAD is not a travel document. Leaving the country while your cancellation of removal or suspension of deportation case is pending puts both the case and your ability to return at risk. USCIS does not issue advance parole to people in removal or deportation proceedings; those requests go through Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and approval is not guaranteed.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Adjudicator’s Field Manual
Departing without advance parole while in removal proceedings effectively acts as self-deportation. Even with advance parole, leaving during pending proceedings can cause those proceedings to be terminated as of your departure date, which may eliminate the procedural basis for your relief application.14eCFR. 8 CFR Part 240 – Voluntary Departure, Suspension of Deportation Do not travel abroad while your C10-related case is active without consulting an immigration attorney familiar with your specific posture.
When C10 Eligibility Ends
If the immigration judge grants your relief, you typically adjust to lawful permanent resident status and work on the basis of your green card. The C10 category becomes unnecessary.
If your case is denied and you do not appeal, or the Board of Immigration Appeals upholds a denial, C10 eligibility ends because there is no longer a pending application to anchor it. USCIS will not renew the EAD in that situation. The deadline to appeal an immigration judge’s decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals is 30 days from the date of the decision. Miss it, and both the appeal and the C10 eligibility that depends on the pending case are gone.