How to Get a Work Authorization Card (Form I-765)

To get a work authorization card in the United States, you confirm which eligibility category under 8 CFR 274a.12 applies to you, file Form I-765 with the required supporting documents and filing fee, and wait for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to process the case and mail the card.¹ The card, formally called an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), is what you show an employer as proof of your right to work for a set period.²

Confirm You Are Eligible

Every EAD application starts with a specific eligibility category. The regulations split applicants into two groups: those already authorized to work by their immigration status (who still need the card as proof), and those who must ask USCIS for permission before they can start.¹

Common eligible groups include:

Refugees and people granted asylum, who can work immediately but need the card for employers.
Adjustment-of-status applicants with a pending Form I-485, filing under category (c)(9).
F-1 students applying in connection with Optional Practical Training or severe economic hardship.
M-1 vocational students applying after completing their studies for practical training.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, for the duration of their status.
DACA recipients who can show economic need.
H-4 spouses of certain H-1B workers, if the H-1B holder has an approved Form I-140 or holds H-1B status under the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act.³
People with a pending asylum application, filing under category (c)(8) with separate timing rules for when they become eligible.

Nail down your category code before you fill out anything. It dictates which documents you send, whether you can file online, how long your card will be valid, and even whether you qualify for a fee waiver. The wrong code usually means a rejection and a lost fee.

Gather What Form I-765 Requires

Form I-765 is the only application for an EAD. Download the current edition from USCIS; older versions get rejected, and mixing pages from different editions in the same packet is also grounds for rejection.⁴⁵ The form asks for your Alien Registration Number (A-Number) and USCIS Online Account Number if you have them, plus your eligibility category, entered as a short code like (c)(9) or (c)(8).⁶

Alongside the form, assemble:

Two identical passport-style color photos taken within 30 days of filing.⁴
A copy of your previous EAD (front and back), or, if you have never had one, a government-issued photo ID such as a foreign passport or national ID.
Your Form I-94 Arrival-Departure Record, unless you are filing under (c)(9) adjustment of status, in which case it is not required.
Proof of the underlying eligibility. For adjustment applicants, that is the I-485 receipt notice. For F-1 students, it is the signed Form I-20 from the designated school official.

Foreign-Language Documents

Any document not in English needs a full English translation with a signed certification from the translator stating they are competent in both languages and that the translation is accurate and complete. The certification must include the translator’s name, signature, address, and date.⁷ A professional service is not required.

Social Security Number Box

Form I-765 has a section where you can ask for a Social Security Number and card at the same time. If you check it and USCIS approves your I-765, USCIS forwards your information to the Social Security Administration, which mails the SSN card separately, generally within 14 days of your EAD.⁸⁹ Skip the box and you will have to visit a Social Security office in person after the EAD arrives.

Pay the Fee or Request a Waiver

The Form I-765 filing fee varies by eligibility category and by whether you file online or on paper. As of April 2024, F-1 OPT applicants pay $470 online and $520 on paper, and other categories can be different amounts. USCIS updates the fees periodically, so check the fee calculator on the USCIS site before you file.¹⁰

If you cannot afford the fee, Form I-912 lets you request a waiver based on financial hardship. Most I-765 categories are eligible for a waiver, but DACA applicants filing under category (c)(33) are specifically excluded.¹¹ USCIS reviews each request individually and approves only when inability to pay is clearly documented.

File Online or by Mail

You can file Form I-765 through your USCIS online account or by mailing a paper packet. Online filing lets you upload documents, pay through a secure portal, and get faster confirmations, but not every category is eligible for online filing. Check the USCIS site for your category before starting an online case.

Paper filings go to a USCIS Lockbox. The correct mailing address depends on your category and where you live, so verify it on the direct filing addresses page before you send anything.¹² A few practical points that experienced filers learn the hard way: use paper clips instead of staples so scanning does not damage your documents, make any check or money order payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” and make sure every page of the form comes from the same edition.⁵

What Happens After You File

USCIS acknowledges receipt with Form I-797C, Notice of Action, which carries a receipt number you can use to check your case status online.¹³ Read the notice carefully and follow every instruction it gives.

Some applicants receive a second notice scheduling a biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center for fingerprints and a digital photograph. USCIS can reuse biometric data, including photos, collected within the past 36 months, so if it has usable biometrics on file, you may skip this step.

Processing times vary widely by category and current workload, ranging historically from a few months to well over a year.¹⁴ The USCIS processing times tool gives a realistic estimate for your specific category and location. Once approved, USCIS mails the card by U.S. Postal Service to the address on the application, which is why keeping that address current matters. Federal law requires noncitizens to report an address change to USCIS within 10 days of moving, and a change of address filed with the Postal Service does not update your record with USCIS.¹⁵

If You Need It Faster

Premium Processing

Premium processing is available for a narrow set of I-765 categories, mainly F-1 students filing for OPT and STEM OPT extensions. Eligible applicants file Form I-907 alongside Form I-765 and pay an additional $1,780 (effective March 1, 2026), which commits USCIS to acting on the case within a set timeframe.¹⁶ Most other EAD categories cannot use premium processing.

Expedite Requests

If premium processing is not an option, you can ask USCIS to expedite. Approval is not guaranteed. USCIS reviews each request individually and generally looks for one of the following:¹⁷

Documented severe financial loss, such as imminent job loss. Simply needing to work is not enough on its own.
A pressing humanitarian situation, such as serious illness, disability, or conditions caused by a natural disaster or armed conflict. A humanitarian-based application alone, without time-sensitive factors, generally does not qualify.
A clear USCIS error that caused the delay.

Renewals and the End of Automatic Extensions

EADs are temporary, and a lapse means you lose the right to work until the new card arrives. USCIS recommends filing a renewal Form I-765 no earlier than 180 days and no later than 90 days before your card expires.¹⁸

That window matters more now than it once did. As of October 30, 2025, USCIS ended the automatic extension of EADs for most renewal applicants while their new application is pending.¹⁹ Before that date, many people could keep working on an expiring card for up to 540 days while a renewal was pending. That cushion is gone for anyone filing a renewal on or after October 30, 2025.

The main exception is TPS. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), TPS beneficiaries who maintain their status and file for renewal on or after July 22, 2025, may receive an automatic extension of one year or the remainder of the TPS designation period, whichever is shorter.¹⁹ For everyone else, if USCIS has not decided the renewal by the time your current card expires, you cannot legally work in the gap. File as early in the window as possible.

Travel While Your Application Is Pending

Holding an EAD does not, on its own, let you leave the United States and return. This catches adjustment-of-status applicants most often. If you have a pending Form I-485 and leave without first obtaining an advance parole document, USCIS will generally treat the I-485 as abandoned and deny it.²⁰ A narrow exception exists for some nonimmigrant statuses, but the safe rule is not to travel internationally while a green card case is pending unless advance parole is already in hand. Advance parole is requested on Form I-131, and many applicants file I-485, I-765, and I-131 together.

Replacing a Lost, Stolen, or Incorrect Card

If your EAD is lost, stolen, or physically damaged, file a new Form I-765 and pay the filing fee again, along with a written statement explaining what happened. Send a damaged card back with the application, and mail the replacement request to the USCIS office that approved the original, as shown on your approval notice.²¹

If USCIS made a typo, you do not file a new I-765 or pay again. Submit a typographic error service request online with your receipt number, A-Number, and a description of the mistake, and USCIS will issue a corrected card at no charge.²²

Why the Timing Matters

Working without authorization has lasting immigration consequences. If you work without authorization before filing for a green card, you are barred from adjusting your status, and that bar reaches unauthorized work during any period of stay, not just your most recent entry. Leaving and reentering does not erase it.²³ Nonimmigrants who work without authorization can also be found deportable for failing to maintain their status.²⁴ With automatic EAD extensions no longer available for most categories, the gap between an expiring card and a renewed one is where people are most likely to stumble into unauthorized work without meaning to. File early, track your case, and do not start or continue work without a valid card in hand.

1
eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.12 – Classes of Aliens Authorized to Accept Employment
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 – 13.0 Acceptable Documents for Verifying Employment Authorization and Identity
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment Authorization for Certain H-4 Dependent Spouses
4
Reginfo.gov. Instructions for I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Lockbox Filing Locations Chart for Certain Non-Family-Based Forms
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Documentation
8
Social Security Administration. Apply for Your Social Security Number While Applying for Your Work Permit and/or Lawful Permanent Residency
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Apply for Your Social Security Number While Applying for Your Work Permit
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Historic Processing Times – Case Status Online
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Change Your Address
16
Federal Register. Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees
17
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 5 – Expedite Requests
18
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application for Employment Authorization
19
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension
20
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Travel Documents
21
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them
22
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Typographic Error
23
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 6 – Unauthorized Employment
24
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1227 – Deportable Aliens