U.S. Immigration Advisor

CAN A WORK AUTHORIZATION CARD(EAD) HOLDER START A NEW JOB AFTER THIER EAD EXPIRES BUT WITHIN THE 180 DAYS EXTENSION OF WORK AUTHORIZATION WHILE THEIR I-765 IS PENDING 

Question:I am in L-1A visa status and applied for extension. We also applied for an extension of my husband’s L-2 visa status and his work authorization (EAD). His EAD has expired but we received the receipt notice for the EAD extension. He has an offer to start working with a new employer. Can he start the new job now and work for up to 180 days while her application is pending?

The Immigration Advisor - Samar: Sometimes someone who has a pending Form I-765 application to extend/renew their Employment Authorization Document (EAD)(also known as a work authorization card) will receive an automatic extension 180-day extension of their work authorization beyond the expiration date on their EAD. For those that are eligible for the 180-day extension of work authorization, they can even begin employment with a new employer during the 180-day extension period of their work authorization while their I-765 application is pending. They would show the employer their expired EAD and the Receipt Notice for the I-765 application as proof of their work authorization during the 180-day extension period. If the employer does not know how to complete the Form I-9 in that situation, the employer can refer to the Form M-274 Handbook for Employers which is on the USCIS website, which provides specific instructions for this situation.

However, the work authorization is only automatically extended for 180-days for those who are filing for a renewal of their EAD in certain categories (see the instructions to the Form I-765 for a full list of EAD categories). Also, the 180-day extension is not available for those who are applying for a new EAD based on a different category from the EAD that they have. Finally, the Form I-765 application requesting the renewal of the EAD must be filed prior to the expiration date on the EAD that they have (this is not always true for someone applying to extend their EAD based on having TPS).

Unfortunately, someone who is applying for a renewal of their EAD based upon being an L-2 spouse of an L-1 intracompany transferee nonimmigrant [which is EAD category (a)(18)] is not eligible to receive the automatic 180-day extension of employment authorization. So, your husband will not be able to begin employment with the new employer until he receives his new EAD.

As of the writing of this article (April 24, 2019), this is the list of EAD categories that automatically receive a 180-day extension of work authorization while the I-765 for EAD renewal is pending.