The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced increased flexibility in the processing of initial employment authorization documents (EADs) for asylum applicants. In the regulatory change, the USCIS removed the requirement that it has 30 days from the date an asylum applicant files the initial Form I-765 to grant or deny that initial employment authorization application. The 30-day timeframe was originally implemented over 20 years ago and is now obsolete, as USCIS has developed additional background screening and vetting processes to reduce fraud and identify threats. “Removing this self-imposed internal processing time frame gives USCIS the operational flexibility to conduct the kind of systematic vetting and identity verification procedures the public expects from an agency charged with protecting national security,” said USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow.
The final rule will be published in the Federal Register on June 22nd and becomes effective August 21st.
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