Work permits for migrants just got a serious reality check under the Trump administration.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rolled out a new interim final rule that scraps a Biden-era policy granting automatic extensions of up to 540 days for renewing employment authorization documents (EADs), citing critical concerns over national security and public safety, as New York Post reports.
Under the previous administration, the grace period for EAD renewals was boosted from 180 days to a generous 540 days, opening the door for a wider range of migrants—including asylum seekers, refugees, and green card holders—to keep working while renewals lagged.
Millions of migrants who arrived during the last administration created massive backlogs in the renewal process, making the old six-month window nearly impossible to meet.
At least 1.3 million non-citizens had their work permits renewed in the last fiscal year, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a number that underscores the scale of this challenge.
Now, with the new rule in effect as of late October 2025, that extended safety net is gone for most, though some under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will still catch a break.
The Trump administration isn’t mincing words—they’re pointing to public safety and national security as the driving force behind this rollback.
DHS couldn’t immediately estimate how many renewal applicants will feel the pinch, but one thing is clear: employers will soon have to let go of foreign workers whose grace periods have vanished.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for some, but the administration argues that unchecked extensions pose too great a risk to American safety.
Exhibit A for DHS is a chilling incident on June 1, 2025, when an Egyptian national, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, allegedly hurled Molotov cocktails at a peaceful Jewish event in Boulder, Colorado, honoring hostages in Gaza.
This attack, which injured 15 people and led to 118 criminal charges against Soliman, involved an individual who had overstayed his non-immigrant status since August 2022 and secured an EAD through a pending asylum application—automatically extended under the old policy.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem didn’t hold back, stating, “robust vetting had been hampered as a result,” highlighting how such extensions can slip through the cracks with devastating consequences.
Noem further emphasized the urgency, noting the need to ensure “aliens are not provided immigration benefits in the United States without thorough vetting and more frequent determinations of continued eligibility.” Her words cut to the chase—automatic extensions can’t be a free pass when lives are on the line.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow echoed this sentiment, adding, “working in the United States is a privilege, not a right.” His point is sharp and clear: prioritizing migrant convenience over American security is a progressive misstep that needs correction.
While empathy for those caught in bureaucratic limbo is warranted, the balance must tilt toward protecting the homeland first—something this rule aims to achieve, even if it stings for some foreign workers and their employers.
