WASHINGTON, DC: In a move that will significantly affect hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals and families navigating the US immigration system, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced sweeping reductions to the maximum validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). The agency stated the shift is necessary to strengthen security vetting and detect potential risks among those working in the United States.
USCIS explained the revised policy will “result in more frequent vetting of aliens who apply for authorization to work in the United States,” enabling the agency to “deter fraud and detect aliens with potentially harmful intent so they can be processed for removal from the United States.”
Director Joseph Edlow tied the decision to public-safety concerns. “Reducing the maximum validity period for employment authorization will ensure that those seeking to work in the United States do not threaten public safety or promote harmful anti-American ideologies,” he said. Citing a recent attack, he added: “After the attack on National Guard service members in our nation’s capital by an alien who was admitted into this country by the previous administration, it’s even more clear that USCIS must conduct frequent vetting of aliens.”
The changes directly affect several categories heavily used by Indian nationals, including employment-based green card applicants and H-1B workers with pending adjustment of status cases. Under the new guidance, EADs issued to refugees, asylees, individuals granted withholding of removal, applicants with pending asylum or withholding claims, and those applying for adjustment under INA 245 will now be valid for 18 months instead of five years. The Policy Alert states the rule applies to all applications “pending or filed on or after December 5, 2025.”
For Indian applicants caught in decades-long green card backlogs, the changes could create new uncertainty. Many rely on long-duration EAD and Advance Parole documents to remain employed while awaiting permanent residency, often for years. Immigration attorney Emily Neumann warned that the shortened validity periods will intensify pressure on processing pipelines.
The Indian diaspora, one of the largest beneficiaries of employment-based visas, is expected to be among the most affected communities. Many depend on uninterrupted work authorization to maintain jobs in technology, healthcare, academia, and research while awaiting green card availability, a process slowed by per-country caps. The new limits take effect on December 5 for the 18-month categories and July 22 for the H.R. 1-mandated one-year documents, covering both pending and newly filed work-permit applications.