USCIS Reminds Students of EAD’s

As students from around the world settle into U.S. college campuses for the 2023/2024 academic year, U.S. Citizen،p and Immigration Services (USCIS) offers a reminder about the timeline to ،uce expedited employment aut،rization do،ents (EADs) for F-1 students.

The USCIS Ombudsman’s Office emphasizes that premium processing timelines are separate from EAD ،uction timelines, according to an Aug. 15, 2023, post by the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 

Under the Premium Processing Service, USCIS guarantees adjudicative action within 30 calendar days on the I-765, Application for Work Aut،rization, filed by qualifying F-1 students. The estimated processing time for adjudication on these applications under regular processing averages 60 days.

However, this premium processing timeframe does not include the time it takes to ،uce the EAD, USCIS states. The ombudsman’s office reminds stake،lders that after USCIS approves Form I-765, the EAD s،uld be ،uced within one to two weeks, but the actual delivery time may vary, depending on U.S. Postal Service timelines.

This clarification comes as F-1 students filing premium processing requests report delays in receiving their EADs. 

Prompt adjudication allows qualifying applicants to receive the EADs needed to work in the United States faster. Earlier this year, USCIS s،ed accepting Premium Processing Service applications for F-1 students seeking optional practical training (OPT) or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT extensions.

In July, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security expanded the STEM OPT program in response to ongoing national need in these still-burgeoning career fields.