employment authorization

On June 9, 2025, USCIS issued a memo authorizing immigration officers to resume processing applications filed by parolees. This follows the federal District Court’s May 28th order directing DHS to lift the suspension that had been in effect since February 14. This means that USCIS has resumed processing applications from parolees for work permits, TPS, asylum, green cards, and other immigration benefits. Although the District Court's ruling is good news for Ukrainian parolees seeking more stable immigration statuses and employment authorization, parolees who filed applications in the past 5-10 months could still see long wait times due to major application backlogs. Additionally, re-parole requests and related work permits may not be approved for all applicants due to the White House's restrictions on humanitarian parole grants. Read more

On September 27, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a Policy Alert regarding employment authorization for noncitizens. The Policy Alert provides updated validity periods for certain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and clarifies the agency's official position on employment incident to parole for certain Ukrainians. Read more

We are excited to share a major legal update about employment by Ukrainians prior to receiving work permits! Today, USCIS announced a major update on employment authorization for Ukrainian humanitarian parolees. Please see the full announcement at the bottom of this post. Read more