Gov. Unilaterally Extends Work Permits for Hundreds of Thousands of Noncitizens in US

Earlier this week, the federal government unilaterally extended temporary work authorization to any aliens currently in the country with a work permit. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) granted an automatic 540-day extension of all work authorizations to eligible foreign nationals in the U.S.

The new 540-day extension is a massive expansion of the standard 180-day extension last offered to foreign nationals by USCIS in November of last year.

According to the administration, the work permit extension is just part of an effort to ease USCIS backlogs and save time. But in reality, the vast extension is just another effort by the Biden Administration to welcome and employ as many foreign nationals as possible despite the national interest or American workforce participation rate.

In March 2022, USCIS reported an employment authorization backlog of approximately 740,000 applications.

The Hill reports,

The 540-day extension will apply to a broad group of EAD applicants, including those granted asylum and asylum-seekers, refugees, green card applicants, Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries and some spouses of work visa holders, among others.

However, today, news broke that could jeopardize the administration’s attempt to unilaterally extend work permits far beyond the standard 180-days. According to The Washington Times:

The Biden administration cut corners in its rush to announce new rules extending work permits for foreigners in the U.S.

Not only did Homeland Security dispense with the usual notice-and-comment period for new regulations, but the White House Office of Management and Budget, which gives final approval to rules, blew off a required meeting with stakeholders, according to would-be attendees.

“The APA governs all major policy changes in the executive branch. The law has already tripped up the Biden team on several major immigration changes, including attempts to impose a 100-day deportation moratorium and to erase the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy,” adds The Washington Times.

You can read the full DHS press release here.