The Trump administration is dramatically scaling back the timeframe in which asylum seekers and other foreign nationals can have valid work permits in the U.S.
Work permits issued to foreign nationals who’ve applied for asylum or other humanitarian programs will only be valid for 18 months rather than five years, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Thursday. The decision marks the latest action by the agency tasked with managing the country’s immigration system, since two National Guard members were ambushed by an Afghan man shortly before Thanksgiving.
“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,” USCIS Director Joe Edlow said in a public statement.
“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,” Edlow continued.
The maximum validity period for initial and renewed Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) will be scaled back for foreigners admitted as refugees, granted asylum and granted a withholding of removal order, according to USCIS. The timeframe will additionally change for aliens with pending applications for asylum, withholding of removal, adjustment of status and suspension of deportation, among other categories.
The changes affect foreign nationals with applications for employment authorization that are pending or were filed on or after Dec. 5, 2025, according to the agency.
Federal immigration officials have tightened immigration processes since Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, allegedly opened fire at two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 26, ultimately killing West Virginia Army National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and leaving Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in critical condition.
Mohammad Dawood Alokozay was arrested by the FBI and local authorities on Nov. 25 for allegedly making bomb threats in Fort Worth, Texas and Jaan Shah Safi was arrested by immigration officials on Wednesday for allegedly providing support to ISIS-K. Lakanwal, Alokozay and Safi are Afghan nationals who were brought into the U.S. via the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome program, an initiative the Trump administration has said failed to properly vet the thousands of Afghans who ultimately entered the U.S.
Since the National Guard attack in D.C., the Trump administration has dramatically restricted asylum applications for all foreign nationals and completely halted immigration processes for individuals hailing from 19 countries deemed to be “high-risk.”
“My primary responsibility is to ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” Edlow said earlier in November. “This includes an assessment of where they are coming from and why.”
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