The US in the latest move has announced that it will issue employment authorisation cards to some of the non-immigrant categories. According to the sources, this will also include those who have been waiting for green cards, for five years. The move will help thousands of Indians living in United States.Meanwhile, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said that it was extending the maximum validity period of Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) to 5 years for initial and renewal EADs for certain non-citizens who need to apply for employment authorisation.USCIS is aware of an issue with completing I-134A eligibility attestation through myUSCIS. We appreciate your patience as our team works to resolve the issue.— USCIS (@USCIS) October 12, 2023According to the federal agency, these include those who are requesting asylum, a withholding of removal, an INA 245 status modification, and a suspension or cancellation of deportation.The organisation further stated that it hopes to decrease the number of new Forms I-765, Application for Employment Authorisation, that it gets in the coming years for EAD renewals by raising the maximum EAD validity period to five years. According to the statement, this will benefit in reducing processing times and backlogs.However, whether the non-citizen maintains employment authorisation remains dependent on their underlying status, circumstances, and EAD filing category, it said.A new study revealed that more than 10.5 lakh Indians have been waiting for an employment-based Green Card and 4 lakh of them may die before they receive a legal document of permanent residency in the US.Reports also claim that at least 1.1 million of the 1.8 million cases, which is almost 63% are in the backlog from India.
