Yes, you can travel outside the US with an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card, but there are important considerations to keep in mind: Status: Ensure that you maintain a valid immigration status. The EAD itself does not grant you the right to re-enter the US; it simply allows you to work.
They are also eligible to request work authorization. Deferred action is an exercise of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action against an individual for a certain period of time. Deferred action does not provide lawful status.
On Dec. 13, 2024, DHS published a final rule permanently increasing the automatic extension period for certain EAD renewal applicants from up to 180 days to up to 540 days.
Also, you must be inside the USA when applying for the EAD, to prevent your I-765 from being considered 'abandoned' by the USCIS, we advise you to remain in the USA until the EAD is issued. You will need the following documents: Completed (paper version) of the Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization.
The most common nonimmigrant employment-based visa for DACA recipients and undocumented persons is the H-1B. This requires the employee to have at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent, and the position must also require the person to have that specific degree.
An EAD issued to a DACA beneficiary will bear category code C33. 2 Certain EADs, depending on the category code, may be extended while a renewal application is pending. 3 Under previous iterations of the program, DACA beneficiaries were not eligible for such extensions, and the new regulation does not change that.
USCIS takes approximately 60 to 90 days to process the Employment Authorization Document. NOTE: If USCIS fails to adjudicate the EAD application 75 days, you may submit a service request to USCIS through the National Customer Service number.
After having been enrolled full-time in an approved school for at least nine months, alien students are eligible to apply for an EAD; F-1 students offered off-campus employment under the sponsorship of a qualifying international organization; F-1 student seeking off-campus employment due to severe economic hardship.
What happened: On January 17th, 2025 the 5th Circuit Court once again ruled against DACA, but kept renewals open–for now. This ruling is part of ongoing, deliberate attacks to undermine immigrant communities, limit opportunities, and enable mass deportation.
An EAD issued to a DACA beneficiary will bear category code C33.