If you are planning to get a Green Card, you will also be interested in the Employment Authorization Document to work in the United States in 2025. For your information, all U.S. employers must make sure all employees are allowed to work in this country.
This employment authorization is necessary regardless of citizenship or national origin. So, it is important to know what you have to do. Being prepared can help you get a Green Card and an Employment Authorization Document without unnecessary delays.
Green Card Processes and Procedures
According to USCIS, having an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766/EAD) is one of the most common ways to prove that you are allowed to work in the USA.
Of course, this Employment Authorization Document is for a specific period of time. To get EAD, you must file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.
Perhaps you are not sure whether you must apply for EAD or not. In this case, have a look at the cases in which it is necessary to file the previously mentioned Form I-765.
Who needs to apply for EAD?
Generally, you will need to apply for EAD if you are authorized to work in the USA due to your immigration status or because of your personal circumstances and need proof of that employment authorization. For instance, if you are a refugee, an asylee, or U nonimmigrant.
On other occasions, you may be required to apply for permission to work because you have a pending:
- Form I-485
- Form I-589
- or you have a nonimmigrant status or circumstances that allow you to be in the USA but not to work here (e.g. F-1 or M-1 student)
However, you will not need to apply for EAD if you have a Green Card. That Green Card makes you a lawful permanent resident in the United States. An alternative way to work in the United States is having “a nonimmigrant status that authorizes you to work for a specific employer incident to your status (for example, you are an H-1B, L-1B, O, or P nonimmigrant).”