On April 8, 2024, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) issued a final rule increasing the automatic extension period of expiring Employment Authorization Documents (“EADs”) from 180 days to 540 days for certain EAD renewal applicants. USCIS announced that it made the decision to implement this temporary rule to help prevent lapses in employment authorization, given current processing times for EAD renewals. In practice, this rule means that the expiration date listed on certain eligible EAD renewal applicants’ EADs (depending on which category the renewal is under) will be automatically extended for a period of 540 days if they either file for renewal on or after April 8, or if they have had an eligible renewal application pending since October 27, 2023. After April 8, this automatic extension should be further reflected in the USCIS receipt notices for these EAD renewal applications.

See USCIS’s temporary final rule here.