Trump administration shortens work permit duration for immigrants
The Trump administration announced on Thursday a significant reduction in the maximum validity of work permits for several categories of immigrants, broadening a series of measures introduced after last week’s fatal attack in Washington, which authorities attribute to an Afghan national.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the validity of employment authorization documents will be reduced from five years to 18 months. The agency says the change will allow for more frequent background checks on foreign nationals seeking permission to work in the United States.
Joseph Edlow, the director of USCIS, said the updated rules are intended to ensure that immigrant workers “do not pose a threat to public safety or promote harmful anti-American ideologies.” He added that the recent attack on members of the National Guard highlighted the need for stricter and more regular vetting procedures.
The shortened permit duration affects refugees, asylum seekers and individuals who have received a temporary suspension of removal. Earlier this week, USCIS also paused the processing of green card and naturalization requests from citizens of 19 countries, several of which were already subject to entry bans or visa restrictions under decisions implemented in June.
Following the November 26 attack, which killed a National Guard service member and seriously injured another, the administration also suspended all asylum decisions and ordered a review of green cards previously granted to nationals from the targeted countries.
The measures have sparked political controversy in Washington, with Republicans and Democrats blaming each other over immigration procedures. The suspect in the attack had entered the U.S. in September 2021, shortly after the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, and his asylum request—submitted under Joe Biden—was approved in April 2025 after Donald Trump took office.
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