I-765

If you plan on working while waiting for your green card approval, you’ll need to apply for a work permit by filing Form I-765 (officially called “Application for Employment Authorization”). With a permit (also called an Employment Authorization Document, or EAD), you can prove to prospective employers that you are indeed eligible to work.

(If you’re applying for a family-based green card from abroad, you can’t get a separate work permit ahead of time—your work authorization simply begins once you enter the United States and receive your green card.)

Unless you have some other immigration status that allows you to work (e.g. H-1B), it’s important that you don’t do any kind of paid work until your work permit has arrived.

You have the following responsibilities upon completion:

  • The signed form must be mailed directly to USCIS.
  • All the applicable USCIS fees must be paid by you

Disclaimer: Citizen Concierge is an independent firm that supplies self-governed immigration services. We are not associated with USCIS or any government agency and the data provided on this website is for general guidance about common immigration matters only - it should not be taken as legal advice. Additionally, as we are not a law practice of any kind, we cannot offer any form of lawful consultation. If you have questions that require professional legal expertise, please contact an attorney instead.

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