U.S. Cuts Immigrant Work Permits From Five Years To 18 Months

The Donald Trump administration has reduced the validity period of work permits for refugees, asylum seekers and other immigrants in the United States.

Under the new policy, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will issue employment authorization documents that are valid for a maximum of 18 months, down from the previous five-year validity period.

The change also affects immigrants with pending applications for asylum and permanent residency, commonly known as green cards. Many of these cases typically take years to conclude due to a long-standing backlog in the immigration system.

USCIS said the policy shift is intended to allow for more frequent vetting and screening of immigrants seeking employment in the U.S. The agency linked the decision to last week’s attack on two National Guard members in the capital, Washington, D.C.

The suspect in the attack, identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the United States in September 2021 during the previous administration.

His asylum application was approved in April 2025, several months after President Trump began his second term in office.

In a statement, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the new policy would help ensure that individuals authorized to work in the country do not pose a threat to public safety or promote extremist ideologies. He added that the recent attack underscored the need for more frequent screening of immigrants.

The new rule will apply to all work permit applications filed after Friday, December 5, as well as applications that are already pending as of that date.

The decision follows last week’s deadly shooting in Washington, D.C., which claimed the life of one National Guard member and left another critically injured. Since then, the Trump administration has significantly intensified its immigration enforcement measures.

Authorities have frozen all asylum requests handled by USCIS, paused visa and immigration applications from Afghan nationals, and halted all legal immigration processes, including citizenship ceremonies, for citizens of 19 countries currently listed under President Trump’s travel ban.

U.S. officials also revealed that the administration is considering expanding the travel ban to about 30 countries, citing security concerns linked to the recent attack.