On December 28, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, effective immediately, healthcare workers with pending Form I-765 renewal applications for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) can now request expedited, or faster, processing of their applications if their current EADs expire in 30 days or less or have already expired.

To qualify, the applicant must be included in one of the categories of healthcare workers listed on  pages 7-9 of the DHS advisory memorandum in the section regarding “Healthcare/Public Health”. This section includes lab personnel, healthcare providers, clinical and administrative workers involved in patient care and the public health spectrum, as well as other healthcare professions.

To request expedited processing, applicants are instructed to contact the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). Applicants will need to be able to provide evidence of their profession or current employment as a healthcare worker. If the evidence is not sufficient, USCIS may not approve the request for expedited processing. Note, that if USCIS does not accept the request for expedited processing, the application will continue to be processed under the normal, non-expedited, procedures. 

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