USCIS Clarifies 120-Day Time Period for EAD Renewals

USCIS has a policy that renewals for EADs (employment authorization documents) should not be filed earlier than 120 days before the expiration of the current EAD. However, USCIS has confirmed that the 120-day limit is not an absolute cut-off date. Applicants can file sooner in certain circumstances, it said, giving the example where a family seeks to file EAD renewal applications together even though the filing would be earlier than the 120-day limit for some family members. USCIS advises, however, that the starting validity date will be the date of adjudication, so filing early could result in a renewal EAD being issued earlier than when it is needed, and thus ending earlier than desired.