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Card Production Delays at USCIS: July 22, 2020
Posted on Jul 22 2020
In June 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reduced its capacity to print secure documents, such as Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) Cards and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), after it ended a contract with an outside company responsible for printing these cards. According to USCIS, it intended to hire federal employees to replace the contractors; however, its financial situation resulted in a hiring freeze that has impacted the printing of these secure cards.
USCIS expects these backlogs will continue for the foreseeable future. Should there be a furlough of USCIS employees on August 3, 2020, card production backlogs will likely increase.
Has your application for Lawful Permanent Residence (LPR) or a work permit been approved but you have not received your card?
The USCIS Ombudsman is assisting individuals whose I-485 and I-765 applications have been approved but whose cards have not yet been produced, by sending weekly spreadsheets to USCIS to verify card requests are in line to be processed. If you are experiencing a delay in receiving your secure document, you may submit a request for case assistance with the Ombudsman at https://www.dhs.gov/topic/cis-ombudsman/forms/7001.
LPRs may obtain proof of their status by requesting a stamp of temporary evidence in a valid passport. Please reach out to USCIS’ Contact Center (800-375-5283) to make an appointment at your local USCIS field office.
Do you have a work permit that is expiring?
Starting January 17, 2017, USCIS automatically extended certain expiring EADs for up to 180 days for applicants who:
- Properly filed for a renewal EAD before their current EAD expired, and
- Are otherwise eligible for a renewal, which means that:
- Your EAD renewal is under a category that is eligible for an automatic 180-day extension (see the list of categories below); and
- The Category on your current EAD matches the “Class Requested” listed on this Notice of Action. (Note: If you are a TPS beneficiary or pending applicant, your EAD and this Notice must contain either the A12 or C19 category, but the categories do not need to match each other).
This is in attempt to help prevent gaps in employment authorization and documentation. This extension applies to Form I-765 renewal applications that were still pending on January 17, 2017, and to Form I-765 renewal applications filed on or after January 17, 2017.
The following categories of EADs will be eligible for an automatic extension of up to 180 days:
| The eligibility category you listed on your Form I-765 renewal application | Description |
| (a)(3) | Refugee |
| (a)(5) | Asylee |
| (a)(7) | N-8 or N-9 |
| (a)(8) | Citizen of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, or Palau |
| (a)(10) | Withholding of Deportation or Removal Granted |
| (a)(12) | Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Granted |
| (c)(8) | Asylum Application Pending |
| (c)(9) | Pending Adjustment of Status under Section 245 of the Act |
| (c)(10) | Suspension of Deportation Applicants (filed before April 1, 1997) Cancellation of Removal Applicants Special Rule Cancellation of Removal Applicants Under NACARA |
| (c)(16) | Creation of Record (Adjustment Based on Continuous Residence Since January 1, 1972) |
| (c)(19) | Pending initial application for TPS where USCIS determines applicant is prima facie eligible for TPS and can receive an EAD as a “temporary treatment benefit”. |
| (c)(20) | Section 210 Legalization (pending I-700) |
| (c)(22) | Section 245A Legalization (pending I-687) |
| (c)(24) | LIFE Legalization |
| (c)(31) | VAWA Self-Petitioners |
NOTE: TPS individuals may receive an automatic extension of their employment authorization:
- Through publication of a Federal Register notice extending the TPS designation of the individual’s country, provided that the Federal Register notice also authorizes an automatic extension of covered individuals’ existing EADs; and/or
- Through this 180-day automatic extension.