Trump cuts work permit validity for refugees, asylum seekers to 18 months
The Donald Trump administration has slashed the validity period of work permits issued to refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants in the United States, reducing employment authorization documents from five years to a maximum of 18 months.
Under the new rule announced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the shortened validity period will also apply to immigrants with pending asylum or green card applications—cases that often drag on for years due to the country’s long-standing immigration backlog.
USCIS said the change aims to enable more frequent vetting of immigrants granted the right to work, linking the decision to last week’s attack on two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
The suspect in the deadly incident, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the U.S. in September 2021 during the previous administration. His asylum application was approved in April 2025, months after President Trump began his second term.
In a statement, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the revised employment authorization policy would ensure that individuals allowed to work “do not pose a threat to public safety or promote extremist ideologies.” He added that the recent attack highlighted the need for more frequent screening.
The new rule applies to all work permit applications filed after Friday, December 5, as well as pending applications as of that date.
The policy shift comes amid a sweeping escalation of immigration enforcement following last week’s shooting, which killed one National Guard member and left another critically injured.
In its response, the Trump administration has frozen all asylum requests under USCIS, paused visa and immigration applications from Afghan nationals, and suspended all legal immigration processes—including citizenship ceremonies—for citizens of 19 countries currently on the administration’s travel ban list.
U.S. officials have also disclosed that the White House is considering expanding the travel ban to include about 30 countries, citing heightened security concerns in the aftermath of the attack.
