U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has introduced a PDF filing option for certain employment authorization document applicants.

Key Points:

  • Eligible applicants now may upload PDF formatted versions of a completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and a completed Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, along with required evidence to their USCIS online account.
  • The PDF filing option is currently only available to the following categories of Form I-765 applicants:
    • (a)(12): Granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
    • (c)(8): Asylum application pending filed on or after Jan. 4, 1995
    • (c)(9): Certain family-based and employment-based applicants pending adjustment of status under Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
    • (c)(11): Parolee
    • (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”
  • Applications submitted via the PDF filing option will have the same case management functionality as those submitted via existing e-filing workflows in USCIS online accounts.
  • Those applying for a (c)(9) Pending Adjustment of Status category of Form I-765 should review the qualifications regarding filing fee exemptions prior to submitting their application. Details are available here.
  • Please note that at this time attorneys and accredited representatives are not permitted to file these applications on behalf of foreign nationals.

Additional Information: Further details on PDF filing options and eligibility are available on the USCIS website. The agency plans to expand PDF filing options in the future. BAL will provide updates as they become available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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