Thousands of immigrants whose U.S. work permits expired will be able to continue earning money. A new federal policy starting on Thursday extends their legal work permits for up to a year and a half as the government works to deal with a backlog of 1.5 million applications.
Eileen King English, an immigration law attorney with Hartington King English LLC, says while the extension gives people peace of mind, it doesn’t resolve the bigger issue of the processing time for work authorization, which sometimes can take up to a year.
“Without my employment authorization, I won’t be able to work, so what’s going to happen, I’m not going to be able to work. How am I going to pay my bills. So you always have to have it in the back of your mind to renew your employment authorization,” said Nellisa Khan, who came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2018. She says that while she will benefit from the extension, she wishes the process could be expediated.
