Employment Authorization Document (EAD) cards and Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) cards are taking longer than normal to issue, due to a production backlog at the cards’ manufacturer.

Applicants who have filed petitions for employment authorization and/or permanent residence should expect delays of two to three weeks in receiving their cards after receiving notification of approval. The manufacturer is undergoing maintenance and transferred its productions to another facility, resulting in a backlog. It is expected to be cleared by sometime next month.

BAL Analysis: Applicants with approved I-765 applications are reminded that they are required to wait to receive their EAD card before starting work, except in the case of STEM extensions.

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