USCIS Offers Expedited Work Permits for Healthcare and Childcare Workers

USCIS offers expedited work permit processing for healthcare workers and childcare workers. If you are a healthcare or childcare worker who has pending work permit and has either a current work permit that will expire in less than 30 days or has already expired, you may be eligible for expedited processing for the work permit renewal. USCIS had previously announced this flexibility for qualifying healthcare workers assisting public health efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. USCIS is now extending this flexibility to qualifying childcare workers.

For a complete list the type of positions USCIS considers to be healthcare, please click here. USCIS defines childcare worker in accordance with the Standard Occupational Classification which includes workers who “attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions” and “perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.” (Note that this definition does not include preschool teachers or teaching assistants.)

If you qualify or believe that you may qualify, the expedited request can be submitted with SUCIS by calling USCIS contact center at 800-375-5283 to request expedited processing of your EAD based on your circumstance as a healthcare worker or a childcare worker with an EAD that will expire within 30 days or has already expired. The applicant will have to provide evidence of their profession or current employment as a healthcare or childcare professional. If evidence is not sufficient, USCIS may not accommodate the expedited request. USCIS has not provided a timeline for how soon the work permit will be granted once the expedited request is approved, but it will be significantly faster than normal processing without the expedited request.