Work Authorization & DACA
The right to work: getting an employment authorization document (EAD), DACA and how to renew it, advance parole and travel, and I-9 employment verification.
All Work Authorization & DACA guides
- Driving and Your Immigration Status: Driver's Licenses Explained
Whether you can get a driver's license and if it's REAL ID-compliant depends on your state - a license is never proof of immigration status.
- Getting a Social Security Number With a Work Permit
How to get a Social Security number after getting a work permit (EAD), what changed in 2025-2026, and the ITIN option if you don't qualify.
- EAD Categories and Eligibility Codes Explained
What the code on your work permit (like (c)(8) or (a)(5)) means, why it matters for renewal, and how automatic extensions work in 2026.
- Unlawful Presence vs. Unauthorized Work: What's the Difference
Unlawful presence can trigger the 3/10-year bars; unauthorized work can block adjustment of status. They're different problems with different fixes.
- How to Get a Work Permit (EAD)
Who qualifies for a work permit (EAD), how Form I-765 works, and the renewal-timing rules that changed in 2025-26.
- E-Verify and Tentative Nonconfirmations: What to Do
A TNC just means your records don't match yet. Learn your right to keep working while you fix it with SSA or DHS.
- Premium Processing Explained (Form I-907)
Premium processing gets a faster USCIS decision on eligible cases for a fee — it doesn't change the standard or guarantee approval.
- The STEM OPT Extension Explained
How F-1 students in STEM fields can extend Optional Practical Training by 24 months, with E-Verify, Form I-983, and reporting rules explained.
- The H-1B to Green Card Path
How H-1B workers move to a green card through employer sponsorship, PERM, Form I-140, and AC21 extensions past year six.
- Correcting a Mistake on a Green Card or Work Permit
USCIS-caused errors on a green card, EAD, or citizenship certificate are fixed for free; applicant errors require a new filing and fee.
- Advance Parole: Traveling With a Pending Immigration Case
Advance parole lets some people with a pending immigration case travel and return - but leaving too soon or with the wrong history can end the case.
- The Consequences of Working Without Authorization
Working without authorization can bar green card status but immediate relatives and some others are exempt; know your I-94 deadline.
- I-9 Employment Verification and Your Rights
How Form I-9, E-Verify, and reverification work, and what documents employers can and cannot demand under federal anti-discrimination law.
- The Automatic EAD Extension Explained
Whether your work permit stays valid while a renewal is pending changed in a major 2025 rule. Here's what qualifies now and how to prove it.
- DACA Explained and How to Renew
What DACA is, who currently qualifies, and how to renew it — plus the active litigation that could change these rules.
- What DACA Does and Does Not Give You
DACA offers temporary protection from removal and work authorization only — it is not lawful status, a green card, or a path to citizenship.
- The Compelling-Circumstances EAD for Backlogged Workers
A discretionary work permit for approved-I-140 workers in a green card backlog facing job loss, illness, or similar hardship — and its trade-offs.
- Can DACA Recipients Travel Abroad With Advance Parole?
DACA advance parole lets some recipients travel for humanitarian, school, or work reasons - but it's discretionary, fee-laden, and legally risky.
- Can Immigrants Start a Business or Be Self-Employed?
Owning a U.S. business is generally open to any status, but working in it requires separate work authorization - here's the difference.