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 Category Codes: What C33 and C08 Mean
Look up your EAD category code. What C33, C08, A05 and the other codes on your work permit mean, and which qualify for an automatic renewal extension.
- 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.