- Hi everyone, my name is Moumita Rahman,
and I am the immigration attorney here
to help you navigate
through this complex world of immigration.
Today I'm going to discuss a question
that many people haven't asked me, which is,
when should you file for your work permit renewal?
This is very important
because people have been super worried
and concerned about the fact that USCIS has announced
that they will furlough 13,000 employees.
And, there has also been another news report,
where the government has said
that they have ended their contract
with an agency that prints work permit cards.
Thus, people have been experiencing a severe slowdown
in how quickly their work permit applications get processed,
and also, even once the work permits are approved,
some people are having a very long wait time
until they actually receive the card.
So I have been getting many questions
about people who are interested
in filing their work permits super early.
But before I go any further,
if this is your first time watching me,
thank you, thank you, thank you so much for tuning in.
I am an immigration lawyer in New York
and I serve clients all over the world,
including in all 50 states.
It is my pleasure to do the work that I do
because I get to help unite many families,
and help people get legal status in the US
and get their American dream.
So, if you're watching, please subscribe to my channel,
please post this video to your friends,
and leave me a comment,
because I really enjoy the support that you give me,
it gives me the energy to keep going
and bring you these videos.
So, what is the general rule
when it comes to applying for your renewal
work permit applications?
The answer to this is a little bit nebulous,
just like with many other things in immigration law.
If you look on the USCIS website,
USCIS states that you should not apply more than 180 days
before your current work permit card expires.
This means that generally,
it is best to not submit your work permit renewal request
more than six months before your expiration date.
So for example, if your work permit
expires on December 31st,
then I would recommend that you not apply
earlier than June, okay.
However, it is not an explicit prohibition
on filing your renewal application
more than six months early.
But one thing that you should be aware of is,
these days, anything that goes to USCIS,
has a high chance of being rejected
because, the person working in the mail room
may not understand these little nuances.
So what I would recommend is
that if you don't want to lose your filing fee
or you don't want to experience the frustration
of receiving a package that's rejected,
file your application only when you're within
that 180-day time period before the card expires.
And one more important thing to note is that,
if you timely file your renewal application,
the majority of work permit categories
actually will enjoy an automatic 180-day extension
of their authorization to work.
Which means that, should your work permit application
expire on December 31st, for example,
and you get your application in during November
or October before the expiration date,
then you will receive an extension
up until June of the next year.
This is really important because,
we know that everything is taking such a long time
with the government
and people don't want to lose the ability to work.
So number one,
make sure you get your work permit renewal application
in time before the expiration date.
And number two,
I would recommend that you not file more than 180 days,
in case there's a rejection of your application,
which could cause you to lose even more time.
But an interesting exception to this is the fact
that persons with DACA
have been filing more than six months in advance
and getting approvals.
But DACA is a separate category.
So if you have DACA,
then go ahead and get your renewal applications in
because, we don't know what this government
is going to be doing,
but if your work permit category is not underneath DACA,
then stick that six month rule.
If you need an individual consultation on your case,
please feel free to contact me,
my telephone number is 212-248-7907.
I will help you create a strategy
and help you understand the individual facts of your case
and how immigration law will impact you.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
My name is Moumita Rahman, and see you next week.
- [Narrator] This video is for informational purposes only
and does not constitute legal advice.
For proper legal advice on your case,
please call us to set up a consultation.