US panel discusses issuing EADs to those waiting for green card for over 5 years

A presidential advisory commission has discussed the possibility of issuing employment authorisation cards in the early stages of Green Card application, a move if approved by the Biden administration would end the agonising wait for the Permanent Resident Card for highly skilled foreign-born workers, including Indians.

A Green Card is a document issued to immigrants to the US as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing permanently.

The recommendation proposes that the Department of Homeland Security’s US Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS-USCIS) grant employment authorisation documents (EADs) and travel documents to individuals who have approved I-140 employment-based visa petitions in the EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 categories.