USCIS Guidance on Expedited EADs for Healthcare and Childcare Workers

If you are a healthcare worker or a childcare worker who has a pending Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization renewal application and your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) expires in 30 days or less or has already expired, you can request expedited processing of your EAD renewal application. 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.

Do You Qualify?
To determine whether you are a qualifying healthcare worker, see this DHS advisory memorandum (“Healthcare/Public Health” section, pages 7-9) (PDF)

To determine whether you are a qualifying childcare worker, see the U.S. Department of Labor’s  Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code 39-9011, 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.)

Next Steps
If you qualify, call the USCIS Contact Center 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.

Additional Information
Be prepared to provide evidence of your profession or current employment as a healthcare worker or childcare worker. If the evidence you provide is not sufficient, we may not accommodate your request for expedited processing of your Form I-765. Expedited processing only means that USCIS will process the application and issue a decision faster.

Source: USCIS