Similarly, the Department’s average processing time for EAD applications based on pending adjustment of status petitions rose from three months in FY 2017 to seven months in FY 2022. Among EAD applications based on pending asylum cases, the average processing time has risen from 1.7 months in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 to 8.3 months in FY 2022. In recent years, Departmental data shows that the average processing times for EAD applications have increased enormously. I write to express concern about the Department’s increased delays in processing applications for initial Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). Read the Senator’s full letter here or below. I’m hearing from small businesses in my state that are suffering from staffing shortages because of the delay in EAD processing.” Senator Shaheen continued, “While these delays are of course damaging to applicants and their families, industries throughout the economy are also feeling the negative effects of the Department’s EAD processing delays. but cannot work and support their families.” We have encountered young professionals, including refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan, who are eager to use their skills in the U.S. ready to work but are unable to do so in the face of these long processing times. My staff is working with individuals who arrived in the U.S. Shaheen wrote, in part, “My office is seeing the harmful impact of the Department’s processing delays on individuals and their families in New Hampshire. In her letter, Shaheen calls on DHS to move swiftly to improve the speed of EAD processing and reduce backlogs and she specifically underscored the impact on vulnerable communities, including Afghan and Ukrainian refugees, who need these necessary documents to start their new lives. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expressing concerns about the Department’s delays in processing applications for initial Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), or new work authorization applications. ![]() Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a letter to U.S. Shaheen Calls on DHS to Address Delays in Processing Work Authorization Applications June 28, 2022
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