In the United States, the right to work comes from a document. For most people waiting for an asylum decision, it is the Employment Authorization Document (EAD), a plastic card from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
EAD waiting times and fees changed several times in the past year, so check the USCIS page before you pay. QARAVAN does not provide legal services and cannot tell you when to file in your case; a free lawyer can.
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- You cannot work legally until you have an EAD or a status that gives the right to work, such as granted asylum.
- You can apply for an EAD 150 days after filing your asylum application (Form I-589), but USCIS can issue it only after 180 days.
- Pay only USCIS. Only scammers ask for money for a “rush” EAD or a “guaranteed” approval.
Your situation decides whether you need a card and which document you show an employer.
What lets you work, by your situation
| Waiting for an asylum decision (Form I-589 filed) | Granted asylum (asylee) | Green card holder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you need an EAD | Yes, without an EAD you cannot work legally | No, you may work right away, though some asylees still get an EAD to use as ID | No, the card itself gives you the right to work |
| What you show an employer when hired | The EAD (Form I-766, with a photo) | An EAD or another document from the Form I-9 lists (the form that confirms your right to work), such as a foreign passport with a Form I-94 (the arrival record) that carries a work endorsement | A Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) |
| What you mark in Section 1 of Form I-9 | Alien authorized to work, with your EAD expiration date | A noncitizen authorized to work, with “N/A” in the expiration date field | Lawful permanent resident |
| Does it expire | Up to 18 months, then you must apply to renew | Asylum status does not expire, so your permission to work does not either. An EAD card, if you have one, is valid for up to 18 months | The card itself has an expiration date, which goes on Form I-9 |
If you have already been granted asylum
Granted asylumFree
Once you are granted asylum you can work without an EAD, in almost any job you are qualified for. Some asylees get an EAD anyway, for example as an ID. If an employer will not accept your document or asks for a “green card,” contact the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER), the federal Department of Justice office against hiring discrimination. File a complaint online: civilrightscharge.justice.gov/ier/charge; the form also comes in Russian and can be emailed to IERCharge@usdoj.gov.
This is the path from an asylum application to an EAD. Take numbers and dates from the letters USCIS or the immigration court sent you.
File your asylum application within a year
The application is Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal. USCIS says to file it within 1 year of arriving in the United States. The days until your EAD are counted from the filing date, so keep the receipt notice USCIS sends.
Count 150 days
You can file Form I-765 for the EAD once 150 days have passed since you filed the I-589. If you file earlier, USCIS may reject it. One exception: with a Recommended Approval notice (the asylum office recommends granting asylum), you do not need to wait 150 days; file the I-765 right away with a copy of the notice.
Do not lose days to missed appointments
USCIS may issue the EAD once your application has been pending 180 days, but delays you asked for or caused (for example a missed fingerprint appointment, called biometrics, or a missed interview) do not count. Go to every appointment and reschedule only when you must. If you are unsure how a postponement affects the count, ask a free lawyer.
File Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
Category (c)(8) is for people with a pending asylum application. The current form no longer asks about a Social Security number, so you apply for the number at SSA separately once your EAD arrives. If you have a lawyer, ask beforehand whether they will file the I-765 and whether it is included in their price.
Keep the receipt and follow your case
After you file, USCIS sends a receipt with a case number. Use it on the USCIS Case Status Online page to check your case. Once approved, the EAD comes by mail.
Renew early
Asylum-based EADs are now issued for 18 months at most. A pending renewal no longer extends an expired card: there is no automatic extension for renewals filed on or after October 30, 2025, and a final rule confirmed this on October 14, 2026. Once the date on the card passes, you cannot work on it, even if you have filed, until the new card is approved. USCIS says to file no sooner than 180 and no later than 90 days before the card expires, so file as soon as the 180-day window opens. Put the date in your calendar the day you get the card.
The federal government sets the fees, and they went up in 2026.
EAD fees for asylum applicants
Asylum applicantsWith a work permit (EAD)Paid
Since October 16, 2026, a first (c)(8) application costs $570, and a renewal costs $275 plus the regular fee: $470 online or $520 on paper. The $570 and $275 are set by a separate federal law (Public Law 119-21) and cannot be waived. You can ask to waive the regular fee with Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver: it is filed on paper with a paper I-765, and is not accepted once the I-765 has reached USCIS. The same law adds an Annual Asylum Fee for every year your asylum application is pending: since October 16, 2026, $105 a year (it was $102), charged only to the main applicant. It cannot be waived; USCIS sends a notice with how to pay, payment is due within 30 days, and while it is unpaid USCIS cannot approve your asylum case. Fees change every year, so check the USCIS page before you pay.
The proposal for a 365-day wait
Asylum applicants
In February 2026 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the federal department that includes USCIS, proposed raising the wait for an EAD to 365 days. As of November 2026 it is only a proposal, and the 150 and 180 days still apply. The rule could be adopted, so watch the Form I-765 page.
Immigration Legal Support Hotline (Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, MOIA)
Any statusNYC residentsFree
A free hotline from the City's Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA): say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins. It answers immigration questions and tells you where to find free, trustworthy legal help. The hotline does not take cases itself, and lawyers do not always have room.
- EAD (Employment Authorization Document)
- A plastic card with your photo from USCIS that proves you may work in the United States. Also called a work permit or Form I-766.
- Form I-765
- The application for an EAD. Category (c)(8) is for people with a pending asylum application.
- Form I-589
- The asylum application. Its filing date starts the count of days toward your EAD.
- Asylum clock
- The number of days your application counts as pending. Delays you caused do not count.
- Biometrics
- An appointment at a USCIS center to take your fingerprints and photo.
- Receipt notice
- A letter from USCIS with a case number that confirms your application was received.
- Asylee
- A person who has already been granted asylum.
- 311
- The City's information service for questions about services and complaints. Reach it online at portal.311.nyc.gov or in the NYC311 app; the phone number is 311: say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins.
This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.
A Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number your employer puts on your tax papers. The federal Social Security Administration (SSA) issues it. The number and the card are free.
First the EAD, then the number from SSA
Asylum applicantsWith a work permit (EAD)Free
You used to be able to request an SSN right on Form I-765, and the card came by mail on its own. The current form has no such question, so no Social Security card comes with your EAD. Once you have the EAD, apply to SSA yourself; it is free.
uscis.gov
Social Security Administration (SSA) office
With a work permit (EAD)Granted asylumFree
Once your EAD arrives, apply to SSA: start the application online at ssa.gov/number-card/request-number-first-time, then bring your documents to an SSA office. SSA says some noncitizens can get a number if they work or study. Its page “Request Social Security number for the first time” links a leaflet for noncitizens (PDF) that lists which documents to bring with your EAD. The number and the card are free: do not pay websites that offer to do it for you.
ssa.gov
A job but no number yet
Granted asylumWith a work permit (EAD)
The SSN field on Form I-9 is optional unless the employer uses E-Verify (the electronic work-permission check). SSA lets you work while you wait for the number: the employer writes “Applied for” or zeros on the W-2 tax form (the yearly pay report). If a company will not hire you without a number, contact IER.
justice.gov