Work permits cut to 18 months as America heightens scrutiny after violent attacks by foreign nationals.
The Trump administration has announced sweeping new restrictions on immigration and work authorization, dramatically tightening oversight of asylum seekers and migrants from unstable, terrorism-linked regions. In a decisive shift away from the leniencies of past administrations, the U.S. government is reducing employment authorization validity for many immigrants from five years to just 18 months, significantly increasing monitoring frequency.
The change—announced by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)—marks another step in President Trump’s mission to secure America’s borders and prevent infiltration by individuals from hostile or unstable regions. As USCIS Director Joseph Edlow stated, “Working in the United States is a privilege, not a right,” underscoring the administration’s firm stance after years of lax oversight.
Beginning December 5, 2025, immigrants applying for adjustment of status through the I-485 process will receive 18-month Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) instead of the previous 5-year period. Immigration attorneys warn that the reduced validity will force applicants into a cycle of constant renewals—compounding existing delays and placing thousands at risk of losing their work authorization due to USCIS backlogs.
Houston-based immigration attorney Emily Neumann noted that the removal of automatic EAD renewals will almost certainly push more immigrants into employment gaps. Attorney Steven Brown added that the Trump administration originally extended EAD validity to five years to reduce workload—calling the reversal “a step backward” that will burden both the agency and applicants.
🔍 Why is scrutiny intensifying?
The tightening of immigration rules follows the high-profile arrest of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national charged with shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. This incident—linked to one of the many unstable regions generating global terrorism—has accelerated the administration’s push to eliminate loopholes exploited by dangerous foreign actors.
In response, USCIS has:
- Frozen all immigration requests from 19 countries included in Trump’s summer travel ban (Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti, Sudan, and others).
- Announced plans to expand that list to around 30 nations—mostly authoritarian, Islamist, or conflict-ridden states.
- Ordered a “comprehensive re-review” of immigration approvals granted to individuals from those countries who entered the United States since 2021, during the Biden administration.
President Trump declared he intends to “permanently pause migration from all Third World countries,” signaling a sweeping overhaul targeting nations plagued by extremism, corruption, and hostile anti-Western agendas.
🛂 Impact on Work Visas
Foreign workers on visas such as H-1B remain unaffected, as their employment authorization derives directly from their status. However, the administration has already floated a $100,000 application fee for certain high-skilled visas—an unprecedented tightening designed to further discourage abuse of the system.
Asylum seekers and others with temporary legal protection will now face far more frequent renewals, increasing administrative pressure on USCIS and heightening the risk of being left without legal employment due to case backlogs.
🕒 Will delays worsen?
Almost certainly.
USCIS processing delays already reached a 10-year high, with the agency diverting resources from service functions to enforcement. Current case-completion rates remain well below Biden-era levels, underscoring the dramatic policy reversal underway.
Trump’s message is clear: the era of loose immigration oversight—especially toward migrants from hostile or unstable regions—is over.
