US Shortens Work Permit Validity for Some Non-Citizens

The policy change will reduce the period of time that certain aliens can work in the United States before they have to be screened again.

A Russian citizen scheduled for his citizenship interview waits outside of a Department of Homeland Security building and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in Tukwila, Wash., on March 3, 2020. Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

Certain categories of non-citizens working in the United States will be screened and vetted every 18 months as opposed to every five years, according to a Dec. 4 statement by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The federal agency’s policy change will shorten the period of time that refugees, asylees, and other non-citizens can work in the United States before they have to be screened again to renew their work permit. ​