Another blow to US H-1B workers: Trump admin ends automatic 540-day work permit extension for immigrants | Today’s news
In another setback for immigrants amid US President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on immigration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday (local time) issued a rule that ended a grace period that previously allowed immigrants to continue working after their work permits expired while their renewal applications remained pending.
Trump Ends Immigrant Window Extension Rule: What We Know
According to Bloomberg’s bill, the rule permanently ends an automatic 540-day grace period that allowed eligible immigrants to continue working in the country while their permit renewals were processed. The expansion, which was put in place under former President Joe Biden, temporarily shut down DHS last year.
The latest measure will affect asylum seekers and spouses of H-1B workers, including Indians. The federal department said the move would allow officials to conduct background checks on applicants more frequently.
According to the report, the grace period was designed to provide safety to immigrant workers who were at risk of being forced out of work due to processing delays at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). But under the Trump administration, the agency has made it harder for immigrants to keep or renew their work permits.
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As of June 30, 2026, the number of work authorization renewal applications pending at USCIS for six months exceeded 432,000. This included more than 91,000 authorization renewals that took more than 18 months. Foreign workers can only apply for renewal of their documents within 180 days after expiry.
In January, a group of H-4 visa holders sued the federal agency, saying the policy change violated the Administrative Procedure Act. In September, a California judge blocked the application of the interim final rule to those plaintiffs, finding that the agency failed to meet procedural requirements or justify its reliance on prior policy.
The final rule becomes effective upon publication in the Federal Register on October 14.
Trump admin shortens time to challenge refugee status repeal
The Trump administration, which continues to crack down on immigrants, announced another policy change that cut the time refugees have to challenge the termination of their status to 10 days from the previous 30 days, the AP reported. The change will take effect on Wednesday (local time).
Refugee advocates warned that the shorter deadline could make it more difficult for those affected to find a lawyer and obtain the documents needed to challenge the decision, according to the report. The document emphasizes that the policy change aims to “mitigate the potential risks” associated with people who were admitted to the country as refugees but did not qualify for refugee status.
While the policy did not specify how many people were expected to be affected, it singled out refugees admitted under the Biden administration and said there had been an “alarming erosion of the integrity” of the refugee program during his tenure. The Trump administration is reportedly reevaluating the cases of at least 185,000 refugees admitted during Biden’s presidency whose green card applications remain pending.
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Trump, who returned to the White House for a second term last January, has made it clear that his administration will pursue a broader crackdown on immigration as part of its “Make America Great Again” and “America First” agenda.
Other measures he announced include suspending refugee admissions, restricting entry from some countries and imposing a $100,000 payment requirement for certain new H-1B petitions.
