Cortez Masto Joins Rosen Push to Overturn Trump Rule Rescinding Automatic Work Permit Renewal

Work Permits Allow Immigrants with Legal Status to Work, but Long USCIS Processing Times are Placing U.S. Employers and Workers at Risk

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) sponsored a Congressional Review Act (CRA) Resolution to overturn a recent Trump Administration rule that ends automatic extensions of work permits. The new Trump Administration rule prevents previously vetted immigrants with legal status from working while they await renewal of their work permits. This CRA is led by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.)

"By creating this new rule, the Trump Administration is only adding burdensome red tape and unnecessary delays for employers and workers to navigate," said Senator Cortez Masto. "There's nothing about this policy that makes America safer, it only creates chaos and confusion for hardworking immigrants and our business community."

USCIS's interim final rule, announced on October 30th, ended the automatic extensions for 18 different categories of immigrants. Due to long USCIS processing wait times, immigrants who submitted work permit renewal applications on time could be left without work authorization while they wait for their application to be processed - sometimes for many months at a time - risking immigrant workers' ability to legally work, through no fault of their own.

Prior to this new Trump rule, if an immigrant with legal status in the U.S. filed their work permit renewal request on time, they would automatically receive a 540-day work permit extension to ensure they didn't lose their authorization while USCIS processes their renewal. This CRA would reinstate that commonsense policy.

The first and only Latina senator, Senator Cortez Masto has consistently supported immigrant communities in Nevada, calling on both the Biden and Trump administrations to protect DACA recipients, TPS holders and other immigrants. She has worked to pass meaningful immigration reform that balances critical border security measures with a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential workers.

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