EAD - Employment Authorization Document

Today I will be talking about EAD - Employment Authorization Document . You apply for your EAD 90 days before graduation. It is always advisable to apply as early as possible ( 90 Days before graduation ) because USCIS receives lots of requests throughout the year and it usually takes 90 days for them to send your EAD card. 

You cannot start your employment without your EAD card. EAD card will have your employment start date and the initial post completion OPT is valid for one year . So if graduate in December and you choose your Employment start date to be February 1 2016 then your 1 year post completion OPT will end on 1 February 2017.

If you are a stem major then you can apply for STEM extension which is of 17 months duration . Though your company should be E-verified in order for you to apply for your stem extension. 

EAD card basically gives non immigrants work authorization ( Of course if you are eligible ) . Also make sure when you receive your EAD card all the information is correct . Report any errors or misprints on the card to USCIS immediately. 

Sample EAD card here : 

P.S - This is just a sample EAD Card.

Once you apply for your EAD card , you get a receipt via mail which is called as I-797. It has your case number and you can check your status here : https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do

I have seen students who graduate and after there graduation till the start of their employment , they usually have time for a month or two and travel outside USA . If you are travelling outside USA make sure you wait till you receive your EAD card. Because when you come back at the port of entry your EAD card would be checked. This is highly advisable . 

I have seen student's who do not wait for theire EAD card and travel outside of USA and then someone here in USA fedex them their EAD card. I would not recommend this . In case if the mail career company looses your packet then you would be in trouble. Its always safe to wait till you receive your EAD card and then travel outside USA. Therefore apply as soon as your 90 days starts before graduation. 

I hope the above information helps. If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below . Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

You would also want to look at my article : How to Save Money in US