Delayed Production of Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) Cards
USCIS recently revealed that, in June 2020, it ended a contract with an outside company responsible for production secure documents such as Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) Cards.
According to USCIS, it intended to hire federal employees to replace the contractors; however, its financial situation resulted in a hiring freeze that has impacted the production of these cards. Unfortunately, USCIS expects this backlog to continue for the foreseeable future. Should there be a furlough of USCIS employees (possibly after August 31st), card production backlogs will likely increase.
The USCIS Ombudsman is assisting individuals whose applications have been approved but whose cards have not yet been produced, by sending weekly spreadsheets to USCIS to verify card requests are in line to be processed. If USCIS has approved your EAD, but you are experiencing a delay in receiving your card, you may submit a request for case assistance with the Ombudsman at https://www.dhs.gov/topic/cis-ombudsman/forms/7001.
LPRs may obtain proof of their status by requesting a stamp of temporary evidence in a valid passport. Please reach out to USCIS’ Contact Center (800-375-5283) to make an appointment at your local USCIS field office.