According to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, at a State of Immigration Address on June 9, 2008, USCIS will begin issuing employment authorization documents (EAD) valid for two years instead of one year, as they are currently issued, for adjustment of status applicants. He states:
“I’m also pleased to announce that we will be extending the validity period of the employment authorization documents that we issue to individuals who are waiting adjustment of status to lawful permit residenture or colloquial phrase, the green card. Currently, adjustment applications are granted employment authorization documents with only a one year maximum validity. Beginning later this month, we’ll start issuing these documents with a two-year validity period for aliens who are waiting adjustment of status if their application is expected to be pending for more than a year. This, again, is eliminating a persistent source of frustration for workers who are here, who have a pending adjustment application but have to go and renew their employment documents every single year.”