US ends auto-extension of work permits; international students not impacted

The Trump administration has finalised a rule ending automatic extensions of employment authorisation documents (EADs) for eligible foreign nationals awaiting renewal of their work permits. For the Indian diaspora, the move could adversely impact over a lakh Indian spouses, largely women, of H-1B visa holders caught in decades-long green card backlogs.Last month, the administration had also signalled a longer-term plan to remove H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B workers from the categories eligible for employment authorisation altogether.The rule finalised by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) adopts, without change, an interim rule issued in October 2025 that ended automatic extensions for certain EAD renewal applications filed on or after October 30, 2025.Under the rule, filing a timely renewal application will no longer, by itself, allow eligible applicants to continue working beyond the expiry of their existing work permits while their applications are pending.