U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a reminder to its customers  on August 18, 2008 to use the correct version of the Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765) dated 05/27/08. The edition date appears in the lower right hand corner of the form as “Form I-765 (Rev. 05/27/08) N”.

USCIS announced that submission of an earlier version of Form I-765 may result in rejection of the application. The main purpose of the Form I-765 is to allow certain foreign nationals in the United States to request employment authorization and an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

Customers may download the correct version of the Application for Employment Authorization Form I-765 and instructions from www.uscis.gov/i-765 or under the “Immigration Forms” tab on the USCIS website.

In April, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security  (DHS) released an interim final rule extending the period of Optional Practical Training (OPT) from 12 to 29 months for qualified F-1 non-immigrant students. The extension will be available to F-1 students with a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. To take advantage of the program, they must be employed by businesses enrolled in the E-Verify program. Other conditions also apply.

Work authorizations present a special problem for Form I-9 management systems. Very few software programs now available help employers manage the records of employees with unusual or temporary work visa authorizations. The law requires that when an employee’s work authorization expires, employers must re-verify his or her employment eligibility.

The Tracker I-9™ system from Tracker Corp combines both Form I-9 employment eligibility and immigration management in one comprehensive package which generates alerts to HR staff about critical visa and I-9 authorization deadlines.

Disclaimer: The content of this post does not constitute direct legal advice and is designed for informational purposes only. Information provided through this website should never replace the need for involving informed counsel on your employment and immigration issues.