Got the interim EAD issued on the same day . They encourage walk in from tuesday to friday between 8 to 11. Went to Arlington Office at 7AM , they opened at 7.30 and got my EAD around 12.30 PM.Documents needed were the receipt notice and the EAD renewal application form.
There is no need to get there early. Try to be there around 9 and they'll give you a ticket. If you are lucky, you'll have your picture taken after a small wait otherwise you'll have to wait for 4 to 6 hours before you get your card. The good news is you'll get without any problems with the exception of the long waiting time.
I filed for a routime renewal of my EAD with AOS pending at the NSC, the case was transfered to Denver district office. AFter 3.5 months I went to get an interim EAD which was not granted because their records supposedly showed that the EAD was approved. Waited few more weeks went back again, same story. Bottomline is nether an interim EAD nor did theactual EAD ever show as approved online or ever got to me.
I dont know what to do next.
Went to the Local Office at 1.30 PM. Got the call after 2 hours and 30 minutes wait and they asked for the old EAD, New I 765 Form and the I485 Reciept. It took 15 min to finish the process of getting the iEAD. It was a good experience and the staff were quite helpful.
Interim EAD experience at Newark NJ. Date : 5/28/2004 EAD renewal applied on 28th January 2004 but no approval for 4 months so interim was the only way out.
Stood in line (with wife and kid)
: 6:30 AM Entered building
: around 9:00 am Was the 14th InterimEAD applicant since morning. I saw numbers go up to 35. Both wife and me got EAD valid for 8 months at
Went to SFO office for interim EAD. My 140 and 485 were pending beyond 90 days. The officer refused saying 140 is "on hold". No additional reason was provided. It's 6 months since filing and there has been no RFE.
Release Date
12/23/2025
WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security is amending regulations governing the H-1B work visa selection process to prioritize the allocation of visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities for American workers. The new rule replaces the random lottery for selecting visa recipients with a process that gives greater weight to those with higher skills.
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
08/21/2025 09:29 AM EDT
Edition Date: 08/21/25. Starting March 5, 2026, USCIS will accept only the 08/21/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the 01/20/25 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.
For more information, please visit the Forms Updates page.
Published by: Financial Express - January 8, 2026
https://www.financialexpress.com/business/investing-abroad-my-h-1b-approved-but-stuck-in-a-34-month-queue-attorney-shares-legal-fixes-for-missing-form-i-824-4100306/
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article: