How to fill in Form I-765 (work permit, USA)

What the form is for

Certain foreign nationals who are in the United States use Form I-765 to ask for permission to work and for the EAD card. Some people (for example refugees and asylees) are already allowed to work because of their status, and use the form only to get a card that proves it. For others, such as parolees or people with deferred action, you may only work after USCIS approves the form.

Some categories can file online with a USCIS account: (a)(12), (c)(3)(A)-(C), (c)(8), (c)(11), (c)(19), (c)(33), and (c)(9) by PDF upload (see uscis.gov/file-online/forms-available-to-file-online). Everyone else files on paper. For paper, the address depends on your reason for applying and the eligibility category you write in item 27: use the USCIS page "Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765". USCIS changed the mailing location on 7 October 2026; forms postmarked on or before 9 November 2026 and sent to an old location are still accepted. If your work permit depends on another pending application (for example Form I-485 or Form I-539), file both at the location for that other application. Most diplomat and international-organization dependents file through their mission or the State Department, and NATO dependents through the offices listed on the addresses page.

After approval, the card should be produced within 2 weeks and is mailed by USPS Priority Mail to the address on your form. Allow 30 days from approval before asking USCIS about it. USCIS does not give a fixed decision time on the page: use its Case Processing Times tool. To renew, USCIS generally recommends filing up to 180 days before your current EAD expires. USCIS currently accepts only the 08/21/25 edition of the form (the date is printed at the bottom of every page); it is not accepting the 09/15/26 edition.

Who needs it

Form I-765 is for people in these situations (from the form instructions and uscis.gov/i-765):

• You must be in the United States and have a US mailing address when you file.
• Do not use it if you are a lawful permanent resident, a conditional permanent resident, or a nonimmigrant who is only allowed to work for one specific employer. Principal T and U nonimmigrants are authorized to work from their status and do not need to file (their derivative family members in the US must).
• You choose one eligibility category from the "Who May File" list in the instructions and write it in item 27. Examples: (a)(5) asylee, (c)(8) pending asylum application, (c)(9) pending green-card application (Form I-485), (c)(11) parole, (c)(14) deferred action, (c)(33) DACA, (c)(3)(A)-(C) F-1 student OPT. Each category has its own documents.
• Pending asylum, (c)(8): you must wait 150 days after filing your asylum application (Form I-589) before you can apply, and USCIS needs another 30 days before it can issue the card (180 in total). USCIS may reject the form if you file before 150 days. Delays you cause do not count.
• Fee. It depends on your category and on how you file. The general fee for an initial, replacement or renewal EAD is $520 on paper, or $470 online for the categories that can file online. If you have a pending Form I-485 that you filed with a fee on or after 1 April 2024, it is $260 (paper or online). If your pending I-485 was filed with the fee on or after 30 July 2007 and before 1 April 2024, the EAD is $0 (initial, replacement or renewal). If your (c)(9) EAD is $0, don't use the PDF upload: mail a paper form to get the fee exemption (USCIS does not refund a fee paid online by mistake). Some categories pay $0, for example an initial EAD for an (a)(3) refugee or an (a)(5) asylee, or a replacement card because of a USCIS or USPS error. Find your category in Appendix C of the fee schedule G-1055 (uscis.gov/g-1055, edition 10/26/26): it lists every category, for initial, renewal and replacement. USCIS adjusted some fees on 16 October 2026, so check G-1055 again just before you pay.
• Extra fee. Some categories must also pay a separate fee required by law (Pub. L. 119-21), on top of the filing fee. It applies, for example, to initial and renewal EADs for (c)(8) asylum applicants, (c)(11) parolees and TPS applicants, even when the filing fee is $0. It must be paid separately and cannot be waived. The amount depends on the category and on initial or renewal (Appendix C of G-1055). Check the alerts on uscis.gov/i-765 for exceptions.
• How to pay. Online: credit, debit or prepaid card, or a bank withdrawal. By mail: credit card (Form G-1450) or ACH bank debit (Form G-1650), unless you qualify for an exemption (Form G-1651). Cash is never accepted. A wrong fee means the form is rejected. If you cannot afford the filing fee, you can ask for a fee waiver with Form I-912 on paper (not online for most forms); it does not cover the extra fee above.

Before you start

• The correct fee (see above). Put the payment first in your package, then the signed form, then the documents.
• A copy of at least one of these: your Form I-94 (front and back), a printout of your electronic I-94 from cbp.gov/i94, your passport or another travel document. Not needed under category (c)(9).
• A copy of your last EAD (front and back). If you never had one: a government photo ID (passport, birth certificate with photo ID, visa or national ID) that clearly shows your face, name and date of birth.
• Two identical, recent color passport-style photos: 2 by 2 inches, white or off-white background, glossy thin paper, unmounted and unretouched. Lightly write your name and A-Number on the back with a pencil or felt pen.
• The evidence that your category asks for (see the "Who May File" section of the instructions): for example your I-485 receipt notice for (c)(9), or your Form I-94 for parole.
• For deferred action (c)(14) and DACA (c)(33): Form I-765 Worksheet (I-765WS), which shows that you need to work.
• A full English translation for any document in another language, with the translator's signed certification.
• For a renewal (box 1.c): a copy of your previous EAD.

Section by section

Here is what each part asks, in plain words, in the order it appears.

1. 1

   Page 1, top: For USCIS Use Only and attorney boxes

   The "For USCIS Use Only" box is for the agency: leave it empty. The attorney box is only for a lawyer or accredited representative who attaches Form G-28.

2. 2

   Part 1: Reason for Applying

   Select only one box: 1.a initial permission to work, 1.b replacement of a lost, stolen or damaged EAD (or a correction that is not USCIS's error; if USCIS made the error you do not need a new form or fee), or 1.c renewal (attach a copy of your previous EAD).

3. 3

   Part 2, items 1-4: your full legal name and other names

   Item 1: your full legal name as shown on your birth certificate or legal name-change document (family name, given name, middle name). Items 2-4: every other name you have used, including aliases, maiden name and nicknames, with evidence such as a marriage certificate or passport. If you need more space, use Part 6.

4. 4

   Part 2, items 5-7: addresses

   Item 5 is your US mailing address: a home, APO or business address, or a PO box if that is how you get your mail. Your EAD is sent here. If someone else receives your mail, put their name in "In Care Of Name". Don't use your lawyer's address unless you want the card sent there. Item 6: is it the same as where you live? If you tick No, give your physical address in item 7.

5. 5

   Part 2, items 8-13: other information

   Item 8: your A-Number (it starts with A, from DHS or USCIS letters); if you have none, the instructions say to write "N/A". Item 9: your USCIS Online Account Number, only if a previous receipt number began with IOE. Item 10: sex as on your birth certificate. Item 11: your marital status on the day you file. Item 12: have you filed an I-765 before? Item 13: your Social Security number, if you have one.

6. 6

   Part 2, items 14-16: citizenship and birth

   Item 14: every country where you are a citizen or national (not necessarily where you were born). If you have no citizenship, write "stateless" and explain in Part 6. Item 15: city, state or province and country of birth, with the country's name as it was when you were born. Item 16: date of birth as mm/dd/yyyy (month first), for example 10/05/1967.

7. 7

   Part 2, items 17-26: your last arrival in the US

   Item 17: the Form I-94 number (11 digits; get your electronic I-94 at cbp.gov/i94). Items 18-21: passport number, travel document number if any, the country that issued it and its expiry date (give the passport even if it has expired). Items 22-23: date and place of your last arrival. Item 24: your status then (for example "B-2 visitor" or "F-1 student"). Item 25: your current status. Item 26: your SEVIS number (starts with N-), if you are a student.

8. 8

   Part 2, items 27-31: eligibility category

   Item 27: the letter-and-number code of your category, for example (c)(9). Enter only one. This choice also decides your fee and where you send the form. Only some categories need more: item 28 for (c)(3)(C) STEM OPT (degree, employer name and E-Verify number), item 29 for (c)(26) (receipt number of your H-1B spouse's Form I-797), item 30 for (c)(8) (have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime?), and item 31 for (c)(35) and (c)(36) (Form I-140 receipt number and the same crime question). Leave the ones that are not yours empty.

9. 9

   Part 3: your statement, contact information and signature

   Tick 1.a if you read and understand English, or 1.b if an interpreter read the form to you (then Part 4 is filled in by the interpreter). Tick item 2 if a preparer helped you (Part 5). Give your daytime phone, mobile phone and email. Item 6 is only for Salvadoran or Guatemalan nationals under the ABC settlement who file as (c)(8). Then sign by hand in ink and date it (7.a, 7.b): USCIS rejects a form with no signature, and does not accept a typed or stamped name. A scan or photocopy of the original signed form is valid for filing.

10. 10

    Parts 4 and 5: interpreter and preparer

    Part 4 is for the person who read the form to you in your language: name, business, address, phone, email, signature and date. Part 5 is for anyone who filled the form in for you, if it was not you. Anyone who helped you must sign and date. A lawyer or accredited representative may also need to send Form G-28. If you filled it in yourself, leave Parts 4 and 5 empty.

11. 11

    Part 6: Additional Information

    Use this page when an answer does not fit. At the top of each extra sheet write your name and A-Number, and for each answer the page, part and item number it refers to, then sign and date each sheet.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting to sign

  USCIS rejects an unsigned form. Sign in ink in Part 3, item 7.a and add the date. A typed name does not count.

• Using a different edition or mixing pages

  Every page must come from the same edition, and the edition date and page numbers must show at the bottom. Missing pages or another edition can mean rejection. USCIS currently accepts the 08/21/25 edition. Send all 7 pages, even those you left empty.

• Paying the wrong fee

  A wrong fee means rejection. The fee depends on your category, on initial, renewal or replacement, and on paper or online. Check Appendix C of G-1055 and any extra fee for your category.

• Sending it to the wrong address

  The address depends on the category in item 27. The mailing location changed on 7 October 2026: check the current Direct Filing Addresses page. Don't mail a form that depends on another application separately: file it with that application.

• Writing more than one category, or the wrong one

  Enter a single category in item 27. People often mix up pending cases and granted cases: a pending asylum application is (c)(8), while a granted asylum is (a)(5).

• Filing too early with a pending asylum case

  Under (c)(8) USCIS may reject the form if you file before 150 days have passed since your Form I-589 was filed (unless you have a Recommended Approval notice).

• Not using your legal name

  Item 1 must match your birth certificate or name-change document. Put other names and nicknames in items 2-4, not in item 1.

• A mailing address where you can't get mail

  Your EAD is mailed there. If you move after filing, update your address with USCIS and USPS right away, or the card can get lost and you may have to apply and pay again.

• Item 27 split into three small boxes

  On this PDF item 27 is made of three small fields, and the brackets are already printed around them. Type only the letter, the number and the sub-letter, one per box, without brackets: (c)(9) is c / 9 / empty, and (c)(3)(B) is c / 3 / B. Formamigo may get this wrong, so check item 27 on the preview.