Employment Authorization Document (“Work Permit”)

There are many misconceptions among immigrants and their families concerning employment authorization documents, or work permits.  Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals such as many notarios take advantage of these misconceptions in order to convince immigrants to hire them with the promise of obtaining a work permit.

A key fact to know about work permits is that they are not a stand-alone immigration benefit.  Rather, employment authorization is a benefit that is tied to some other underlying immigration relief, such as some asylum applications, Temporary Protected Status, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or for certain immigrants who are under an order of supervision issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  As such, an immigrant cannot only apply for a work permit without there being another underlying status or form of relief that makes that person eligible for employment authorization.

Immigrants without status in the United States should consult with an immigration attorney to first determine if they are eligible for any type of immigration relief.  The attorney can then determine if the relief for which the immigrant is eligible also allows for the application for a work permit.  

The attorneys of the Mercado Law Firm are available to discuss the particular facts of your case to determine if you qualify for any immigration relief and employment authorization.