US ends automatic extension of work permits for foreigners, Indians to be impacted
Washington (AP): Weeks after raising H1B visa fees to USD 100,000, the US authorities announced the end of automatic extension of Employment Authorisation Documents (EAD) for foreigners, in a move likely to impact a large number of Indian immigrants and workers.
In its latest efforts to crack down on immigration, the US Department of Homeland Security made the announcement on Wednesday while prioritising “the proper screening and vetting of aliens (foreigners)" before extending the validity of their employment authorisations or work permits.
As per the new rule, foreigners who file to renew their EAD on or after October 30, 2025, will no longer receive an automatic extension, the DHS said in a news release.
“It’s a commonsense measure to ensure appropriate vetting and screening has been completed before an alien’s employment authorisation or documentation is extended. All aliens must remember that working in the United States is a privilege, not a right,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow was quoted as saying in the release.
The move results in more frequent vetting of foreigners who apply for employment authorisation to work in the United States.
Those impacted by the decision include spouses of certain H-1B principal nonimmigrants, spouses of an L nonimmigrants, spouses of an E nonimmigrants, and foreigners with Refugee or Asylee status.
The DHS asked foreigners to “seek a timely renewal of their EAD by properly filing a renewal application up to 180 days before their EAD expires.”
“The interim final rule does not affect EADs automatically extended before October 30,” the DHS said.
As per the old rule under the Biden administration, foreigners who used to timely file a Form I-765 to renew their EAD used to get 540-day automatic extension.
US President Donald Trump, on September 19, signed a proclamation raising the fee for H1-B visas to a staggering USD 100,000 annually.
The United States was home to about 4.8 million Indian Americans as of 2022, according to data from the US Census Bureau. Out of this, 66 per cent of Indian Americans are immigrants, while 34 per cent are US born.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
