The United States on Wednesday announced the end of the automatic extension of employment authorisation documents for foreigners.

The move came weeks after President Donald Trump raised the H1B visa fees to $100,000.

The employment authorisation documents, also known as work permits, are issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services and prove that a foreigner is authorised to work legally in the country for a specific period

Under the previous administration led by President Joe Biden, foreigners who used to timely file a Form I-765 to renew their employment authorisation documents used to get a 540-day automatic extension.

On Wednesday, the US Department of Homeland Security stated that the new rule prioritises the “proper screening and vetting of aliens before extending the validity of their employment authorisations”.

Foreigners who file to renew their employment authorisation documents on or after October 30, 2025, would no longer receive an automatic extension, the statement read.

Those impacted by the new rule included spouses of certain H-1B principal non-immigrants, spouses of L non-immigrants, spouses of E non-immigrants and foreigners with Refugee or Asylee status, AP reported.

H-1B non-immigrant visas allow US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations.

An L non-immigrant visa allows companies to transfer an employee from one of its foreign offices to a US office, while an E non-immigrant visa refers to a foreigner entering the US temporarily for specific treaty-related business purposes.

Refugee or asylum status may be granted to aliens who have been persecuted or have a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, and/or political opinion.

The Department of Homeland Security, in a statement on Wednesday, 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,” it added.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow also said that the new rule on the extension is a “commonsense measure to ensure appropriate vetting and screening has been completed before an alien’s employment authorisation or documentation is extended”.

He added: “All aliens must remember that working in the United States is a privilege, not a right”.

On September 19, Trump signed an order asking companies to pay $100,000 for each H-1B worker visa. Authorities later clarified that this fee would not apply to persons already in the country on valid visas, including those changing status or current H-1B holders seeking extensions or renewals.

Around 85,000 new H-1B visas are issued annually. Over the past few years, Indians have constituted the majority of H-1B visa holders. Indians comprised 72.3% of all H-1B visas issued by the US in the financial year 2022-’23.

Washington has repeatedly said that it was planning changes to the H-1B visa programme, saying that it was “terrible”.

During his first term, Trump had tightened rules on H-1B visas, citing “abuse” and “economic strain”.