An Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Card is the physical evidence that an individual is allowed to work in the United States for a specific time period and that a student’s OPT has been adjudicated and approved by USCIS. Students should keep this card safe and make sure there are no errors on it.
Card Corrections—Typographic Error by USCIS
If you received an EAD Card that contains incorrect information due to a USCIS error (e.g., a typo in the name or an incorrect birth date), you must return the original EAD Card to get it corrected by USCIS. USCIS will issue a corrected EAD within 30 to 45 days of receiving the EAD Card that contains the error.
Before following the instructions below to have your EAD Card corrected, be sure that:
- You have made a photocopy of the card.
- You have already provided the card for your employment hiring process or SSN application, if applicable.
- You do not have any international travel plans in the next one to two months while waiting for the replacement card. If you plan to travel, please be sure to consult with ISSS regarding the risks of doing so.
Instructions for having an EAD Card corrected:
- Go to the USCIS e-request page.
- Select Typographic Error.
- Fill out and submit the Typographic Error e-form.
- Form number: I-765
- Form subtype: I-765—based on a request by a qualified F-1 academic student (c)(3)
- Mailing Address: the U.S. mailing address where you would like the replacement EAD Card to be sent
- What has the Typographic Error? Reply "Employment Authorization Card."
- After review of your case by USCIS, you will receive an email from USCIS with further instructions. Follow the instructions for mailing your EAD Card back to the USCIS Service Center that issued your card. Once your card is returned to the USCIS Service Center, your new card should be issued and mailed to you within about 30 to 45 days. If you have questions about the instructions you receive from USCIS, please contact ISSS.
Note: If USCIS determines that the card contains incorrect information that is not due to an error by USCIS, they will return the EAD Card instead of issuing a corrected one. You must instead request a Replacement EAD (see below) and repay the USCIS I-765 filing fee.
Replacement of a Damaged, Lost, or Stolen Card
Students who need a replacement EAD Card (if, for example, the original EAD Card was lost, stolen, or destroyed or it included an error by the applicant) will need to file a new I-765 application and repay the USCIS I-765 fee to the service center on the USCIS website. You will need to select the same OPT eligibility category on the I-765 that you previously applied for (e.g., Pre-Completion OPT [c(3)(A)] or Post-Completion OPT [c(3)(B)]) and indicate that this is an application for a Replacement of an EAD Card. You must also indicate that you previously completed the Form I-765 and must upload the following documents with the application:
- A copy of your current passport and F-1 visa
- Your most recent I-94 record
- A copy of your approved OPT I-20
- A copy of your EAD Card (if you have one)
- If you do not have a copy, you can upload a letter indicating the reason you do not have one.
- If the card was stolen, please include a police report as additional evidence.
- If there was an error on your card that you need corrected for the replacement card, please include a letter explaining the correction that needs to be made as additional evidence.
- Copies of any I-20s showing prior CPT and OPT
- A new passport-style photo
You may also provide additional details in the “Additional Information” section of the I-765 form if you have further information regarding your EAD Card you would like to include or details you have provided to apply for your replacement EAD card.
Once you submit your application, you will receive a receipt notice and case tracking number. USCIS reports an average processing time of two to three months. You may present the receipt notice, if needed, to your employer for I-9 hiring purposes. Please be aware that when you are filing online for the new EAD, your answers will go directly to USCIS, and ISSS cannot check them. Please ensure that you answer the questions accurately and triple-check your application before submission for errors and typos. After you complete these steps, you may use the receipt notice you receive from the U.S. government for your replacement application as an I-9 document for up to 90 days of employment. See the USCIS I-9 Receipt webpage for more details. However, we advise you not to travel internationally while waiting for a replacement EAD Card.
Undelivered EAD Card
If the case status on USCIS shows that your EAD Card was mailed but you never received it, there is a possibility that it was undeliverable or was lost by the United States Postal Service (USPS). Check the delivery status of your card on the USCIS E-Request page by selecting the option "Did not receive card by mail."
If your case status shows the card was undeliverable, that means that the USPS may have returned the EAD to USCIS. Follow the instructions in the online USCIS case status for requesting that USCIS resend the card to you.
If your case status shows the card was delivered but it has not been delivered to you by USPS, you are advised to:
- Check with USCIS to obtain the tracking number for your EAD Card. The tracking information should show in your MyUSCIS account if the card has been mailed.
- Check the tracking number with the USPS. If it shows as delivered, contact the USPS to see if it can locate the mail for you. If not, you will likely need to apply for a replacement card. If the USPS is responsible for the loss of the card, you will need to obtain an official letter on letterhead from that USPS stating that and may be able to have USCIS issue a new replacement EAD Card to you at no additional cost by contacting USCIS and providing this information.