You can work while I-485 is pending only if you have valid employment authorization covering that work. Filing I-485 does not, by itself, give you permission to work. Many adjustment applicants request a work permit through Form I-765 under category (c)(9). Others already have authorization through a different status or an existing EAD and must continue meeting its conditions.
The key question is what authorizes the work today. An I-485 receipt, a pending initial I-765, and an approved Employment Authorization Document are different things. USCIS makes this distinction in its employment rules for adjustment applicants.
Jump to: I-765 and category (c)(9) · Existing work authorization · Receipts and start dates · Renewals and extensions · What to check next
How do I request a work permit based on my pending I-485?
For an adjustment application under section 245, the usual I-765 category is (c)(9). I-765 asks USCIS to grant employment authorization; the EAD, also called a work permit, is the card documenting the approved period. I-485 separately asks for permanent residence.
The I-765 adjustment-category instructions allow you to file I-765 with I-485 or later while I-485 is pending. When filing separately, include the I-485 receipt notice or other evidence that the application remains pending. A pending I-130 or I-140 alone is not the same as a pending I-485 for this category.
An adjustment case in immigration court has additional proof requirements: the instructions call for evidence of the proceedings, proper filing of I-485 with the court, and its continued pendency. The I-765 request is filed with USCIS. Do not assume an ordinary USCIS receipt is the only possible evidence for every adjustment case.
Category (c)(9) is not universal. The instructions direct refugees and asylees applying to adjust to use (a)(3) or (a)(5), respectively, and identify (c)(16) for registry applicants. Our I-765 eligibility-category explanation helps you match the actual immigration basis to the category instead of selecting a code merely because you are applying for a Green Card.
Check the current I-765 filing page for the accepted edition, filing method, fee, and address instructions. The I-765 supporting-document page explains the identity, pending-case, and other evidence to assemble. Filing I-765 does not require waiting for I-485 approval, but submitting it does not authorize work while the request is being decided.
What if I already have permission to work?
A pending I-485 does not mean everyone must stop working and wait for a new adjustment-based EAD. If another valid basis authorizes the particular work, that basis may continue to apply while you comply with its terms. The USCIS policy on authorized employment expressly recognizes existing authorization and qualifying employment incident to nonimmigrant status.
For example, an H-1B worker who continues to meet the applicable status and employment conditions may continue authorized employment without first obtaining an adjustment-based EAD. The I-485 receipt does not expand that permission to any employer or any job. An EAD or status held for another reason likewise keeps its own conditions and expiration rules.
Refugees and people granted asylum are authorized to work because of that status; an EAD can document the authorization. That is different from someone requesting permission based only on a pending adjustment application. USCIS’s EAD overview separates these situations.
If you plan to change employers or begin using an adjustment-based EAD while holding nonimmigrant status, the effect on that status and related family members can require individual review. “I have two applications pending” does not establish that both work-authorizing routes remain available.
Can I start work with an I-765 receipt notice?
A receipt for an initial I-765 application is not permission to start working. It records that USCIS received the application. For an adjustment-based request, USCIS must grant employment authorization; you must follow its effective dates and have the required evidence for employment verification.
Look at the actual approval and EAD, including “Valid From” and “Card Expires.” Do not substitute the date you mailed the application, the I-485 receipt date, or an estimated processing time for the authorized period. An EAD approval also does not mean that I-485 has been approved.
A renewal receipt can have a different role if a specific automatic-extension rule applies. In that situation, the receipt is part of the evidence of an extension created by the rule—it is not a universal work permit on its own. The current renewal rules below explain why the filing date matters.
Is this an initial application or a renewal?
The distinction follows the eligibility category. The I-765 definitions describe an initial EAD as the first one under a particular category; renewal concerns a previous EAD under that same category.
For example, someone who previously had a student EAD and now requests their first (c)(9) EAD is not simply renewing the student authorization. The new basis and the existing authorization must be considered separately. Having held a card before does not turn the new request into an automatically extended renewal.
Does filing a renewal let me work after my EAD expires?
Not automatically. For renewal applications filed on or after October 30, 2025, the former general automatic-extension rule no longer applies. A current (c)(9) renewal filing therefore does not, by itself, extend an expiring adjustment-based EAD. USCIS explains the cutoff in its announcement ending general automatic extensions and current employer handbook.
If you rely solely on that EAD and it expires before a new period of authorization takes effect, the pending I-485 and renewal receipt do not fill the gap. Do not continue working on the assumption that the old 540-day rule applies to every renewal.
What about a renewal filed before October 30, 2025?
Some qualifying earlier renewals can still receive the extension provided under the prior rule. For a (c)(9) renewal, check that the application was timely and properly filed before the cutoff, the renewal remains pending, and the EAD and receipt show the required matching category. C09 is among the eligible codes listed in USCIS’s detailed extension guidance.
For an eligible case, the extension can last up to 540 days counted from the day after the EAD expires, or until USCIS adjudicates the renewal, whichever comes first. It is not 540 days from the date you receive the receipt. The handbook explains how the expired-looking card and qualifying receipt together document the extension.
Separate extensions may exist under a particular law or Federal Register notice, including certain TPS provisions. Those rules belong to their own categories; they do not create a general extension for a new (c)(9) renewal. Use the rule that actually matches the EAD and filing history.
How can I plan for renewal without assuming an extension?
USCIS encourages filing an eligible renewal once the EAD is within 180 days of expiration. See its renewal guidance. Filing early within that window can reduce the risk of a gap, but it does not guarantee approval before expiration.
Keep the EAD, renewal receipt, pending I-485 evidence, and later decisions together. Track the current authorization’s expiration and the renewal separately. If you cannot establish whether authorization continues, the category, receipt date, status records, and case decisions need individual review before you rely on an extension.
What should I check before starting or continuing work?
- The basis: the approved authorization or status that permits the actual work—not merely a pending application.
- The dates: the effective and expiration dates, plus a verified extension if one applies.
- The conditions: any employer, job, status, or other limits attached to that authorization.
- The documents: the appropriate evidence for employment verification. A receipt has only the effect the applicable rule gives it.
Ready to prepare the request? The complete I-765 Guide explains the application, category entry, signatures, and evidence. Use it with our category explanation and supporting-document checklist. The I-485 Guide explains the separate permanent-residence application and what follows filing.
If the uncertainty concerns unauthorized past work, a status change, or whether a particular extension covers you, a general form guide cannot decide it from an incomplete history. The explanation of when individual legal review helps identifies that boundary without assuming every applicant needs representation. An exception to an adjustment bar is not permission to work without authorization.
Sources checked October 4, 2026: current USCIS I-765 guidance and instructions, edition 08/21/25; adjustment employment policy; EAD renewal guidance; and the employer-handbook rules implementing the October 30, 2025 automatic-extension cutoff.