If your OPT work permit card (the Employment Authorization Document, or EAD) is lost, stolen or destroyed, USCIS says you may request a replacement by filing a new Form I-765 and paying the filing fee if one applies, or asking for a fee waiver. If the card has wrong information, what you do depends on who made the mistake. USCIS's pages describe the USCIS-error case without a new fee, and the not-USCIS-error case with a new Form I-765 and fee, and the pages word the USCIS-error steps differently, so follow the instructions on the live page.
If the card is lost, stolen or damaged
The USCIS Employment Authorization Document page says "If your EAD is lost, stolen or destroyed, you may request a replacement EAD" by filing a new Form I-765. The USCIS page on correcting, updating or replacing documents says you "generally must file a new form and pay a new fee," and lists what to send:
- Form I-765, with the applicable fee. USCIS says that if you cannot afford the cost, you may be eligible for a fee waiver.
- The EAD itself, if it was damaged or mutilated.
- A written statement "explaining what happened to the EAD."
USCIS says to submit the form to the USCIS location that approved your EAD, as shown on your approval notice. For the current fee, use the USCIS fee schedule at uscis.gov/g-1055 and read the form instructions. Our Form I-765 page gives background on the form.
Filing online or on paper
The Form I-765 page says "you can begin here by creating a USCIS account online and filing Form-I-765," and adds "If necessary, you can file a paper application for Form I-765 instead." Check the page for the form edition USCIS is accepting and the filing location for your eligibility category before you send anything. USCIS also says that if the card has incorrect information that is not due to its error, "you must use the filing locations for Form I-765 associated with your eligibility category to submit your form and filing fee."
If the card has incorrect information
Before you file anything, compare the card with your approval notice and with the information you gave USCIS. Whether the mistake traces back to USCIS or to the information supplied decides which path applies, so it is worth knowing before you choose. USCIS separates two cases.
- The error was not USCIS's (for example, your information changed). The correction page says you generally must pay the form filing fee, and lists a new Form I-765, the fee, the EAD containing the incorrect information, "A statement explaining the change requested" and supporting documentation of the change if required.
- The error was USCIS's. The pages word this differently. The Form I-765 page says "you do not need to file a new Form I-765 and filing fee." The correction page says you "generally must file a new form, but not pay a new fee," and describes a service request for a clear typo or a letter with evidence and the card. The EAD page says "we will make the appropriate correction at no additional cost to you." Read the live pages before you act.
For a request that does not need evidence, USCIS says you may submit a service request on its website and select the "EAD Replacement due to USCIS Error" option. For errors that need evidence, you may submit a letter explaining the error and corresponding evidence, along with the card. In both cases USCIS says you must return the card containing the error to the address on the page. USCIS states that "It will take approximately 30 days from the date we receive the card" and that this does not account for USPS mailing or processing. That is USCIS's own estimate.
If the card never arrived
If a card USCIS mailed did not reach you, the EAD page says you can submit an inquiry on "non-delivery of a card." The correction page says that if the cause was something on your side, such as not providing a current address, you file Form I-765 and pay the applicable fees. The Form I-765 page says "You generally do not have to pay a new fee if the reason you did not receive your document is due to our error." Our EAD case status guide explains what the status wording means.
Can you keep working while you wait?
The official pages we read do not say whether a student may keep working while a replacement card is pending, so this article does not say either way. For your own situation, ask your school's designated school official (DSO) and, if needed, a licensed immigration attorney.
Common questions
Do I pay again if the mistake was mine?
USCIS says that when the incorrect information is not due to its error, you generally must pay the form filing fee. The Form I-765 page says you use the filing locations for your eligibility category "to submit your form and filing fee."
Do I pay again if USCIS typed my name wrong?
The Form I-765 page says that if the card contains incorrect information due to USCIS's error, you "do not need to file a new Form I-765 and filing fee." The correction page words the steps differently, as described above, so check it before acting.
Where do I send the card back?
For a lost, stolen or destroyed card, USCIS says to file Form I-765 with "the USCIS location that approved your EAD," as shown on your approval notice. For a card with a USCIS error, USCIS says to return the card to the address given on its correction page.
Should I tell my school?
The pages we read do not set a rule for this. Your DSO is the person to ask about any effect on your school records.
Official sources
- USCIS: Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
- USCIS: Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them
- USCIS: Employment Authorization Document
GreenLight is not affiliated with USCIS or the U.S. government. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.