The whole I-765 checklist, on one page
I-765 runs differently depending on which of 2 routes you are on, so each one is listed separately below. The checklist above remembers where you are and what you have ticked; this is the same material in one piece, to read or print without ticking anything.
Routes covered: First application · Renewal or replacement
I765-01Step 1 Category and eligibility
The code that drives everything else.
Get the category right first
First application Applying for a work permit for the first time
Everything depends on your eligibility category code. It decides the fee, the evidence, and whether you can file at all.
- Identify your eligibility category code BLOCKINGFor example (c)(9) with a pending I-485, (a)(5) as an asylee, (a)(3) as a refugee, (c)(8) with a pending asylum application. The wrong code is the most common reason these are rejected.
- Evidence for that categoryThe I-485 receipt notice, asylum approval, refugee I-94, or whatever the instructions list for your code.
- Copy of the I-94 and any prior immigration notices
- Two passport-style photographsTaken within 30 days.
- Copy of a government photo IDPassport biodata page, or national ID with certified translation.
Renewal or replacement Renewing, or replacing a lost or wrong card
File the renewal early. Automatic extensions exist for many categories, but they only help if the renewal was filed before the card expired.
- File the renewal as early as the instructions allow BLOCKINGCommonly up to 180 days before expiry. Filing late is what causes job interruptions.
- Copy of the current or most recent EAD, front and back
- Check whether your category gets an automatic extensionMany renewal categories keep working on the receipt notice plus the expired card. Confirm on the USCIS automatic extension page and print the evidence for your employer.
- Replacement: explain what happenedLost, stolen or damaged. A card with a USCIS error is replaced without a new fee.
- Two passport-style photographs
I765-02Step 2 Build the application
Form, photos, evidence.
Small package, exact details This is a short filing, which is why small errors (wrong code, missing photo, unsigned form) cause most of the rejections.
- Form I-765 completed and signedCurrent edition from uscis.gov.
- Category code entered exactly as the instructions show it BLOCKING
- Photographs meet the specificationRecent, plain background, correct size.
- Copy of any previous EAD or immigration notices
- Social Security number request completed, if you want oneThe I-765 can request a card without a separate SSA visit.
- Photocopy the whole package
I765-03Step 3 Fee
Some categories pay nothing.
Check the exemptions before paying Refugees, asylees and several other humanitarian categories file the I-765 without a fee. Never pay a fee your category does not owe.
- Check whether your category is fee-exempt FEE EXEMPTRefugee and asylee categories are commonly exempt. The form instructions list the exempt codes.
- Standard I-765 fee, where one applies BLOCKINGWidely published at $520, reduced to $260 when filed together with an I-485. Confirm on the USCIS fee schedule (G-1055).
- Consider a fee waiver (Form I-912) if a fee appliesBased on income, means-tested benefits or hardship.
- Replacement of a USCIS-error card carries no feeIf the mistake is theirs, say so and attach the wrong card.
I765-04Step 4 After filing
Receipt, extensions, and the card itself.
Keep the receipt notice safe For many categories the receipt notice plus the expired card is what proves the right to keep working. Employers need to see it.
- Receipt notice received and checkedNames, dates and category code.
- Print the automatic-extension evidence for your employer, if it appliesThe receipt notice, the expired card, and the USCIS page explaining the extension.
- Attend biometrics if a notice arrivesNot every category is called.
- Respond to any Request for Evidence by the deadline BLOCKING
- Card received and checked for errorsName spelling, dates, category, photo. Report a USCIS error straight away.
- Diary the next renewal dateSet the reminder for 180 days before expiry, not the week before.