Dec 28, 2021, Washington, D.C. Effective immediately, if you are a healthcare worker who has a pending Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewal application (Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization) and your EAD expires in 30 days or less or has already expired, you can request expedited processing of your EAD application.
To determine whether you are a qualifying healthcare worker, see this DHS advisory memorandum (“Healthcare / Public Health” section, pages 7-9). You should be prepared to provide evidence of your profession or current employment as a healthcare worker. If the evidence you provide is not sufficient, USCIS may not accommodate your request for expedited processing of your Form I-765. Expedited processing means only that USCIS will process the application faster.
To request expedited processing, call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833).
DHS DEFINES ESSENTIAL WORKERS IN HEALTHCARE / PUBLIC HEALTH AS:
- Workers, including laboratory personnel, that perform critical clinical, biomedical and other research,
development, and testing needed for COVID-19 or other diseases. - Healthcare providers including, but not limited to, physicians (MD/DO/DPM); dentists; psychologists; midlevel practitioners; nurses; emergency medical services personnel, assistants and aids; infection control and quality assurance personnel; phlebotomists; pharmacists; physical, respiratory, speech and occupational therapists and assistants; social workers; optometrists; speech pathologists; chiropractors;
diagnostic and therapeutic technicians; and radiology technologists. - Workers required for effective clinical, command, infrastructure, support service, administrative, security, and intelligence operations across the direct patient care and full healthcare and public health spectrum. Personnel examples may include, but are not limited, to accounting, administrative, admitting and discharge, engineering, accrediting, certification, licensing, credentialing, epidemiological, source plasma and blood donation, food service, environmental services, housekeeping, medical records, information technology and operational technology, nutritionists, sanitarians, etc.
- Emergency medical services workers including clinical interns.
Prehospital workers included but not limited to urgent care workers. - Inpatient & hospital workers (e.g. hospitals, critical access hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities including skilled nursing facilities, inpatient hospice, ambulatory
surgical centers, etc.). - Outpatient care workers (e.g. end-stage-renal disease practitioners and staff, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, community mental health clinics, organ transplant/procurement centers, and other ambulatory care settings/providers, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities, etc.).
- Home care workers (e.g. home health care, at-home hospice, home dialysis, home infusion, etc.).
- Workers at Long-term care facilities, residential and community-based providers (e.g. Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual
Disabilities, Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities, Religious Nonmedical Health Care Institutions, etc.). - Workplace safety workers (i.e., workers who anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and control workplace conditions that may cause workers’ illness or injury).
- Emergency medical services workers including clinical interns.
- Workers needed to support transportation to and from healthcare facility and provider appointments.
- Workers needed to provide laundry services, food services, reprocessing of medical equipment, and waste management.
- Workers that manage health plans, billing, and health information and who cannot work remotely.
- Workers performing cybersecurity functions at healthcare and public health facilities and who cannot work remotely.
- Workers performing security, incident management, and emergency operations functions at or on behalf of healthcare entities including healthcare coalitions, who cannot practically work remotely.
- Vendors and suppliers (e.g. imaging, pharmacy, oxygen services, durable medical equipment, etc.).
- Workers at manufacturers (including biotechnology companies and those companies that have shifted production to medical supplies), materials and parts suppliers, technicians, logistics and warehouse operators, printers, packagers, distributors of medical products and equipment (including third party
logistics providers, and those who test and repair), personal protective equipment (PPE), isolation barriers, medical gases, pharmaceuticals (including materials used in radioactive drugs), dietary supplements,
commercial health products, blood and blood products, vaccines, testing materials, laboratory supplies, cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting or sterilization supplies (including dispensers), sanitary goods, personal care products, pest control products, and tissue and paper towel products. - Donors of blood, bone marrow, blood stem cell, or plasma, and the workers of the organizations that operate and manage related activities.
- Pharmacy staff, including workers necessary to maintain uninterrupted prescription, and other workers for pharmacy operations.
- Workers and materials (e.g., laboratory supplies) needed to conduct bloodspot and point of care (i.e., hearing and critical congenital heart disease) newborn screening as well as workers and materials need for confirmatory diagnostic testing and initiation of treatment.
- Home health workers (e.g., nursing, respiratory therapists, health aides) who need to go into the homes
of individuals with chronic, complex conditions and/or disabilities to deliver nursing and/or daily living care. - Workers in retail facilities specializing in medical good and supplies.
- Public health and environmental health workers, such as:
- Workers specializing in environmental health that focus on implementing environmental controls, sanitary and infection control interventions, healthcare facility safety and emergency preparedness
planning, engineered work practices, and developing guidance and protocols for appropriate PPE to prevent COVID-19 disease transmission.- Public health/community health workers (including call center workers) who conduct community based public health functions, conducting epidemiologic surveillance and compiling, analyzing,
and communicating public health information, who cannot work remotely.
- Public health/community health workers (including call center workers) who conduct community based public health functions, conducting epidemiologic surveillance and compiling, analyzing,
- Human services providers, especially for at risk populations such as: Home delivered meal providers for older adults, people with disabilities, and others with chronic health conditions.
- Home-maker services for frail, homebound, older adults.
- Personal assistance services providers to support activities of daily living for older adults, people with disabilities, and others with chronic health conditions who live independently in the
community with supports and services. - Home health providers who deliver health care services for older adults, people with disabilities, and others with chronic health conditions who live independently in the community with supports and services.
- Workers who provide human services, including but not limited to social workers, nutritionists, case managers or case workers, crisis counselors, foster care case managers, adult protective
services personnel, child protective personnel, domestic violence counselors, human trafficking prevention and recovery personnel, behavior specialists, substance abuse-related counselors, and
peer support counselors.
- Government entities, and contractors that work in support of local, state, federal, tribal, and territorial public health and medical mission sets, including but not limited to supporting access to healthcare and associated payment functions, conducting public health functions, providing medical care, supporting emergency management, or other services necessary for supporting the COVID-19 response.
- Workers for providers and services supporting effective telehealth.
- Mortuary service providers, such as:
- Workers performing mortuary funeral, cremation, burial, cemetery, and related services, including funeral homes, crematoriums, cemetery workers, and coffin makers.
- Workers who coordinate with other organizations to ensure the proper recovery, handling, identification, transportation, tracking, storage, and disposal of human remains and personal effects; certify cause of death; and and facilitate access to mental and behavioral health services to the family members, responders, and survivors of an incident.
Note: This is a blog post by Adhikari Law PLLC and should not be construed as a legal advice. Changes in immigration policies and procedures are complex and may require a consultation with an experienced immigration lawyer. Our phone number (+1) 202 600 7742 and email info@adhikarilaw.com. You can sign-up for our next conference call or webinar