Expanding 'Compelling Circumstances' Could Help US Laid-off Workers

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has broadened the parameters for backlogged skilled workers with approved I-140 petitions to obtain temporary work authorization (referred to as EAD), under ‘compelling circumstances’. This could help laid-off H-1B employees who are on track for a green card. Indians bear the brunt of the employment-based green card backlog with as many as 7.19 lakh mired in this backlog, as of September 30, 2021.