The United States has rejected more than 35,000 applications for work permits filed by foreign nationals seeking permanent residency, with the denial rate rising sharply to 44% in the April-June quarter of 2026, according to the latest data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The agency denied 35,767 applications for employment authorisation during the third quarter of the US government’s 2026 fiscal year, highlighting the challenges faced by immigrants seeking permission to work while their Green Card applications are being processed.
The rejection rate marked a significant increase from approximately 25% recorded during the first two quarters, covering October 2025 to March 2026. The figures indicate that obtaining employment authorisation has become more difficult for applicants pursuing permanent residency through the adjustment-of-status route.
USCIS received 153,039 applications under Form I-765, which allows eligible foreign nationals to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The agency approved 46,405 applications and rejected 35,767 during the three-month period. The remaining cases were not accounted for by these two outcomes.
An EAD permits eligible foreign nationals to work legally in the US while their immigration status is being determined, subject to applicable rules. For many Green Card applicants, the document provides an opportunity to continue earning a livelihood while awaiting a decision on their permanent residency petitions.
However, a substantial backlog continues to affect applicants. The number of pending Form I-765 applications filed under the adjustment-of-status category stood at 671,362, with the median processing time reported at 6.4 months. The increase in work permit denials comes amid higher rejection rates across several other immigration categories.
Applications filed by employers seeking to bring temporary foreign workers to the US also recorded a considerable number of refusals during the quarter. Under Form I-129, which covers petitions for non-immigrant workers, including those seeking H-1B visas, USCIS approved 143,748 applications and denied 39,560.
Denials accounted for approximately 22% of decisions in this category. Family-based immigration petitions also faced scrutiny. USCIS rejected 16,661 petitions filed under Form I-130, which is used by US citizens and permanent residents to sponsor eligible relatives.
The denial rate stood at around 17% of decisions. In the employment-based immigration category, the agency approved 37,975 petitions and denied 7,069 applications under Form I-140, which is used for certain employment-based immigrant petitions. The rejection rate was approximately 16%.
Employment-based Green Card applications filed under Form I-485 recorded a comparatively lower denial rate of around 7%, suggesting that outcomes varied across immigration routes. Applications for US citizenship also witnessed a rise in rejections during the quarter. USCIS received 140,179 naturalisation applications under Form N-400, approving 54,974 and rejecting 12,591. The denial rate rose to approximately 19%, compared with around 13% during the preceding two quarters.
The number of pending citizenship applications reached 727,371, while the median processing time was reported at 9.5 months. The latest figures come as immigration procedures and associated costs remain important concerns for foreign workers, students and families planning to settle in the US.
Changes in processing requirements, fees and eligibility rules could have financial and professional implications for applicants navigating different immigration pathways. For Green Card seekers, the latest data underscores the distinction between applying for permanent residency and obtaining permission to work while that application remains pending. A Green Card petition and an employment authorisation application are separate processes, and approval of one should not be assumed to guarantee approval of the other.
