Green card applicants spent a recent day on the Immigration Answer Show watching their USCIS accounts flip an approved or pending I-765 to “closed” or “revoked,” days after the green card itself was approved. One caller who had just gotten her adjustment approved logged in to find the work-card case gone and the word “revoked” staring back. As Jim Hacking put it, everybody was freaking out.
The word is scarier than the event. Once the green card is approved, the employment authorization document has nothing left to do.
mic What the Attorney Says
“The green card supersedes the work card. Once you have the green card, you don’t need the work card anymore.”
A lawful permanent resident is authorized to work incident to status under 8 CFR § 274a.12(a)(1). The green card is itself the work authorization. The category (c)(9) EAD that adjustment applicants carry is a temporary bridge that exists only while the I-485 is pending. When the I-485 is approved, the bridge is retired, and USCIS terminates the pending or approved EAD under 8 CFR § 274a.14.
Hacking’s read is that the cleanup is deliberate housekeeping tied to E-Verify, not a problem with anyone’s case.
mic What the Attorney Says
“So, I think they’re just cleaning up their system so that let’s say somebody applies for a job and it’s an E-Verify company … but somebody tried to use your old EAD because now you have your green card. They’re just flagging it to make sure that it doesn’t … let that person work as you.”
The practical takeaway is short. If your green card was approved, a “revoked” or “closed” I-765 is expected, not a red flag, and it does not touch the adjustment approval. When you complete a new Form I-9, use the green card (or the I-551 stamp if the card has not arrived yet) as your proof of both identity and work authorization, and stop presenting the old EAD.
The one situation that is not routine is the mirror image: an EAD terminated or never issued while the I-485 is still pending. That is a delay problem, not housekeeping, and it is the fact pattern behind the wave of mandamus and APA suits over frozen I-765 cases. It is also worth confirming the approval is real before you relax. Check the green card production or the I-551 notice, not just the EAD status line.
Sources
- 8 CFR § 274a.12 — Classes of Aliens Authorized to Accept Employment (Cornell LII) open_in_new
- 8 CFR § 274a.14 — Termination of Employment Authorization (Cornell LII) open_in_new
- USCIS — Employment Authorization Document open_in_new
- E-Verify — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services open_in_new
- Immigration Answer Show — live broadcast (July 21, 2026) open_in_new