Local immigration field offices can ask for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) from applicants at the conclusion of successful adjustment of status interviews. Once the application has been approved, the foreign national is no longer an applicant for adjustment of status, but a permanent or conditional resident of the United States. As a result, the authority under which the EAD was granted no longer applies and it is no longer valid.
Unfortunately, the EAD is often the only document a foreign national has to demonstrate their lawful status in the United States. Many field offices (Immigration Offices) do not issue an I-485 approval notice at the conclusion of the interview, nor are I-551 stamps routinely placed in passports immediately after a successful interview. By confiscating the EAD at the conclusion of the interview, the foreign national is left without any documentation regarding his or her status in the United States.
Should an Immigration officer request an applicant’s EAD card at the conclusion of a successful adjustment of status interview, the applicant is highly recommended that he/she request an approval letter or an I-551 stamp. Most green cards are being produced and mailed within two to three weeks, but the approval letter or stamp can serve as proof in the interim and in the event that the green card is not delivered as planned.