Question about Greencard and work

[FrostyMist 1]

I just received my green card in the mail yesterday and I have a quick question regarding work.

When I sent off my AoS application, I did not apply for an EAD/work permit.

I know I wasn't allowed to work prior to application approval without an EAD, but I was wondering ---what about now? Am I allowed to work now I have a green card? Or would I still need to apply for an EAD?

[Nik+Heather 121]

Green card allows you to work.

The EAD is a stop-gap measure for people who can't/don't want to wait for the green card. Especially when that process can take a year or more, then the EAD comes into play. Times like these where they are approving the GC within a few months the EAD isn't as important.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

A Green card gives you all the freedoms you need. You can work and travel... do almost anything (except vote etc). The EAD was merely a temporary measure. As I jokingly told my husband... you're a real person now! Congrats!

[norrin 3]

OK Natasha was trying to get a new job teaching ESL Classes at the local college, she met with the ESL director twice and today Natasha went to speak with the Dr. He is from Iran and is in charge of the ESL Department. Anyway he told her he wanted her to teach there so he took her to the person in charge of paperwork to hire her. With the Dr. standing next to Natasha this person asked her for her EAD. Natasha had misplaced her EAD 2 days before her greencard arrived and two weeks ago we went to the SS Office to get the work authorization removed from her SS card. Natasha explained to her that the EAD was lost but the greencard was sufficient proof she was allowed to work. This woman said No, I need the EAD. Natasha said, If I gave you the EAD what would you do with it? She said I have to make a copy. Natasha then pulls out her photocopy of her EAD. No she said I need the real card. The Dr. got really mad and told her she didn't need the "damn EAD the greencard proves her eligibility, I should know I went through all the same things", he said. Then turned to Natasha and said," don't worry about it I will take care of it obviously she doesn't know what she's talking about." People! haha You don't need the EAD all you need is the GC but some people obviously need to be informed about how things work so make sure you are prepared to tell them if they don't know haha

[FrostyMist 1]

Green card allows you to work.

The EAD is a stop-gap measure for people who can't/don't want to wait for the green card. Especially when that process can take a year or more, then the EAD comes into play. Times like these where they are approving the GC within a few months the EAD isn't as important.

That's kinda what I thought. Since getting a job wasn't something I planned on doing immediately when I entered the US, I didn't bother to apply for the EAD because my husband was able to support the both of us on his own income.

I had kinda been assuming all along the application process that I could think about working, in my own time, once I got the green card. What kinda threw me and made me wonder whether I was right in assuming this was that in the welcome letter I got with my green card, it mentioned something about the EAD and I didn't know whether that meant that I also needed it, or whether the green card alone would be sufficient. It talks on the letter about there being conditions on the green card, but I can't see anything on there that suggests I can't use it for work.

Edited November 10, 2010 by FrostyMist

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

OK Natasha was trying to get a new job teaching ESL Classes at the local college, she met with the ESL director twice and today Natasha went to speak with the Dr. He is from Iran and is in charge of the ESL Department. Anyway he told her he wanted her to teach there so he took her to the person in charge of paperwork to hire her. With the Dr. standing next to Natasha this person asked her for her EAD. Natasha had misplaced her EAD 2 days before her greencard arrived and two weeks ago we went to the SS Office to get the work authorization removed from her SS card. Natasha explained to her that the EAD was lost but the greencard was sufficient proof she was allowed to work. This woman said No, I need the EAD. Natasha said, If I gave you the EAD what would you do with it? She said I have to make a copy. Natasha then pulls out her photocopy of her EAD. No she said I need the real card. The Dr. got really mad and told her she didn't need the "damn EAD the greencard proves her eligibility, I should know I went through all the same things", he said. Then turned to Natasha and said," don't worry about it I will take care of it obviously she doesn't know what she's talking about." People! haha You don't need the EAD all you need is the GC but some people obviously need to be informed about how things work so make sure you are prepared to tell them if they don't know haha

If that happens again you can show them the instructions for I-9 (the employment eligibility verification form), which states 2 things: 1) A Greencard is in column A in their list, and therefore it shows both identity and eligibility to work (in the same way a US passport does), and 2) an employer may NOT specify which documents they want to see. That is up to the employee, as long as they comply with the rules on I-9 (either one ID from column A, or two IDs, one from Column B and one from column C).

Edited November 10, 2010 by Harpa Timsah