Update Applicable to:
All employers with employees with green cards or employment authorization documents.

What happened?
On January 30, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a redesign of permanent resident cards (green cards) and employment authorization documents (EADs).

What are the details?
The new cards feature state-of-the-art fraud protection technology that aims to combat document counterfeiting and tampering. This redesign is one of how USCIS actively pursues a proactive approach to fraud prevention. USCIS Director Ur Jaddou said, “Consistent updates to secure documents, informed by our knowledge of the latest methods of bad actors and the innovation and ingenuity of our staff, ensure the continued integrity of secure documents issued by our agency.”

The fraud prevention technology featured in the redesign aims to make it more difficult to counterfeit, alter, or tamper with the cards. According to a Government Accountability Office report from September 2022, USCIS has received more than 65,000 immigration benefit fraud leads since the previous versions of the cards were released in 2017. The frequent redesign of the cards makes it harder for bad actors to develop effective counterfeiting methods.

Further, each redesign capitalizes on technological advancements to make security improvements to the cards. This edition’s improvements include a layer-reveal feature, enhanced optically variable ink, and highly detailed artwork and holographic imaging. Some of these changes are apparent when comparing the new cards to the previous versions issued in 2017.

USCIS began issuing the new green cards and EADs on January 30, 2023. The redesign does not affect prior versions of the cards, which remain valid until their expiration dates.

For more information, please see the links below:

Government Accountability Office Report

USCIS News Release

Article 1 – Article 2

What do employers need to do?
Employers should review the links provided above and notify their employees with green cards or EAD documents of this update so that they are aware.

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