Finding a job in the U.S.: work authorization and your rights

Step 1 — Find out what your status allows

Whether and how you can work depends on the immigration status the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) gave you, and you must follow its conditions (USCIS — Working in the United States). USCIS warns that breaking them can lead to removal or being refused re-entry (USCIS). 4Livo can’t tell you what your status allows; for that, see free immigration legal help.

• Work permit. Some people request an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with Form I-765 (USCIS).
• An ITIN is not a work permit. The IRS says an ITIN doesn’t authorize you to work (IRS — ITIN). See our guides to the ITIN and the Social Security number.
• Renewals changed in 2025. Since October 30, 2025, filing to renew an EAD generally no longer extends it automatically, unless a law or a Federal Register notice says otherwise, as for some TPS documents (USCIS — M-274, 5.0). USCIS recommends filing a renewal up to 180 days before your EAD expires (USCIS, October 29, 2025).
• Permission can end. In 2025, DHS began revoking the EADs of some people whose parole was terminated, and E-Verify gives employers a report of revoked EADs (E-Verify, June 20, 2025). If you get such a notice, an authorized legal provider can explain what it means for you.

Step 2 — Look for jobs in trustworthy places

USCIS notes that openings often come through friends, family and your community, and that federal resources can help with job searches, résumés and interviews (USCIS — Employment):

• CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, has a job finder, résumé and interview guides, and a search for American Job Centers (CareerOneStop). Phone: 1-877-872-5627 (CareerOneStop).
• American Job Centers help you prepare a résumé, search for a job and find training (USCIS — Employment). Services vary by place, and some have eligibility requirements (DOL — American Job Centers).
• Your state’s job bank, and your public library for in-person help (USAGov — Where to look for a job).
• Government jobs: federal jobs are on USAJOBS, state jobs on your state government’s website (USAGov). In general, federal jobs require U.S. citizenship or nationality, with rare exceptions; each announcement’s “This job is open to” section says whether non-citizens can apply (USAJOBS Help Center).

Your résumé. A general tip: write it in English, adapt it to each job, and explain foreign job titles and schools simply. CareerOneStop has a résumé guide (USCIS — Employment). If your profession needs your diploma recognized or a state license, see foreign degree recognition. To improve your English, see free English classes. For a step-by-step guide, see U.S. résumés and job interviews.

Step 3 — Know what employers may not do while you apply

According to USCIS, an employer may not (USCIS — Employee Rights):

• limit jobs to U.S. citizens, unless a law or government contract requires it;
• treat you differently because of your citizenship or immigration status, or what they think it is;
• ask to see documents showing your permission to work before hiring you;
• refuse to hire you because your document expires in the future.

An employer also can’t require your E-Verify Self Check results before offering you a job (E-Verify — myE-Verify). Treating applicants worse because of their country, ethnicity or accent can be national origin discrimination (EEOC).

Step 4 — Fill out Form I-9 when you start

Every U.S. employer must complete Form I-9 for each person it hires, citizens included (USCIS — I-9). Your part, according to the form’s instructions:

• Section 1, by your first day of work, but not before you accept the offer (USCIS — Form I-9 instructions). A helper or translator signs a separate certification, you never write an ITIN in the Social Security number box, and your employer may not ask for documents to check your answers (USCIS).
• Documents, within 3 business days (start on Monday, show them by Thursday) (USCIS). You choose: one document from List A, or one from List B plus one from List C (USCIS). They must be unexpired originals; photocopies aren’t accepted, except certified copies of birth certificates, and sometimes a receipt is accepted instead (USCIS).
• Your employer must accept documents that reasonably appear genuine and relate to you, or else let you show others, and may copy them but must return your originals (USCIS).

List A includes a Permanent Resident Card, an EAD, or a foreign passport with an I-94 showing permission to work for a specific employer (USCIS — Acceptable Documents). List B includes a state driver’s license or ID; List C, an unrestricted Social Security card (USCIS — Acceptable Documents). See our guides to your I-94 record and a driver’s license or state ID.

Some employers now use E-Verify+, where you complete Form I-9 and upload the documents you choose from a computer, tablet or phone (E-Verify+). If your permission to work has an end date, your employer may need to check it again (USCIS — I-9); you can then show any List A or List C document (USCIS — Employee Rights).

Step 5 — If your employer uses E-Verify

E-Verify compares your Form I-9 information with DHS and Social Security Administration (SSA) records (E-Verify — Overview). Some employers must use it because of contracts or local laws; many choose to (E-Verify — Overview). They must display a notice saying they participate (E-Verify — Employee Rights).

Here you must give your Social Security number in Section 1, and a List B document must have your photo (USCIS). If you’ve applied for a number but don’t have it yet, leave the box blank; you may start working if you can show acceptable I-9 documents (USCIS — Form I-9 instructions).

If you get a “mismatch.” A Tentative Nonconfirmation (mismatch) means your information didn’t match government records (E-Verify — Mismatch). It doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t work: a name that differs between records, a status not updated with SSA, or an entry error by your employer can cause it (E-Verify — Mismatch). Then:

• Your employer must notify you, and you must tell your employer whether you’ll take action by the 10th federal government working day after the result, or the case may be closed (E-Verify — Mismatch).
• If you take action, you get a Referral Date Confirmation and must contact DHS or SSA within 8 federal government working days (E-Verify — Employee Rights).
• You can keep working meanwhile; your employer may not fire you, withhold pay or delay training because of the mismatch (E-Verify). If you choose not to act, your employer may end your employment (E-Verify).

If you changed your name or immigration status, E-Verify suggests telling SSA, to lower the chance of a mismatch (E-Verify).

Step 6 — Know your basic rights at work

Pay.

• The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour (DOL — Minimum Wage). Some states and cities set their own; when rates differ, the higher one applies (USAGov — Minimum wage). Check DOL’s state table (DOL).
• With tips, the federal cash wage can be $2.13 an hour, but tips plus wages must reach $7.25, or your employer pays the difference; states may have other rules (USAGov).
• Unless your job is exempt, hours over 40 in a workweek must be paid at least one and a half times your regular rate (DOL — Overtime). Weekends or holidays alone don’t require extra pay under federal law (DOL).
• You can be an employee even if a company calls you an “independent contractor”, gives you a 1099 form or pays you in cash (USAGov — Job misclassification). Misclassification affects your pay, benefits and protections (USAGov).
• A Labor Department fact sheet from July 2008 says its Wage and Hour Division enforces federal minimum wage and overtime law “without regard to whether an employee is documented or undocumented” (DOL — Fact Sheet #48).

Fair treatment. Federal law bans job discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), age (40 and over), disability or genetic information (USCIS — Employee Rights). The Justice Department’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) handles discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status, unfair document requests, retaliation, and national origin claims against employers with 4 to 14 employees (DOJ — IER; USCIS — Filing a Claim). The EEOC generally covers employers with 15 or more (USCIS — Filing a Claim). Employers may not punish you for complaining or asking for help (USCIS — Employee Rights; DOL — Complaints).

Deadlines. IER charges must be filed within 180 days (DOJ — Filing a Charge). EEOC charges: 180 calendar days, or 300 where a state or local agency enforces a similar law (EEOC).

You also have the right to a safe workplace (USAGov — Labor laws). A general tip: write down your days and hours, and keep every pay stub and work message.