- USCIS denied 35,767 work-permit applications for green-card applicants from April through June 2026.
- The quarterly denial rate reached approximately 44 percent, up from roughly 25 percent in the prior two quarters.
- A work-permit denial does not decide a green-card case; 671,362 cases remained pending at quarter’s end.
USCIS denied 35,767 applications for work authorization filed by people pursuing green cards between April 1 and June 30, 2026. The decisions involved Form I-765 work-permit applications, not 35,767 green-card refusals.
The denial rate reached approximately 44% of decisions. It had been roughly 25% during October 1, 2025–March 31, 2026.
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The increase came in a single quarter. The distinction is important in reading the headline figures: a denied work permit does not itself decide a green-card case.
USCIS data also show denials in several other immigration categories rose during fiscal 2026’s third quarter. Employment-based green-card denials remained comparatively steady.
The quarterly total exceeded the first half’s combined denials
USCIS received 153,039 applications in the quarter and approved 46,405. It denied 35,767, while 671,362 cases remained pending.
The denial count for April through June surpassed the 34,472 denials recorded across the first two quarters of fiscal year 2026 combined. The pending total points to a large queue of applicants awaiting decisions.
A permit refusal is not a green-card refusal
An Employment Authorization Document, or EAD, allows eligible applicants to work in the United States while USCIS reviews their Form I-485 green-card applications. People who apply for permanent residence through adjustment of status may seek this separate authorization while their cases remain pending.
A refusal of the EAD request does not automatically mean USCIS has denied the underlying permanent-residence application. The reported 35,767 figure covers refusals of work authorization, not decisions rejecting Form I-485 cases.
That separates three outcomes: an initial EAD denial, a denial of an EAD renewal, and a green-card denial. The figures concern the first category, not renewal requests or the underlying green-card applications.
Other immigration categories also posted higher denial rates
The third-quarter data recorded changes across temporary-worker petitions, immigrant-worker petitions, family petitions and naturalization applications.
| Category | Fiscal 2026 third-quarter result | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary-worker petitions | 39,560 denials; 143,748 approvals; approximately 22% denial rate | — |
| Immigrant-worker petitions | Approximately 16% denial rate | 13% earlier in the fiscal year |
| Family-based petitions | Approximately 18% denial rate | 13% earlier in the fiscal year |
| Naturalization applications | Approximately 19% denial rate | 13% earlier in the fiscal year |
Employment-based green-card applications had an approximately 7% denial rate, which remained comparatively stable. That measure tracks the underlying permanent-residence applications, unlike the higher rate for work authorization.
USCIS reported a median processing time of 6.4 months for the work-authorization category. The pending caseload stood at 671,362 cases at the end of the reported quarter.
