USCIS Q1 FY2026 I‑765 Report Highlights Volume Pressures Across Major Work Authorization Categories
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has published its first-quarter Fiscal Year 2026 data for Form I‑765, Application for Employment Authorization, offering a detailed snapshot of filing volumes, approvals, and pending caseloads across eligibility categories. The report offers initial observations on the agency’s management of work authorization demand. It highlights the areas where processing pressures are most pronounced as the fiscal year starts.
There is significant activity in asylum-based employment authorization. Meanwhile, adjustment of status applicants face ongoing and increasing backlogs, and DACA initial applications are still constrained.
Asylum-Based Employment Authorization Drives the Largest Filing Volume
Pending asylum applicants filing under category (c)(8) generated 211,289 new employment authorization receipts in the first quarter of FY2026, making it the single largest filing category for the period. During the same quarter, USCIS approved 286,500 applications in this category, exceeding new receipts and reducing the pending caseload.
Despite that progress, approximately 125,000 asylum-based EAD applications remained pending at the close of the quarter. The volume indicates the ongoing scale of both affirmative and defensive asylum cases. It also highlights how asylum applicants depend on employment authorization for financial stability while their protection claims are still unresolved.
For applicants and employers, this category’s high approval numbers suggest active adjudicative capacity, though sizable residual backlogs remain.
Adjustment of Status Applicants Account for the Largest Pending Caseload
Applicants seeking employment authorization based on a pending Form I‑485 adjustment of status application under category (c)(9) represent the largest single pending subcategory within the I‑765 system.
In Q1 FY2026, USCIS received 163,391 new adjustment-related EAD filings but approved only 58,465. As a result, the pending caseload climbed to 461,724 applications by the end of the quarter.
Adjustment applicants typically rely on employment authorization while awaiting adjudication of family-based, employment-based, or other immigrant visa petitions. The size of this backlog indicates that EAD processing remains a critical operational component of the broader green card system. Delays in I‑765 adjudications compared to I‑485 filings can create gaps in work authorization for applicants. Consequently, employers need to monitor document validity periods closely to ensure compliance.
The disparity between new receipts and approvals in this category suggests that workload pressures may persist unless adjudication output increases in subsequent quarters.
DACA Category Shows No Initial Approvals and Significant Pending Volume
The report also details activity for DACA-related employment authorization under category (c)(33). At the close of Q1 FY2026, there were 159,122 total DACA EAD applications in the system, including 101,186 pending initial requests and 54,473 pending renewal requests.
During the quarter, USCIS approved 35,859 renewal applications and no initial applications. The absence of initial approvals is consistent with ongoing legal and policy limitations affecting new DACA grants, while renewal adjudications continue under existing guidance.
For DACA recipients and their employers, renewal processing remains central to maintaining uninterrupted employment authorization. The level of pending initial cases reflects applications that remain on hold under current court-related constraints.
Operational Capacity and Trend Indicators
Quarterly I‑765 reporting serves as a key indicator of USCIS operational efficiency. This is due to the diverse nature of employment authorization, which includes humanitarian, family-based, employment-based, and deferred action categories. Increased receipt volumes may indicate ongoing migration patterns. Meanwhile, the relationship between approval rates and receipts can reveal if the agency is reducing backlogs or adding to pending cases.
In Q1 FY2026, asylum-based filings continue to dominate new volume, adjustment applicants represent the most substantial pending workload, and DACA initial cases remain frozen while renewals proceed. These dynamics directly affect workforce participation, employer onboarding timelines, and compliance tracking for expiring employment authorization documents.
Implications for Applicants, Employers, and Practitioners
For individuals awaiting asylum decisions, the approval numbers indicate that USCIS is actively adjudicating employment authorization requests, though processing times will continue to be influenced by overall asylum system backlogs.
Adjustment applicants should be aware that the elevated pending caseload may affect EAD turnaround times, particularly where concurrent filings with Form I‑485 are involved. Employers relying on adjustment-based work authorization documents may need to carefully monitor renewal windows and expiration dates.
DACA recipients remain dependent on renewal adjudications to preserve employment eligibility, with no movement on initial approvals reflected in the quarter’s data.
As USCIS releases additional quarterly reports throughout FY2026, category-level comparisons will help determine whether staffing levels and workflow adjustments lead to improved processing times or whether backlogs in high-volume categories continue to expand.
