USCIS Phases Out Older Form I-765 Edition

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will stop accepting older versions of Form I-765, the application for employment authorization.

Starting March 5, filers must use the most recent edition of I-765, which was released on August 21, 2025. Applications using outdated versions of the form will be rejected.

If you’ve already filed the January 20, 2025 edition of Form I-765, USCIS will continue to process your petition. That means there’s no need to refile after the deadline goes into effect.

Differences between the latest two Form I-765 editions

The latest version of Form I-765 removes the ability to request a Social Security number directly on their petition. In the previous edition, applicants could authorize USCIS to share their information with the Social Security Administration, streamlining the path to obtaining their card.

Manifest immigration attorney Ana Gabriela Urizar says this change means that Form I-765 applicants will need to receive an SSN separate from their application. “If you want a Social Security Number through the Social Security Administration office, this just means you must apply for one separately,” she says. “Nothing has changed as far as eligibility for a work permit goes, but it does add an extra step to a complicated process.”

Other, smaller changes to Form I-765 include:

• The representative section now features a specific field for an “Attorney State Bar Number (if applicable).”
• The “Applicant's Certification” contains updated wording and includes three bulleted points instead of two.
• The biographic fields no longer require applicants to provide the birth names of their parents.

Next steps for Form I-765 filers

Manifest immigration attorney Ana Gabriela Urizar urges those who are filing to check the edition of their form prior to submitting a work permit application. “Before you or your legal representative sends in Form I-765, check the edition date at the bottom of each page,” she says. “If it doesn’t say ‘08/21/25’ or match what USCIS says under the ‘Edition Date’ of the I-765 webpage, you’ll need to fill out the newer edition.”