Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) is not an immigration status. At the president's discretion, they are eligible to authorize deferred enforced departure for non-immigrants from specific countries through a DED Directive. Each presidential directive includes the criteria for an individual to be covered by DED and certain exceptions for individuals who are not covered. Individuals who qualify for deferred enforced departure are eligible to remain in the United States at least through the date provided in the presidential directive. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may additionally grant employment or travel authorization for individuals covered under DED.
Individuals Currently Covered Under DED as of February 12, 2025
DED Directive | Effective Date of DED | DED Through | EAD Automatically Extended Through |
July 26, 2024 (by President Joseph Biden’s order of July 26, 2024) | January 25, 2026 | N/A | |
October 1, 2007 (by President George W. Bush’s order of September 12, 2007) | June 30, 2026 | June 30, 2026 | |
August 5, 2021 (by President Joseph Biden’s order of August 5, 2021) | February 5, 2025 | February 5, 2025 | |
February 14, 2024 (by President Joseph Biden’s order of February 14, 2024) | August 13, 2025 | August 13, 2025 |
Working in the United States Under DED
If DHS provides employment authorization as a benefit of DED for your country, then you may request an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) by filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.DHS may provide automatic extensions of expiring DED beneficiaries to allow for time to issue EADs with new validity dates. They may also publish a Federal Register notice announcing automatic extensions to inform you that your employment authorization has been extended and for how long.
If an extension is announced, and you are otherwise still eligible for DED, you may use your DED-related EAD with a lapsed Card Expires Date and a copy of the Federal Register notice as evidence for continued eligibility for employment to employers or government agencies.
If you are currently in F or J status and are a beneficiary of DED, please be advised that work authorization under DED may not provide additional benefit beyond what is permitted by your status. Engaging in work using authorization external to your F or J status may constitute unauthorized work under that status, even if it is authorized as a benefit of separate legal designations. If you have additional questions regarding this, or if you are in a status other than F-1 or J-1 and want specific information regarding how your status might intersect with DED, we would recommend speaking with an immigration attorney.
If you are an employee with questions or concerns about the automatic EAD extension, you may contact the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section Worker Hotline at 800-255-7688.
Travel Outside the United States Under DED
If DHS provides travel authorization as a benefit of your DED, you must file for advance parole if you wish to travel. Advance parole gives you permission to leave the United States and return during a specified period. To request advance parole, you must file Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records.If you leave the United States without first receiving advance parole, you may no longer be eligible for DED and may not be permitted to reenter the United States.
If you are currently in active F-1 or J-1 status and are intending to travel, please review the information regarding traveling outside the United States.
If you have more specific questions regarding deferred enforced departure, or believe that you might qualify, please seek assistance from an experienced immigration attorney. ISSS advisors do not have the expertise or credentials to assist.