Dan Dan
Jul 25, 2026
EAD
I am a VAWA applicant and would appreciate some advice. I need to renew my Employment Authorization Document (EAD). I initially filed under the C31 category in June 2025, but I have not received any approval yet. Do you think I should submit a new Form I-765 under the C09 category instead? Has anyone been in a similar situation or have any advice to share? Thank you.
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Ami AmiJul 25, 2026
apply for C09. That's what I did in my case. file it online. it's faster than paper filing.
Dan DanJul 25, 2026
@Ami Ami I filed c31 already but I have not had anything. so it ok to apply for c09 right?
W AJul 25, 2026
you can’t file C31 because your vawa is not approve so you may have to file under C09 and it will take over 24 months to receive if approve
Ami AmiJul 27, 2026
yes @Dan Dan. You can file under the C09 category. You can't get C31 until Vawa is approved and that usually takes a while. but I believe you must have a pending i485 to be able to file under C09.
Ami AmiJul 27, 2026
@Dan Dan I paper filed my C09 and when I didn't get any response after a couple of months, I assumed my application was missing and I had to file another one online and in less than 3 months, my C09 card was ready then 5 months later, i got another EAD card for the C09 paper application I did. I thought there was an error somewhere and called USCIS and they confirmed that they know I already got one EAD in april and they were the ones who still sent me the other in August. surprisingly, I wasn't charged for any of the cards filing. They were both free.
