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Dan MacMeekin         Attorney at Law        Washington, DC, USA

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[CAUTION: 

THIS PAGE HAS NOT BEEN RECENTLY REVISED.  THE INFORMATION HERE MAY BE OBSOLETE.   CURRENT SOURCES SHOULD BE CHECKED.]

For citizens of the Freely Associated States

How to Apply for a Work Permit 

in the United States

This page provides citizens of the Freely Associated States——the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau——an overview of how to obtain a Work Permit (an Employment Authorization Document) identifying the citizen as a person  allowed to work in the United States.  

This information is excerpted and adapted from information on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website.  

For more details and to check for later information, check the USCIS website or call its National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

How Do I Get an Employment Authorization Document (Work Permit) ?  

What is an Employment Authorization Document?

Employers in the United States must check to make sure all employees are allowed to work in the United States.  

Under the Compacts of Free Association, most citizens of the Freely Associated States are permitted to "enter into, lawfully engage in occupations, and establish residence as a non-immigrant in the United States." 

Most employers in the United States, however, do not know that citizens of the Freely Associated States are allowed to work in the United States.  If you are a citizen of one of the Freely Associated States, you may need to apply for an Employment Authorization Document to prove you are allowed to work in the United States.

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The Employment Authorization Document is issued by the USCIS, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  (USCIS has taken over the functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (the INS).)  

If you are a lawful permanent resident of the United States or a conditional permanent resident of the United States, you do not need an Employment Authorization Document.  Your Alien Registration Card proves that you may work in the United States.  

How do I Apply?

You can apply for the Employment Authorization Document online.   After successful completion of the process you will receive a Confirmation Receipt Notice, which you should print.

Citizens of the Freely Associated States are not required to pay the $120 fee that others must pay for this card.  The blue signature card (mentioned in older instructions) is no longer required.

After applying online, you must make an appointment to visit an Application Support Center by calling the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

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You must bring a copy of your Confirmation Receipt Notice to that appointment.

At the Application Support Center, the USCIS will confirm your identity and electronically capture your photograph, fingerprints, and a signature.  The USCIS will use these biometrics to produce the Employment Authorization Document, if the application is approved. 

The USCIS’s webpages do not specify how the applicant’s identity is confirmed, but you would be well advised to bring a valid passport from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau to the appointment at the Application Support Center.

If you prefer, you may apply for the Employment Authorization Document by mail.  Instructions are available at the USCIS website for the slightly different procedure for applying by mail.  

If you have not received a decision within 90 days of receipt by the USCIS of a properly filed application you may obtain interim work authorization by appearing in person at your local USCIS field office.  You must bring proof of identity and any notices that you have received from the BCIS in connection with your application for employment authorization.  You can locate the nearest field office at the USCIS website. 

Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia and, perhaps, of the other Freely Associated States as well may want to look at Essential Information for Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia Traveling to the United States and  Possessions and at the answers to Frequently Asked Questions, prepared for citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia by that nation's embassy in Washington, D.C.  and archived at the Internet Archive.

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  Dan MacMeekin  2000 -2011          Disclaimer  - the fine print                June 16, 2011