The United States has denied more than 35,000 work permit applications from green card applicants, according to a report by Legit.ng. The figure marks a sharp rise in rejections of employment authorization for people pursuing permanent residence.

The report, published under the headline "US Work Permit Rejections Surge as over 35,000 of Green Card Applicants Are Denied," does not specify the exact period the 35,000 denials cover. Readers should treat the number as a cumulative figure pending confirmation from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency that adjudicates employment authorization documents.

Who is affected?

The denials apply to applicants seeking work permits while their green card applications remain pending. Under standard US procedure, applicants for adjustment of status can file Form I-765 to request an employment authorization document while USCIS processes their immigrant petitions.

A denial leaves the applicant unable to work legally during the waiting period. It does not, by itself, end the underlying green card application, though the Legit.ng report does not state how many of the affected applicants face wider consequences.

What the report does not say

The report does not break down the 35,000 denials by nationality, application category, or fiscal year. It also does not state the total number of applications filed, so the rejection rate cannot be calculated from the published figure alone.

USCIS routinely publishes denial statistics by form and quarter. Any applicant affected by a denial should consult the official USCIS record and, where necessary, a licensed immigration attorney before taking further steps.

Why rejections rise

Work permit denials typically follow incomplete filings, missed deadlines, expired supporting evidence, or ineligibility under the relevant category. The Legit.ng report does not identify which causes drove the current surge, and no agency statement accompanies the figure.

Applicants who receive a denial may generally file a motion to reopen or reconsider, or submit a new application, depending on the ground for refusal. Each route carries its own filing fee and deadline, set out in the denial notice.

What to watch next

USCIS updates its workload data quarterly. A verified count of Form I-765 denials among adjustment-of-status applicants would confirm whether the 35,000 figure reflects one quarter, one fiscal year, or a longer window.

Immigration desk, Passport File, will track the official figures as they appear.