I wonder whether there's any point in keeping one's old EADs (Employment Authorization Documents). May I need it in some later processes or can I discard them?
asked Apr 25, 2022 at 18:41
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1If you become a citizen, presumably you acquire and take good care of several new identification documents that can be used for general purposes, including proving work eligibility. A government document from 2020 could be used in some situations as ID even though it is expired. For example, several states let notaries public accept documents that have expired as much as three years ago. Might be useful to prove an old version of a name if you change your name.– Gerard AshtonCommented Apr 25, 2022 at 20:34
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2Perhaps you might need to prove that you were not working illegally on a certain date as part of a future immigration process?– user102008Commented Apr 25, 2022 at 20:41
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1 Answer
Since you're going through naturalization process, you can return them to the USCIS at your naturalization ceremony. In fact, the ceremony invitation explicitly asks you to bring and return all the prior USCIS issued documentation (EAD cards, green cards, etc). They don't check (as long as you return the current green card), so if you want to keep them you probably can, but if you want to safely dispose of them - that would be a good opportunity.
From my experience they're of no use after you're a naturalized US citizen. If you want a wallet-sized Federal id card - get a passport card.
