[Q&A] Do I Need to Apply for Form I-131 and I-765?

Many of our readers are in the process of applying for their Green Card and this question comes up very frequently! Do I need to apply for Form I-131 and I-765? Let’s look at it closer:

Are Form I-131 and Form I-765 Required?

Download Form I-485 Cover Letter Samples Here

Form I-131 is an application for Travel Document and Form I-765 is an application for Employment Authorization. Both of these documents are only needed for the transition time while your Green Card application is pending. The purpose of these two forms is to allow you to travel and work with a pending Green Card I-485 application.

In other words, once your Green Card is approved, you will no longer need these two documents for work and travel.

By the way - USCIS is issuing combo cards that combine travel and work permits on one single card now if you haven’t heard of.

So do you need to apply for them? It’s really up to you! I would recommend applying for the combo card along with your I-485 application whether you think you would need it or not! Why?

A couple of reasons:

• It’s free of charge with your I-485 application! (It may change later on, but it currently requires no additional fees if you apply together) 
• You never know if you will need to travel or work before your Green Card shows up! Especially during COVID-19, everything is slow, so why not?

Click here to see how to apply for these two and how I applied for my Green Card I-485 with No RFE here!

Ebook and cover letter samples are also available if you haven’t checked them out!