As many as 43 mayors in the United States have urged the United States government to extend work permits for immigrants, Visa Guide reported.

“Cities and counties have made it clear that asylum seekers and immigrants need work permits, and we are frustrated that our communities’ immigrants may soon lose their work authorization due to processing delays and the federal government’s inaction,” stated the letter.

It was sent to the Department of Homeland Security and US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Mayors called for issuing an automatic extension of work authorisation to immigrants for at least 540 days.

They warned that thousands of people would be left jobless, businesses would be short-staffed, and shelter space would become difficult to find if such a decision was not taken.

In 2022, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services extended the 180-day grace period for which work permits remain valid.

The extension period expired on October 26, prompting mayors to demand the government to extend it again to more than 17 months.

There were about 263,000 Employment Authorisation Document renewal applications pending in June, it added.