The COMBO card issued by USCIS actually refers to a combination of EAD and Advanced PAROLE, which combines the functions of EAD and EAD.
EAD is short for Employment Authorization Card, which means Work Permit. Holding an EAD means that the cardholder has been approved by USCIS to legally work in the United States. This includes applicants in OPT or J-2 status, or those who have filed a 1-485 adjustment of status petition and are pending. The advance parole, which literally translates to "advance waiver" in English, is issued to foreign nationals who do not have permanent resident status (green card) in the United States, so that they can directly enter the United States again after leaving the United States without a visa.
To be clear, a COMBO card is not the same as a green card. It can only be considered a lawful work authorization granted by USCIS to the applicant while waiting for the 1-485 process, which is the time to wait for the green card. Currently, a green card can be obtained through an $800,000 TEA program. After more than 3 months of processing, it is possible to obtain a COMBO card with a waiting period, i.e., a collection of EAD cards and AP cards.
In March 2022, USCIS introduced a new policy, in addition to the EB5 reserved visa policy, another benefit is the realization of 1-526E and 1-485 "double filing". The significance of this policy is that it allows applicants (applicants must have legal status in the United States, such as H-1B, L-1, E-2) to land in the United States to live, live, work and study in the United States before the official green card is approved. This solves problems such as the long application period and the inability to log in. This method is especially suitable for international students in the United States, who do not need to apply for an OPT internship and H-1B work visa after graduation, and can look for a job after obtaining a COMBO card, without being subject to the restrictions of the employer and work permit lottery.