AOS June 2016 Filers

[murple87 5]

This morning I received an unexpected and nice message: the interview for the AOS is being scheduled for November 3.

Adjusting from a B-2 visa I think it's within a pretty good time period. It would be awesome if it would be approved!

As to your question, murple, I don't have any answers other than try to call again . I think you have the right to talk to a tier 2 officer and have them clarify why you haven't received the card yet. 60 days sounds as too long.

I would recommend scheduling an InfoPass appointment. Bring a copy of your job offer (contract/offer letter/some kind of proof) and your NOA for your EAD approval. The InfoPass officer will be able to tell you way more than the reps on the phone. We did this when our RFE didn't come in the mail and he was able to fix it.

If this doesn't work, contact your Congressman or Senator. My husband had a job offer and his EAD wasn't approved yet. We sent them a copy of his contract and she was able to get it approved within a week. She had a contact within USCIS that she went through directly. They might be able to find out why your EAD hasn't been produced and speed things up again.

Good luck!!

Thanks so much for your quick responses, Soley and Jordan&Dan. That's good advise.

I actually was just able to get a hold of a tier 2 officer and she told me that everything was fine with my case but apparently there is a lot of backlog on EAD production at the moment. She said I should expect that the EAD will be on its way within the next 2 weeks.

That's still a while (I was originally supposed to start this week and given my approval NOA of Sept 8 thought I had a good chance of making that happen -- but I guess that was over-optimistic) but it's good to at least know that there wasn't any major screw-up with my case.

I also made an infopass appointment for a week from now (earliest appointment available). Good call, Jordan&Dan! I didn't even know of that possibility. I made the appointment in the DC field office, even though I'm based in Baltimore (b/c Baltimore didn't have any appointments available). I hope that's acceptable.

Still, it's so frustrating to see how most people who filed after me already have their EAD Very happy for them, but it's annoying to see how random this process can be at times. I think I was just very unlucky. Several of my notices got returned as undeliverable (at two different addresses) even though the address USCIS had on file in both cases was correct (still is a mystery to me - perhaps the postman is to blame?) -- and that delayed the process to begin with. (For reference, I filed May 31 and had my biometrics appointment August 3 and now EAD approved September 8 - AOS is still pending). So, I hope my status will change to EAD sent any day now.

In any case, this forum is a great resource and I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and giving advise!!! I wish I had discovered it sooner...

I will give you an update once the EAD is on its way.

Thanks again for your feedback!

[buzzz223 13]

Thanks so much for your quick responses, Soley and Jordan&Dan. That's good advise.

I actually was just able to get a hold of a tier 2 officer and she told me that everything was fine with my case but apparently there is a lot of backlog on EAD production at the moment. She said I should expect that the EAD will be on its way within the next 2 weeks.

That's still a while (I was originally supposed to start this week and given my approval NOA of Sept 8 thought I had a good chance of making that happen -- but I guess that was over-optimistic) but it's good to at least know that there wasn't any major screw-up with my case.

I also made an infopass appointment for a week from now (earliest appointment available). Good call, Jordan&Dan! I didn't even know of that possibility. I made the appointment in the DC field office, even though I'm based in Baltimore (b/c Baltimore didn't have any appointments available). I hope that's acceptable.

Still, it's so frustrating to see how most people who filed after me already have their EAD Very happy for them, but it's annoying to see how random this process can be at times. I think I was just very unlucky. Several of my notices got returned as undeliverable (at two different addresses) even though the address USCIS had on file in both cases was correct (still is a mystery to me - perhaps the postman is to blame?) -- and that delayed the process to begin with. (For reference, I filed May 31 and had my biometrics appointment August 3 and now EAD approved September 8 - AOS is still pending). So, I hope my status will change to EAD sent any day now.

In any case, this forum is a great resource and I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and giving advise!!! I wish I had discovered it sooner...

I will give you an update once the EAD is on its way.

Thanks again for your feedback!

You're definitely not alone. My EAD & AP were approved on 8/29 and that's the last thing I heard about it. Same thing here, people who were approved after me already got their EAD and I'm still waiting - very frustrating and extremely annoying

Edited September 29, 2016 by buzzz223

[Soley 73]

Thanks so much for your quick responses, Soley and Jordan&Dan. That's good advise.

I actually was just able to get a hold of a tier 2 officer and she told me that everything was fine with my case but apparently there is a lot of backlog on EAD production at the moment. She said I should expect that the EAD will be on its way within the next 2 weeks.

Good to hear you did talk to a tier 2 officer! At least you now know it is coming even though you would have liked it sooner. The uncertainty is nervewrecking at times!

I think it all depends on what office you are assigned to, and it can be different from state to state and case to case. You are in a busy area, that might make a difference.

Hopefully you get some more news at the infopass appointment.

I have no experience with those but it's probably wise to prepare, bring whatever you need to bring and know exactly what you want to ask.

Good luck!

[murple87 5]

Good to hear you did talk to a tier 2 officer! At least you now know it is coming even though you would have liked it sooner. The uncertainty is nervewrecking at times!

I think it all depends on what office you are assigned to, and it can be different from state to state and case to case. You are in a busy area, that might make a difference.

Hopefully you get some more news at the infopass appointment.

I have no experience with those but it's probably wise to prepare, bring whatever you need to bring and know exactly what you want to ask.

Good luck!

I think you're right about the office/region making a big difference, Soley. And yes, I'll make sure to be prepared for the appointment. You get 15 mins and not a minute more according to the scheduling tool -- so I better be on point.

I'm hoping that maybe my case status will even be updated to sent before the appointment, in which case I would probably just cancel it (if that's possible). Looks like I haven't learned my lesson about being overly optimistic yet...Not giving up hope!

Thanks so much for your quick responses, Soley and Jordan&Dan. That's good advise.

I actually was just able to get a hold of a tier 2 officer and she told me that everything was fine with my case but apparently there is a lot of backlog on EAD production at the moment. She said I should expect that the EAD will be on its way within the next 2 weeks.

That's still a while (I was originally supposed to start this week and given my approval NOA of Sept 8 thought I had a good chance of making that happen -- but I guess that was over-optimistic) but it's good to at least know that there wasn't any major screw-up with my case.

I also made an infopass appointment for a week from now (earliest appointment available). Good call, Jordan&Dan! I didn't even know of that possibility. I made the appointment in the DC field office, even though I'm based in Baltimore (b/c Baltimore didn't have any appointments available). I hope that's acceptable.

Still, it's so frustrating to see how most people who filed after me already have their EAD Very happy for them, but it's annoying to see how random this process can be at times. I think I was just very unlucky. Several of my notices got returned as undeliverable (at two different addresses) even though the address USCIS had on file in both cases was correct (still is a mystery to me - perhaps the postman is to blame?) -- and that delayed the process to begin with. (For reference, I filed May 31 and had my biometrics appointment August 3 and now EAD approved September 8 - AOS is still pending). So, I hope my status will change to EAD sent any day now.

In any case, this forum is a great resource and I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and giving advise!!! I wish I had discovered it sooner...

I will give you an update once the EAD is on its way.

Thanks again for your feedback!

You're definitely not alone. My EAD & AP were approved on 8/29 and that's the last thing I heard about it. Same thing here, people who were approved after me already got their EAD and I'm still waiting - very frustrating and extremely annoying

I'm sorry buzzz! That's really discouraging. From what I've heard online, I would definitely call in today or tomorrow -- since it's been 30 days without an update. Maybe they can give you more info? Can't hurt to pester them, right?

What city are you living in? Maybe it does have an effect on the times, as Soley said. Still don't really understand how the processing works. Do they process in the field office in your region? I originally sent my package to Chicago, but I assume they reassign it by region?

[tortuga 0]

I think you're right about the office/region making a big difference, Soley. And yes, I'll make sure to be prepared for the appointment. You get 15 mins and not a minute more according to the scheduling tool -- so I better be on point.

I'm hoping that maybe my case status will even be updated to sent before the appointment, in which case I would probably just cancel it (if that's possible). Looks like I haven't learned my lesson about being overly optimistic yet...Not giving up hope!

I'm sorry buzzz! That's really discouraging. From what I've heard online, I would definitely call in today or tomorrow -- since it's been 30 days without an update. Maybe they can give you more info? Can't hurt to pester them, right?

What city are you living in? Maybe it does have an effect on the times, as Soley said. Still don't really understand how the processing works. Do they process in the field office in your region? I originally sent my package to Chicago, but I assume they reassign it by region?

As I understand it, everything goes from Chicago to NBC (outside of Kansas City). They process the AP and EAD themselves, do some processing on the AOS but then that is eventually sent to the field office for interview. I don't know how much work is done at NBC and how much at local office, and if any is done at the field office if you are approved without interview. I have also read of cases being sent out to other offices (not local) due to overload. Point being, this is all for AOS.

For AP and EAD, as I understand it, it is all done at the NBC. This is where my rub is, the amount of inconsistency case to case at the same facility for what essentially is a rubber stamp process. In Buzz's case, how come his case status never updated to approved and then to card in production, it has been a month and he has the approval letter. In my case how come it took one week to go from approved to production? I don't buy the "backup". If there was backup, people at days 60-80 wouldn't be getting approved then receive their cards 10 days later. Presumably they are printing all of these cards from the same place (MO and/or KY) with photo scans, so everyone should be suffering the same if there were a "production backup". Something is screwed up here. My experience with the call center is that they are inconsistent in what they tell you and the end goal is to get you off the phone, so they tell you what you want to hear sometimes. My speculation is incompetent and/or disgruntled Service Officers handling the cases. Simple pushbutton operations are not occurring in a reasonable timeframe.

[buzzz223 13]

@murple87

I did another SR this morning and of course did not receive a confirmation email (just like the first time). They approved my EAD & AP the same day I did my SR, so we'll see what happens this time.

I was going to call this morning, but since I'm out of town at the moment I decided to do the SR online and not ruin my vacation with their incompetence

Also, scheduling an Info Pass in New York City is impossible! (I live in Brooklyn) I tried to do it for a few days now but keep getting the same msg - currently no appointments available.

So, I'm saying 'whatever' now, but I'm passed as hell.

Edited September 29, 2016 by buzzz223

[buzzz223 13]

@murple87

I did another SR this morning and of course did not receive a confirmation email (just like the first time). They approved my EAD & AP the same day I did my SR, so we'll see what happens this time.

I was going to call this morning, but since I'm out of town at the moment I decided to do the SR online and not ruin my vacation with their incompetence

Also, scheduling an Info Pass in New York City is impossible! (I live in Brooklyn) I tried to do it for a few days now but keep getting the same msg - currently no appointments available.

So, I'm saying 'whatever' now, but I'm passed as hell.

Ugh...I meant 'pissed as hell' and substitute with Edited September 29, 2016 by buzzz223

[murple87 5]

As I understand it, everything goes from Chicago to NBC (outside of Kansas City). They process the AP and EAD themselves, do some processing on the AOS but then that is eventually sent to the field office for interview. I don't know how much work is done at NBC and how much at local office, and if any is done at the field office if you are approved without interview. I have also read of cases being sent out to other offices (not local) due to overload. Point being, this is all for AOS.

For AP and EAD, as I understand it, it is all done at the NBC. This is where my rub is, the amount of inconsistency case to case at the same facility for what essentially is a rubber stamp process. In Buzz's case, how come his case status never updated to approved and then to card in production, it has been a month and he has the approval letter. In my case how come it took one week to go from approved to production? I don't buy the "backup". If there was backup, people at days 60-80 wouldn't be getting approved then receive their cards 10 days later. Presumably they are printing all of these cards from the same place (MO and/or KY) with photo scans, so everyone should be suffering the same if there were a "production backup". Something is screwed up here. My experience with the call center is that they are inconsistent in what they tell you and the end goal is to get you off the phone, so they tell you what you want to hear sometimes. My speculation is incompetent and/or disgruntled Service Officers handling the cases. Simple pushbutton operations are not occurring in a reasonable timeframe.

Thanks for the explanation, tortuga. That's what I thought originally. Perhaps I'm better off to just give them the benefit of the doubt thinking that regional differences could create the backlog. But yes, something in their processing seems quite messed up/arbitrary and it's frustrating for sure. I'm glad to hear that it worked out more quickly in your case, though!

It's a frustrating process as most bureaucratic processes in foreign countries (I just lived in Belgium for a year, and what I've experienced there in bureaucratic incompetence is hard to match). But once we'll have all our documents, we'll soon laugh this off. It's worth it in the end, right?! So everyone, hang in there!

Ugh...I meant 'pissed as hell' and substitute with

Haha, looks like visajourney is autocorrecting/censoring your emotions, buzz... Exactly, don't let it ruin your vacation. Just enjoy yourself and hopefully by the time you get back you have better news! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

[vpalermo85 62]

Physical card arrived on the 28th. Looks like we're all done until June 18, 2018 - good luck to all and see you guys in two years!

[OnThePath87 2]

Thanks so much for your quick responses, Soley and Jordan&Dan. That's good advise.

I actually was just able to get a hold of a tier 2 officer and she told me that everything was fine with my case but apparently there is a lot of backlog on EAD production at the moment. She said I should expect that the EAD will be on its way within the next 2 weeks.

That's still a while (I was originally supposed to start this week and given my approval NOA of Sept 8 thought I had a good chance of making that happen -- but I guess that was over-optimistic) but it's good to at least know that there wasn't any major screw-up with my case.

I also made an infopass appointment for a week from now (earliest appointment available). Good call, Jordan&Dan! I didn't even know of that possibility. I made the appointment in the DC field office, even though I'm based in Baltimore (b/c Baltimore didn't have any appointments available). I hope that's acceptable.

Still, it's so frustrating to see how most people who filed after me already have their EAD Very happy for them, but it's annoying to see how random this process can be at times. I think I was just very unlucky. Several of my notices got returned as undeliverable (at two different addresses) even though the address USCIS had on file in both cases was correct (still is a mystery to me - perhaps the postman is to blame?) -- and that delayed the process to begin with. (For reference, I filed May 31 and had my biometrics appointment August 3 and now EAD approved September 8 - AOS is still pending). So, I hope my status will change to EAD sent any day now.

In any case, this forum is a great resource and I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and giving advise!!! I wish I had discovered it sooner...

I will give you an update once the EAD is on its way.

Thanks again for your feedback!

Stay sane mate, I'm in the same boat too. Looks like there's a lot of it going on. Incredibly frustrating.

[KmMaV 2]

YAYYYYYY!

Waiting for my GC to be deliver

Goodluck and Godbless everyone

[Yongma 12]

The card arrived.

So now it's going to be waiting for NYC to pick up the Green Card interview stuff which will probably take a year.

It took me around 2 weeks to get the card.

8 days for it to move from accepted to mailed.

And then 5 days for it to move from mailed to picked up by USPS.

After that it took 2 days to arrive.

Glad to start participating in society again.

Hope everyone's problems resolve soon.

Thank you for all the answers and support!

[stfiii 33]

Just got off the phone (a second time) with USCIS, I was calling them to inquire about the status of the EAD and AP which was filed with the AOS on June 19th.

We filed I484, I765 and I-131 for my wife, and her two daughters.

After I called USCIS 2 weeks ago, my wife has since received the I-797 notice that her EAD and AP have been approved, and we even received the official letters in the mail that the cards will be ordered and mailed.

So I called USCIS back today about the daughters status to find out what's going on.

The lady I spoke to told me that because I received an RFE on one of the daughters I-485 application, that her EAD and AP application have been reset to day 1. That was back on August 19th, so we are only 45 days on her application.

For the other daughter, since there were no RFE's she said we could file to have her EAD and AP looked into to find out what the delay was, then the operator sounded surprised and say's oh wait, no we can't do anything yet because your case is with the national benefits center and they are only just now processing applications from May 3rd 2016. They have a really heavy case load and so they are way backed up.

After she told me that I asked if I can speak to a Supervisor. The supervisor I spoke to confirmed everything the previous operator told me, that the case load at NBC is backed up to May 3rd, but despite that backup he would put in a request to have the EAD and AP looked at and he gave me a confirmation number. He also seemed real surprised that my wives EAD AND AP have been approved after I called to ask about it.

So there you have it. The kids are still pending, according to USCIS one of the girls EAD and AP is over 3 months away from even having her case looked at again since the new file date is August 19th, due to the RFE I received.

Best wishes to the folks that sailed through the application.

[J&Y 39]

Hi guys,

Just have a question about SSN card, since we already got the green card, is it necessary to go to the SSN office to get a replacement card without the wording "valid only with DHS authorization"?

I searched within the forum and got mixed answers, does anyone have experience on that?

[Soley 73]

I promised to give an update when I would re-enter the country on my advance parole.

I had stayed away a little over three weeks. On return I went to customs and stood in the US citizen and permanent resident line. I asked the supervisor there if I was in the right line and she said yes. When I walked up to the officer he looked at my passport and my EAD card and asked me if I was employed in the United States. I said no, not yet but the card is also my advance parole. It took him a little while to understand that and then he took me to the office with my documents and I had to wait. Not very long though, the officer in charge recognized me from an earlier entry (still on my B-2 visa) and noted that I had actually taken his advice to file for AOS so he was happy to see that. It took a couple of minutes for him to get everything in order and then he sent me on my way! He did say that without the card it would have been a problem so told me once again to always bring my card on reentry.

I was very happy to be reunited with my husband again

It's good to be home and I was relieved the re-entry gave no problems whatsoever. We/I have been at this airport several times before. It's small so that might be an advantage too (them recognizing me) but basically I think when all your documents are in order you should be fine

I hope this helps anyone out there who is going to travel with his or her advance parole and is nervous about it.