EAD combo card - Legal Status?

[kandikandi 31]

I hope this isn't seen as a silly question because I'm genuinely confused by this.  I'm pretty much facing a bit of a wait (maybe til the end of the year) for my temporary greencard as my state processing office is severely backlogged.  I received my EAD/AP combo recently.  

 

I was wondering - what exactly is my "status" if I simply have an EAD/AP card and a pending i-485 case?  I get stumped by that everytime I'm asked as it relates to business transactions.  For example, recently I went to a car dealership to start the ball rolling on a purchase and of course the terms and interest rates were much more reasonable with legitimate permanent resident status.  I feel like just having the EAD/AP puts me in this weird gray area that I'm going to be stuck in for quite a while - and I'm wondering if its smarter to hold off on some of the significant purchases/business transactions (or just do them through my spouse) until my own legal status becomes legitimate.  If anyone can shed some light on this, or have any experience on this, please advise!  

 

And it made me wonder what other benefits I'm not going to be privy to yet, as an EAD/AP cardholder.

 

Another burning question - how safe is it to travel internationally on AP?  I've seen a lot of outdated threads on this but I'm hoping for some updated experiences, if any.  What documents are recommended to take with me? (passport, marriage certificate, NOA for I-485 and EAD/AP combo card?)  Thanks!    

Edited May 4, 2017 by kandikandi

[BigDaddy28 228]

yyour status is pending. You are not a resident yet, you are in the process of becoming one. Honestly I don't see how that affects interst and all of that so I can't help you much there. 

[SAIDOU BA 0]

I recently came back from a trip abroad to Senegal using advanced parole and EAD combo card . It worth it . Everyone should try.

[MR_E 34]

You wouldnt be a permanent resident unless you get your green card but with the EAD you will definitely get a legal immigration status and you would be called "an alien authorized to work".

But why would the car dealer ask for your legal status ? And why would they charge you more interest ? There is literally no difference in the rights of a work authorized alien (EAD Holder) and a resident alien (Green Card holder) except that with the green card one may travel internationally and come back to america very easily. The expiry of green card is also longer but its doesnt matter coz EAD can be renewed. The EAD just covers up the time while your green card is pending and lets you work and stay in america legally. Once the green card comes up, it supercedes the EAD card and you no longer need the EAD then.

[kandikandi 31]

 

You wouldnt be a permanent resident unless you get your green card but with the EAD you will definitely get a legal immigration status and you would be called "an alien authorized to work".

But why would the car dealer ask for your legal status ? And why would they charge you more interest ? There is literally no difference in the rights of a work authorized alien (EAD Holder) and a resident alien (Green Card holder) except that with the green card one may travel internationally and come back to america very easily. The expiry of green card is also longer but its doesnt matter coz EAD can be renewed. The EAD just covers up the time while your green card is pending and lets you work and stay in america legally. Once the green card comes up, it supercedes the EAD card and you no longer need the EAD then.

Thanks for this.  Although I always understood what you just explained, I too was confused as to why the question about my legal status came up.  I don't think the question was asked to be unkind to me, as the salesman was an immigrant himself.  And he explained to me that when he first came to the US, he had to accept the higher interest rates and pay a bigger downpayment when he purchased, and later when his greencard came through, he was able to refinance and was eligible for a much lower interest rate.  I listened to his story and wondered if this is a disadvantage that others face when doing business with just an EAD, or if this was simply his unfortunate situation.  

 

I'm just hoping to understand my rights here so I can question some of those things, because its quite possible that the average business/sales person does not understand what we are eligible for as new legal immigrants, too.

Edited May 5, 2017 by kandikandi

[MR_E 34]

You may send a query to the department of homeland security website and also contact USCIS customer service to know what you may do if someone's discriminating on the basis of your immigration status and charging you high interest. When my time comes and some car dealer says this stupid thing to me I'm gonna go to every level to find out if he has any right to charge me more interest because of the EAD.

I honestly think that the car dealer should need your photo identity and social security card and not question your immigration status. And yes the interest may be high in the start because of limited credit history because new residents face some trouble getting approved for a credit card as no lender knows how you handle credit. And within a year or two you may have a fine credit history IF you manage to get approved for a low limit credit card and use it responsibily (or may be even get a secured credit card). When your credit history and credit score are within the good and excellent range you would be paying much much less interest than others who dont have a high credit score and lengthy credit history. So interest depends on the credit history but not on immigration status.

[kandikandi 31]

 

You may send a query to the department of homeland security website and also contact USCIS customer service to know what you may do if someone's discriminating on the basis of your immigration status and charging you high interest. When my time comes and some car dealer says this stupid thing to me I'm gonna go to every level to find out if he has any right to charge me more interest because of the EAD.

I honestly think that the car dealer should need your photo identity and social security card and not question your immigration status. And yes the interest may be high in the start because of limited credit history because new residents face some trouble getting approved for a credit card as no lender knows how you handle credit. And within a year or two you may have a fine credit history IF you manage to get approved for a low limit credit card and use it responsibily (or may be even get a secured credit card). When your credit history and credit score are within the good and excellent range you would be paying much much less interest than others who dont have a high credit score and lengthy credit history. So interest depends on the credit history but not on immigration status.

Thank you!  Will definitely be contacting some officials to query this.