I-131 Filed (Not Received), H-1B Expiring

[Tx7 3]

Hi there!

 

Just looking for some thoughts and advice; my wife and I filed the various forms for AOS to GC with Advance Parole. Documents priority date are 7/21 with a notice date of 7/26. I haven't heard anything back yet on approval of AP (completed biometrics on 8/10). My problem is that my I-94/H-1B expires on 10/10, leaving me pretty close to a date I can no longer work, drive, etc. From the processing time it looks like it's only 5/27 dates currently being run. From reading the site it looks as though I cannot volunteer for my current job (non-profit) and so from 10/11 do I just have to sit around and not do anything until it arrives? Is there any way (extreme hardship financially / my wife is on my insurance) to help speed it up without risking the action-date reverting to the new expedited date?

 

Thanks for your help -- just apprehensive to get through this and keep working and would love some outside thoughts that don't cost me $200/hr!!! 

[Suss&Camm 2,213]

20 minutes ago, Tx7 said:

Hi there!

 

Just looking for some thoughts and advice; my wife and I filed the various forms for AOS to GC with Advance Parole. Documents priority date are 7/21 with a notice date of 7/26. I haven't heard anything back yet on approval of AP (completed biometrics on 8/10). My problem is that my I-94/H-1B expires on 10/10, leaving me pretty close to a date I can no longer work, drive, etc. From the processing time it looks like it's only 5/27 dates currently being run. From reading the site it looks as though I cannot volunteer for my current job (non-profit) and so from 10/11 do I just have to sit around and not do anything until it arrives? Is there any way (extreme hardship financially / my wife is on my insurance) to help speed it up without risking the action-date reverting to the new expedited date?

 

Thanks for your help -- just apprehensive to get through this and keep working and would love some outside thoughts that don't cost me $200/hr!!! 

You can apply for an expedite. Call USCIS customer service to get it started. Ask for a fax number to supply the evidence documents (ask for something signed from your work as evidence.) You would apply for expedite under severe financial loss (not hardship). Send as much evidence as possible and a letter explaining the situation. It is not a guaranteed approval and the timeline is very tight for you, but should definitely try and do it fast, it also takes time for expedites.

 

Without expedite your EAD is more likely to be approved mid to late November.

Edited September 26, 2017 by Suss&Camm

[Tx7 3]

33 minutes ago, Suss&Camm said:

You can apply for an expedite. Call USCIS customer service to get it started. Ask for a fax number to supply the evidence documents (ask for something signed from your work as evidence.) You would apply for expedite under severe financial loss (not hardship). Send as much evidence as possible and a letter explaining the situation. It is not a guaranteed approval and the timeline is very tight for you, but should definitely try and do it fast, it also takes time for expedites.

 

Without expedite your EAD is more likely to be approved mid to late November.

Thank you for this -- I just called them (got through right away) and the officer helped me request the expedite. He said I should get a reply within 5 days. I wasn't expecting that at all, thanks for pointing me in the right direction!!

[Suss&Camm 2,213]

47 minutes ago, Tx7 said:

Thank you for this -- I just called them (got through right away) and the officer helped me request the expedite. He said I should get a reply within 5 days. I wasn't expecting that at all, thanks for pointing me in the right direction!!

Happy to help - I'm not sure about the reply in 5 days - I think they mean the letter you get requesting evidence?

Were you given a fax number? It's much faster if you fax it in instead of sending it in. I'm afraid the response time is going to be longer than 5 days.

 

Good luck!  I hope you get it

Edited September 26, 2017 by Suss&Camm

[Suss&Camm 2,213]

I also just realized in the original post that you wrote you applied with AP - just to make sure,  you did apply with EAD as well correct? That is what you meant to say you wanted to expedite? I went on to read the work part, so I somewhere lost that you didn't mention EAD.

Edited September 26, 2017 by Suss&Camm

[Tx7 3]

24 minutes ago, Suss&Camm said:

Happy to help - I'm not sure about the reply in 5 days - I think they mean the letter you get requesting evidence?

Were you given a fax number? It's much faster if you fax it in instead of sending it in. I'm afraid the response time is going to be longer than 5 days.

 

Good luck!  I hope you get it

Thanks! I spoke with him and he wrote down the notes on my request (severe financial loss, insurance loss for my wife and myself, and that my company would lose their fundraiser at a critical time) and said that the director (?) of the center would decide if it can be expedited an I'd get an update in 5 days and find out if they needed additional evidence. Maybe it was just 5 days for whether the response would be processed as expedited? I got a confirmation and he said to call back in 5 days if I hadn't heard anything. 

 

They've got 10 years of visa applications, so hopefully they go easy on me!

 

17 minutes ago, Suss&Camm said:

I also just realized in the original post that you wrote you applied with AP - just to make sure,  you did apply with EAD as well correct? That is what you meant to say you wanted to expedite? I went on to read the work part, so I somewhere lost that you didn't mention EAD.

Yep! Sorry I wasn't clear with that -- expedited request on the EAD/I-765.

[Suss&Camm 2,213]

58 minutes ago, Tx7 said:

Thanks! I spoke with him and he wrote down the notes on my request (severe financial loss, insurance loss for my wife and myself, and that my company would lose their fundraiser at a critical time) and said that the director (?) of the center would decide if it can be expedited an I'd get an update in 5 days and find out if they needed additional evidence. Maybe it was just 5 days for whether the response would be processed as expedited? I got a confirmation and he said to call back in 5 days if I hadn't heard anything. 

 

They've got 10 years of visa applications, so hopefully they go easy on me!

 

Yep! Sorry I wasn't clear with that -- expedited request on the EAD/I-765.

It can be faster at times, I can count on my hands how many times I've seen ppl get it without the additional evidence, but it does happen. Please update the thread when you get more information and/or a response.

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to Adjustment of Status from Work, Student, & Tourist Visas forum.

[Tx7 3]

On 9/26/2017 at 5:16 PM, Suss&Camm said:

It can be faster at times, I can count on my hands how many times I've seen ppl get it without the additional evidence, but it does happen. Please update the thread when you get more information and/or a response.

Just to keep you updated on this (and keep me a little sane): 

 

Still no word from USCIS (on the AP or other) and I raised a second request per another phone call and also contacted my congressman but no word on that either. Work authorization and drivers licence expire tomorrow, so looks like I'm grounded until this comes through - I guess the dogs will enjoy it...

[Tx7 3]

Well it looks like the expedite never came through from the original requests but today I received an email saying that my card is in production! Hopefully it arrives soon