Successful Expedited EAD - Detailed Timeline

[george8880 27]

I just checked my EAD case status earlier this morning, and it turns out my request to expedite was approved and my card is in production! Just wanted to give a huge thanks to the VisaJourney community and everyone who has ever shared their timelines (I probably read every single timeline out there while in nervous anticipation...). Below is my detailed timeline and process notes in case anyone is / will be in the same boat as I was.

 

Timeline:

• 05/16: Married to USC
• 05/24: Submitted I-130, I-485, I-765 and I-131 applications
• 05/25: Priority date
• 06/01: Received job offer to start August 6, 2018
• 06/07: Received NOA1 in mail (notice date of 05/31); application being processed by National Benefits Center
• 06/09: Received Biometrics appointment notice in mail (notice date of 06/01)
• 06/19: Biometrics appointment completed (could have done early walk-in, but wanted to get expedite supporting documents ready first)
• 06/19: Called USCIS and submitted service request to expedite EAD on the basis of Severe Financial Loss (end of current employment on 6/29 plus pending job offer to start 8/6)
• 06/20: Walked in to Congresswoman's office and hand-delivered case form, cover letter, and supporting documents (see list below) to Constituent Services Representative
• 06/22: Email response from USCIS asking for supporting documents for request to expedite: "Upon receipt of your request for expeditious processing, your case was reviewed and a determination was made that we need additional information to make a decision regarding your request. Please fax proof of a pending job offer to ###-###-####, Attn:  AA####, Div #, Team #."
• 06/22: Forwarded USCIS email response to Constituent Services Representative, who confirmed that an expedite request has been submitted on his end as well
• 06/22: Faxed over supporting documents to USCIS fax number provided in email response
  1. Cover Letter;
  2. USCIS Email Response Above (they request you include in your fax);
  3. Pending Job Offer, with 8/6 start date; and
  4. Statement from Current Employer (at the time) on Termination of Employment 6/29
• 06/22: Submitted case to Ombudsman (https://www.dhs.gov/case-assistance) with cover letter and supporting documents
• 06/26: Email response from USCIS: "We received your request to expedite the decision on your application. Your case is currently under review. You will receive a decision or notice of further action shortly."
• 06/29: End of current employment (at the time); effectively unemployed
• 07/06: Ombudsman responded saying my case is within normal processing times, but to respond if I believe I qualify for expedited processing. I responded and reattached cover letter and supporting documents
• 07/06: Constituent Services Representative from Congresswoman's office followed up with USCIS
• 07/06: Case status online changed to "Card in Production"!

 

Notes on a couple factors (real / intangible) that may have affected my expedited processing:

• I am a Canadian citizen marrying a USC. I have been in the U.S. three years under the TN work visa, and four years prior to that as a student and working in the U.S. every summer. Seems like a fairly vanilla case
• Just a pending job offer is rarely enough anymore, but my current employment at the time was ending as well. Furthermore, when I applied, my wife was in between jobs, so our application paperwork has her down as unemployed as well. Having both of us unemployed may have pushed my situation towards the "severe" side
• Since these things are always subjective, I believe a good cover letter can really make the difference. In mine, I emphasized how, more important than the money, I am a young college graduate about to lose a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which would be a major setback to my dreams
• My birthday is today (07/07), which may or may not have affected anything haha

 

Happy to answer any questions / clarifications.

 

Best,

George

[A&H2018 148]

Well done! Amazing speed, but you did it all right. My case vanilla as well

 

Yah I am Canadian as well was working in the USA. Wife is unemployed taking care of elder parents for a bit of time currently. My package was still 15-20 pages depending senator/congressman. Cover letter for senator to take the case and then cover letter for USCIS agent as to why to care. Job description, interview timeline (months of discussions with said firm), list goes on... 

Edited July 7, 2018 by A&H2018

[fromNZ 2]

Hey George, thank you for posting this! It is super helpful - may I ask who your local congresswoman is? I'm in LA too and would love to walk in to drop off some paperwork to a Constituent Services Representative (my local congressman only accepts snail mail). Thank you!

[aaron2020 11,651]

8 minutes ago, fromNZ said:

Hey George, thank you for posting this! It is super helpful - may I ask who your local congresswoman is? I'm in LA too and would love to walk in to drop off some paperwork to a Constituent Services Representative (my local congressman only accepts snail mail). Thank you!

Members of Congress helps their own constituents.  They don't help out people who live in other districts with their own Representative.  You want Congressional help, then you go to your Congressman.  A Representative from another district will refer you to contact the Representative from your district.  

[fromNZ 2]

Just now, aaron2020 said:

Members of Congress helps their own constituents.  They don't help out people who live in other districts with their own Representative.  You want Congressional help, then you go to your Congressman.  A Representative from another district will refer you to contact the Representative from your district.  

Got it, thanks!

[CDNgirl09 53]

On 7/7/2018 at 1:45 PM, george8880 said:

I just checked my EAD case status earlier this morning, and it turns out my request to expedite was approved and my card is in production! Just wanted to give a huge thanks to the VisaJourney community and everyone who has ever shared their timelines (I probably read every single timeline out there while in nervous anticipation...). Below is my detailed timeline and process notes in case anyone is / will be in the same boat as I was.

 

Timeline:

• 05/16: Married to USC
• 05/24: Submitted I-130, I-485, I-765 and I-131 applications
• 05/25: Priority date
• 06/01: Received job offer to start August 6, 2018
• 06/07: Received NOA1 in mail (notice date of 05/31); application being processed by National Benefits Center
• 06/09: Received Biometrics appointment notice in mail (notice date of 06/01)
• 06/19: Biometrics appointment completed (could have done early walk-in, but wanted to get expedite supporting documents ready first)
• 06/19: Called USCIS and submitted service request to expedite EAD on the basis of Severe Financial Loss (end of current employment on 6/29 plus pending job offer to start 8/6)
• 06/20: Walked in to Congresswoman's office and hand-delivered case form, cover letter, and supporting documents (see list below) to Constituent Services Representative
• 06/22: Email response from USCIS asking for supporting documents for request to expedite: "Upon receipt of your request for expeditious processing, your case was reviewed and a determination was made that we need additional information to make a decision regarding your request. Please fax proof of a pending job offer to ###-###-####, Attn:  AA####, Div #, Team #."
• 06/22: Forwarded USCIS email response to Constituent Services Representative, who confirmed that an expedite request has been submitted on his end as well
• 06/22: Faxed over supporting documents to USCIS fax number provided in email response
  1. Cover Letter;
  2. USCIS Email Response Above (they request you include in your fax);
  3. Pending Job Offer, with 8/6 start date; and
  4. Statement from Current Employer (at the time) on Termination of Employment 6/29
• 06/22: Submitted case to Ombudsman (https://www.dhs.gov/case-assistance) with cover letter and supporting documents
• 06/26: Email response from USCIS: "We received your request to expedite the decision on your application. Your case is currently under review. You will receive a decision or notice of further action shortly."
• 06/29: End of current employment (at the time); effectively unemployed
• 07/06: Ombudsman responded saying my case is within normal processing times, but to respond if I believe I qualify for expedited processing. I responded and reattached cover letter and supporting documents
• 07/06: Constituent Services Representative from Congresswoman's office followed up with USCIS
• 07/06: Case status online changed to "Card in Production"!

 

Notes on a couple factors (real / intangible) that may have affected my expedited processing:

• I am a Canadian citizen marrying a USC. I have been in the U.S. three years under the TN work visa, and four years prior to that as a student and working in the U.S. every summer. Seems like a fairly vanilla case
• Just a pending job offer is rarely enough anymore, but my current employment at the time was ending as well. Furthermore, when I applied, my wife was in between jobs, so our application paperwork has her down as unemployed as well. Having both of us unemployed may have pushed my situation towards the "severe" side
• Since these things are always subjective, I believe a good cover letter can really make the difference. In mine, I emphasized how, more important than the money, I am a young college graduate about to lose a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which would be a major setback to my dreams
• My birthday is today (07/07), which may or may not have affected anything haha

 

Happy to answer any questions / clarifications.

 

Best,

George

Hey!

Fellow Canadian here. I recently filed to my AOS application and was looking to request an EAD expedite b/c of an amaaaaazing job offer. I was wondering what sort of details you included on your cover letter?

 

Thanks!

[my&aaron 54]

3 hours ago, CDNgirl09 said:

Hey!

Fellow Canadian here. I recently filed to my AOS application and was looking to request an EAD expedite b/c of an amaaaaazing job offer. I was wondering what sort of details you included on your cover letter?

 

Thanks!

I also got my EAD expedited so I'm more than happy to share some of my cover letter details with you. I'm sure OP will too. Some of the documents are very specific to my situation, so I would list out everything that would be considered a financial constraint to you, had you have to pass on this offer. 

 

A paragraph talking about the losses I would face:

 

"The loss of this job offer will not only result in a severe financial loss to us but also will consequently impact my career as I stand to suffer a major professional setback, given the unique nature of this opportunity. Lastly, I would lose the opportunity to have health insurance coverage through this employer as I am not currently insured since my husband and I cannot afford to pay the spouse premium.

 

Please find the following documents to support my claims, presented in the following order:

1. USCIS email notice requesting additional information
2. Job offer letter highlighting the expiration date of abc. 
3. Proof of the employment gap: previous EAD card, Employment verification letter from my previous employer
4. Proof of current health situation: not insured, needing emergency wisdom teeth extractions, Proof of my husband’s current health insurance plan stating a $x increase in premium per month for spouse, Dentist’s emergency treatment plan for three wisdom teeth extractions estimating over $x
5. Outstanding monthly expenses that are currently being paid solely by my husband: Residential rental contract showing our monthly rent of $x
6. Outstanding loans that are currently being paid solely by my husband: A student loan statement with a remaining balance of $x, Auto loan statements with a total remaining balance of $x, A wedding expenses loan statement with a total remaining balance of $x
7. A certified copy of marriage certificate

[Stylish 3]

On 11/22/2019 at 10:40 PM, my&aaron said:

I also got my EAD expedited so I'm more than happy to share some of my cover letter details with you. I'm sure OP will too. Some of the documents are very specific to my situation, so I would list out everything that would be considered a financial constraint to you, had you have to pass on this offer. 

 

A paragraph talking about the losses I would face:

 

"The loss of this job offer will not only result in a severe financial loss to us but also will consequently impact my career as I stand to suffer a major professional setback, given the unique nature of this opportunity. Lastly, I would lose the opportunity to have health insurance coverage through this employer as I am not currently insured since my husband and I cannot afford to pay the spouse premium.

 

Please find the following documents to support my claims, presented in the following order:

1. USCIS email notice requesting additional information
2. Job offer letter highlighting the expiration date of abc. 
3. Proof of the employment gap: previous EAD card, Employment verification letter from my previous employer
4. Proof of current health situation: not insured, needing emergency wisdom teeth extractions, Proof of my husband’s current health insurance plan stating a $x increase in premium per month for spouse, Dentist’s emergency treatment plan for three wisdom teeth extractions estimating over $x
5. Outstanding monthly expenses that are currently being paid solely by my husband: Residential rental contract showing our monthly rent of $x
6. Outstanding loans that are currently being paid solely by my husband: A student loan statement with a remaining balance of $x, Auto loan statements with a total remaining balance of $x, A wedding expenses loan statement with a total remaining balance of $x
7. A certified copy of marriage certificate

Hi, 

 

I see that you got your EAD expedited. Can you please tell me when and how you got to expedited it (like what means, congressman/woman or ousbadman or by phoning USCIS? Also, how did you get the job offer, like did you apply for a job and then request an offer letter from your expected employer after the interview? Thank you.