EAD vs. waiting for Green Card

[Dayna 0]

Which is faster - applying for EAD after receiving AOS NOA1 or waiting until after AOS process is finished and receiving Green Card?

My husband received his NOA1 yesterday that had his biometrics appointment date/time on it.

Which is in 10 days from now...

I'm trying to figure out which will be faster for us...

Thanks!

Dayna

[no name 1]

Which is faster - applying for EAD after receiving AOS NOA1 or waiting until after AOS process is finished and receiving Green Card?

My husband received his NOA1 yesterday that had his biometrics appointment date/time on it.

Which is in 10 days from now...

I'm trying to figure out which will be faster for us...

Thanks!

Dayna

There's no way of knowing when you will get your GC, could be 2 months, could be 2 years. The EAD is always around 90 days after filing your I-765.

If you need your EAD, I'd apply now.

[cellarlily 0]

It varies wildly. Some people are very lucky and get their Green Card within a couple months of filing and find EAD to be useless because they're approved before it ever arrives.

Likewise, there have been many, many people who have been stuck in name checks for months, even years, and would probably be going insane without their EAD. Even those who aren't stuck in name checks (perhaps were transferred to CSC and are waiting there ) find that their EAD is like gold.

Basically the EAD and the $180 you pay for it is like fire insurance. You hope and pray that you won't need it and will end up being useless, but if you do need it, you have it and you're very glad.

In summary (because I get very rambly in the evening): there is no way to tell when you will get your Green Card. If you're concerned about working, I'd apply for EAD immediately. You'll almost definitely have it in 90 days.

[LaL 418]

I agree with the suggestions above, but let me add my old-standby. You pay $180 dollars for an EAD. You could certainly make that back in a few days worth of work. It really depends on if you wish to work or not.

[StormnRolly 0]

Which is faster - applying for EAD after receiving AOS NOA1 or waiting until after AOS process is finished and receiving Green Card?

Just a note cause it seems to me you're asking if you should wait until after you have your GC to apply for EAD.

NO

Your GC is your work authorization. The EAD is like a preview... it is for use until you have your GC then it becomes void.

[one2zee 1]

Can't you apply for EAD at the same time that you send in the rest of your AOS Documents or do you need to wait until you have the NOA 1? One of the previous posts in this thread said that they had just received their NOA 1 and thinking of filing for the EAD.

Chuck D

[StormnRolly 0]

You can apply at the same time... in the same package even. I guess some people change their minds about filing for EAD or didn't have money at the time they filed AOS, I'm not sure...

[WifeOHunkyJohn 2]

We're filing for EAD next month as I am starting to go stir crazy. It's been 9 months and 1 day (not that I'm counting) since we sent off our AOS forms and we are "pending FBI name check". It could clear in 2 more days or 2 more years and I am tired of waiting and of spending my days with only myself for company.

Besides, having a job (think of it as "something to do") would certainly make the waiting go faster.

Just my 2 cents anyway...

[Dayna 0]

It varies wildly. Some people are very lucky and get their Green Card within a couple months of filing and find EAD to be useless because they're approved before it ever arrives.

Likewise, there have been many, many people who have been stuck in name checks for months, even years, and would probably be going insane without their EAD. Even those who aren't stuck in name checks (perhaps were transferred to CSC and are waiting there ) find that their EAD is like gold.

Basically the EAD and the $180 you pay for it is like fire insurance. You hope and pray that you won't need it and will end up being useless, but if you do need it, you have it and you're very glad.

In summary (because I get very rambly in the evening): there is no way to tell when you will get your Green Card. If you're concerned about working, I'd apply for EAD immediately. You'll almost definitely have it in 90 days.

What are the name checks? I'm not exactly sure what that is and who performs it, and why are they doing it?

[Jashley820 0]

It varies wildly. Some people are very lucky and get their Green Card within a couple months of filing and find EAD to be useless because they're approved before it ever arrives.

Likewise, there have been many, many people who have been stuck in name checks for months, even years, and would probably be going insane without their EAD. Even those who aren't stuck in name checks (perhaps were transferred to CSC and are waiting there ) find that their EAD is like gold.

Basically the EAD and the $180 you pay for it is like fire insurance. You hope and pray that you won't need it and will end up being useless, but if you do need it, you have it and you're very glad.

In summary (because I get very rambly in the evening): there is no way to tell when you will get your Green Card. If you're concerned about working, I'd apply for EAD immediately. You'll almost definitely have it in 90 days.

What are the name checks? I'm not exactly sure what that is and who performs it, and why are they doing it?

Hi Dayna,

The USCIS submits the name of each person applying for AOS to the FBI for a namecheck (background check). Each person also must have thier fingerprints taken and those are also run through the FBI database to check for hits. There are many threads discussing the FBI namecheck and how it is done- you might want to do a search for them to read up on it.

Basically, they run many permutations of your name through the database and if there are no "hits" or records that come up, then you are cleared immediately. If even one hit comes out of the namecheck, then the FBI must manually go into the files in question to verify if it is/is not you. This can take months or even years to do. That's why many people are still stuck in namecheck. The fingerprint check is easy- each person has a unique set of prints so there is no question when there is a hit based on prints- it's you. However, names can be quite common, so namecheck hits require manual verification.

Hope this helps a bit. I am sure someone else will come along and add to this.

[Donna A 4]

its best to just fork over the money and get the work auth if u wanna work.

it took a year for us just to get the green card interview and here we still wait almost a year and half with no end in sight for the green card. yes...2.5 years of our life have been held up for no reason because of name check.

thank God my husband was able to get a EAD and work.

[zsam 0]

i would definitely apply for the EAD--my two cents...

with USCIS you can never tell if the EAD or AOS will be faster...better to apply for the EAD.

good luck!

Edited May 29, 2007 by zsam