EAD Expedite Tips with Congressional Support

[chancecody 125]

This post is intended to help people who meet the Expedite criteria. PLEASE ONLY SEND EXPEDITE REQUEST IF YOU QUALIFY. I read people on reddit asking for expedite 3 -4 times after they have been denied. Do not waste USCIS’s time because if you know you don’t have a case to Expedite, you are just taking their precious resources that they could be using for people who TRULY qualify for Expedite. USCIS will ASK PROOF so DO NOT even try to expedite secretly hoping that USCIS will not ask for proof as they will just DENY your case. USCIS ASKS FOR PROOF.

 

https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/how-to-make-an-expedite-request

 

1. Contact a member of your congress (house.gov for a Congressman or senate.gov for your Senator). Go to the chosen member of congress’ website and look for “help with a federal agency”
2. Fill out the Privacy Release Form found on your member of congress’ website. This step is a must. The PRF form will explain to you why.
3. Write a signed letter of hardship addressed to USCIS NBC explaining why it is important to expedite your case in as much detail as possible. For help writing a hardship letter, see this: https://www.kolkocasey.com/immigration-and-firm-news/how-do-i-write-a-hardship-letter
4. You will also need to include any supporting documents that may assist in supporting your letter (USCIS needs a pending job offer letter that has an expiration date in an official letterhead). PROOF IS NEEDED. Do NOT expedite secretly hoping that USCIS will not ask for evidence. THEY WILL ASK FOR EVIDENCE.
5. Fax or email your Privacy Release form, signed letter of hardship and proof of financial loss such as a pending job offer to your member of congress. 
6. Wait for a caseworker at your member of congress to contact you within 24 business hours. If you have not heard back from them, call them after 24 business hours telling them that you faxed the Privacy Release form, hardship letter and supporting documentation.
7. You will be approved within 7 days if your caseworker is good and knows who to call. If you are not getting a good resolution with your first chosen member of congress, contact someone else after 7 days. My first caseworker at Sen Jacky Rosen’s office in Nevada just kept sending emails to USCIS and I lost 3 weeks. After I got fed up with her, I contacted Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s office and within 1 week I got the EAD approved. It is because the caseworker at Sen Masto’s office actually picked up the PHONE and called instead of the other caseworker who likes to send email which USCIS likes to ignore.
8. Do not contact multiple members of congress at the same time as if all of them are working on the same case, there is duplication of efforts and your case will be further delayed. The PRF form will ask you if you have contacted another member of congress and if you say yes, they will not help you (and you cannot lie as they will know).

 

IMPORTANT: I know everyone wants to get their EAD card sooner rather than later due to the current 9 month wait at the NBC. Many people who do not qualify also expedite since it is free. PLEASE ONLY EXPEDITE IF YOU QUALIFY PER THE USCIS CRITERIA and IF YOU HAVE PROOF TO BACK IT UP. USCIS asks for PROOF so do not even think about “it does not hurt to ask”. By asking for Expedite if you don’t qualify, you are taking precious resources away to people that REALLY NEED IT. To be clear USCIS ASKS FOR PROOF.

 

[Boiler 45,733]

If you qualify is very subjective, I have seen cases approved that I thought had no chance and slam dunks turned down.

[chancecody 125]

8 hours ago, Boiler said:

If you qualify is very subjective, I have seen cases approved that I thought had no chance and slam dunks turned down.

That’s correct. It is not guaranteed and it is at the discretion of the officer assigned to your case. I was calling out people who clearly do not have a pending job offer or people asking friends or family to write them a letter etc….those people who keeps asking for expedite and kept getting denied because they think it is free to ask (I have read them all on reddit) who is taking precious spot to people with real need. My employer also told me that USCIS called them to verify the pending job offer.

 

I was able to back up my claim by showing at least $200K in financial loss if it is not approved (salary + relocation bonus + rent for next 6 months + vet bills and surgery estimates for care and surgery of a senior dog). My USC spouse is also not working as he is a student.

[Boiler 45,733]

I am not aware of any requirement to have a pending job offer, however where I am there are no end of Help Wanted signs in Restaurants, Supermarkets etc so that should not be an issue.

 

It is free to ask.

 

 

[chancecody 125]

3 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I am not aware of any requirement to have a pending job offer, however where I am there are no end of Help Wanted signs in Restaurants, Supermarkets etc so that should not be an issue.

 

It is free to ask.

 

 

Do not spread misinformation. Of course you are not aware because you don’t have experience. People need to get a job offer first before asking for expedite. You can’t ask for expedite without financial proof. Below is the word for word document from USCIS:

 

“Upon receipt of your request for expeditious handling, 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 your financial loss, such as proof of a pending job offer, to the following number:  816-xxx-xxxx, Attn: xxxx xxx xx. Please include this notice with your fax. Documents should be submitted with an official letterhead.”

[Boiler 45,733]

Such as, if it was a requirement it would say so.

 

Moot point a job offer is easy to get.

[Letspaintcookies 2,310]

There are many reasons under which an expedite can be requested and approved not just financial loss. Mine was probably under the humanitarian category and I honestly wouldn't have accepted mine but they did. I also remember a case that was denied on the first try but approved on the second with the exact same documentation. So yea, while I can understand what you're saying it's not that black and white.

[Artuicune 1]

On 10/29/2021 at 6:58 PM, chancecody said:

1. Contact a member of your congress (house.gov for a Congressman or senate.gov for your Senator). Go to the chosen member of congress’ website and look for “help with a federal agency”
2. Fill out the Privacy Release Form found on your member of congress’ website. This step is a must. The PRF form will explain to you why.
3. Write a signed letter of hardship addressed to USCIS NBC explaining why it is important to expedite your case in as much detail as possible. For help writing a hardship letter, see this: https://www.kolkocasey.com/immigration-and-firm-news/how-do-i-write-a-hardship-letter
4. You will also need to include any supporting documents that may assist in supporting your letter (USCIS needs a pending job offer letter that has an expiration date in an official letterhead). PROOF IS NEEDED. Do NOT expedite secretly hoping that USCIS will not ask for evidence. THEY WILL ASK FOR EVIDENCE.
5. Fax or email your Privacy Release form, signed letter of hardship and proof of financial loss such as a pending job offer to your member of congress. 
6. Wait for a caseworker at your member of congress to contact you within 24 business hours. If you have not heard back from them, call them after 24 business hours telling them that you faxed the Privacy Release form, hardship letter and supporting documentation.
7. You will be approved within 7 days if your caseworker is good and knows who to call. If you are not getting a good resolution with your first chosen member of congress, contact someone else after 7 days. My first caseworker at Sen Jacky Rosen’s office in Nevada just kept sending emails to USCIS and I lost 3 weeks. After I got fed up with her, I contacted Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s office and within 1 week I got the EAD approved. It is because the caseworker at Sen Masto’s office actually picked up the PHONE and called instead of the other caseworker who likes to send email which USCIS likes to ignore.
8. Do not contact multiple members of congress at the same time as if all of them are working on the same case, there is duplication of efforts and your case will be further delayed. The PRF form will ask you if you have contacted another member of congress and if you say yes, they will not help you (and you cannot lie as they will know).

I kind of followed this plan. We live in DC and my husband works at the senate office of a different state, so he asked internally if we could submit the expedite request via his office. We found the person in charge, and she filed the expedite request, including evidence of financial hardship for the company as well as me, on Fri Feb 24. However, based on her emails, I don't think she did anything but the bare minimum, as in, not calling but just filing it for me.

 

So far, I still haven't heard anything from USCIS or from her. You mentioned a 7-day process if the office does their job well, so that makes me think that the person in charge did not do much except for file. I also cannot track what is happening currently. Does anybody know if you expedite your EAD request, does the EAD timeline in myUSCIS update at any point, or only when they approve it? I am considering emailing this office again or instead contacting the delegate for DC, as maybe their office would be actually putting in more work? Any recommendations?

[Boiler 45,733]

All they can do is pass it on on your behalf

 

Expedite timelines are much longer now, obviously varies but seem to be around 2 months 

[Artuicune 1]

3 minutes ago, Boiler said:

All they can do is pass it on on your behalf

 

Expedite timelines are much longer now, obviously varies but seem to be around 2 months 

Oh, I thought this was for self-submitted. I was under the impression that through a congressperson (with a caseworker which "is good", as stated in the first post) it would be faster still.

 

Is this 2 month timeline between filing for expedite and receiving card in the mail? Can I at any point expect some kind of update in my myUSCIS account, or is it basically hoping for the best until you get message of approval?

[chancecody 125]

24 minutes ago, Artuicune said:

I kind of followed this plan. We live in DC and my husband works at the senate office of a different state, so he asked internally if we could submit the expedite request via his office. We found the person in charge, and she filed the expedite request, including evidence of financial hardship for the company as well as me, on Fri Feb 24. However, based on her emails, I don't think she did anything but the bare minimum, as in, not calling but just filing it for me.

 

So far, I still haven't heard anything from USCIS or from her. You mentioned a 7-day process if the office does their job well, so that makes me think that the person in charge did not do much except for file. I also cannot track what is happening currently. Does anybody know if you expedite your EAD request, does the EAD timeline in myUSCIS update at any point, or only when they approve it? I am considering emailing this office again or instead contacting the delegate for DC, as maybe their office would be actually putting in more work? Any recommendations?

Hello,

 

It depends on how good is your member of congress in advocating on your behalf. They have access to "USCIS liaison". I have their email address still but I will not give it out as it was forwarded to me by my caseworker. I live in NV so I was lucky to have Sen Cortez-Masto (D) as she helped us multiple times first on EAD back in 2021 then green card approval in Dec 2022 due to outside processing times. The other Senator Rosen (D) did a poor job when I first contacted them; and our Congressman Amodei (R) ignored our request. You just have to find your correct member of congress that will advocate on your behalf. Please follow up with the person you contacted. If there is no resolution, try the other senator or congressman for DC. I am not sure how many member of congress you have for DC but in NV, we have 3 (the ones that I mentioned above).

 

Good luck.

[Boiler 45,733]

I have never seen any suggestions that one way was faster than another, if it was then everyone should or would go that way.

 

Obviously it is an intern or junior staffer that handles these, no doubt some are more diligent in passing them on than others.

 

2 months seems the normal time to review 

[chancecody 125]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

I have never seen any suggestions that one way was faster than another, if it was then everyone should or would go that way.

 

Obviously it is an intern or junior staffer that handles these, no doubt some are more diligent in passing them on than others.

 

2 months seems the normal time to review 

Exactly - interns handle these and it depends on their diligence. I would also like to add that my Senator was up for a re-election and it was a hard fought re-election so they may have been working very hard to get my husband's vote (which they did lol). I gave examples of my experience from each of my representative's offices. The Sen Rosen office gave me a run around and wasted my time for weeks (she was not up for re-election in 2022). Then I contacted both my other Senator and the House Representative for my area. The interns at Sen Cortez-Masto were just really good at their jobs when I contacted them multiple times for different cases.