EAD (WorkPermit)

Has anyone seen the USCIS website for I765 processing times at the NBC? This morning they were on Nov 26th and now it's been updated to March 2nd 2019 for pending I485 adjustment applications and to July 22nd 2018 for all other applications for employment authorization.

Do you think this is a mistake? I hope that March 2nd is accurate because my husband's application has a PD of March 19th.

All comments and thoughts welcome!

Hi,

I am thankful that such forum exists for all of us hoping for working permits. I just want to share my experience and gather some information or advices (from or with the same dilemma).

I got a job offer from a biotech company and my start date will be on the second week of August. I applied for expedite request immediately thru the congresswoman's office after the offer has been e-mailed to me (July 17, 2019). I signed the privacy release form and submitted the supporting documents for the expedite under "severe financial loss" category. After a week, I called the congresswoman's office and they said that they have already sent the documents to the USCIS but there's no response from them yet for my case.

July 26, 2019 - Then I thought of calling the USCIS contact center to ask for any status/updates regarding my expedite request. The rep said that there are no expedite request raised on my case. So she gave me a referral number and told me that I should wait 5 days for an email regarding the next step which is faxing of evidences. After the call, I checked my case status online - on the next steps, it says that my expedite request is CURRENTLY NOT ASSIGNED FOR PROCESSING.

July 29, 2019 - I visited the congresswoman's office and told them what the USCIS told me during the phone call. She explained the situation thoroughly. She said that expedite requests from the any congressional office are internally reviewed and this information may not be seen by the USCIS reps. She told me that I should wait until this week because it takes 1-2 weeks before the USCIS responds.

Now, I am just waiting endlessly for an email from USCIS regarding them asking for proofs and documentation since I raised a request by myself apart from the congresswoman's.

This is just a frustrating and depressing season of waiting. I cannot wait to hear something from them. Praying that they will move a little bit faster... Huhu. We can do this!

Hi,

I am on a L2 visa and filed my EAD on 11 Feb 2019 and wanted to share my experience as this website and everyone's experiences have really helped while we've been waiting for it to come through.

Timeline:

Form - I765 all other types of employment authorisation
Service centre - Vermont Service Center - average processing time for I765 on their website 2-5 months
Filing date - 11 Feb 2019
USCIS receipt/acknowledgement date - 15 Feb 2019
Job offer received - 14 Apr 2019
Expedite request to USCIS on grounds of severe financial loss because of job offer - 13 May 2019
Expedite request rejected by USCIS - 14 May 2019
Contacted Congresswoman's office via their website contact form - 3 Jun 2019
Expedite request to USCIS again on grounds of severe financial loss - 6 Jun 2019
Expedite request rejected by USCIS - 7 Jun 2019
Contacted Congresswoman's office via telephone - 10 Jun 2019
Provided Congresswoman's office with privacy release form and job offer letter - 10 Jun 2019
Congresswoman's office contacted USCIS for status update - 12 Jun 2019
Contacted Congresswoman's office to see if there was an update - 19 Jun 2019
USCIS responded to Congresswoman's office referring them to their average processing time - 19 Jun 2019
**5 months processing time was reached on 15 Jul 2019**
Sent an outside processing time case inquiry through USCIS website - 16 Jul 2019
Contacted Congresswoman's office to inform them case was outside of normal processing time - 16 Jul 2019
Contacted Senator's office to inform them case was outside of normal processing time - 16 Jul 2019
Status changed to case was approved - 23 Jul 2019
Status changed to card being produced - 24 Jul 2019
Senator's office contacted me to inform my status had changed to card was mailed, tracking number for USPS provided - 26 Jul 2019
Signed up for USPS tracking alerts - 26 Jul 2019
Card was received - 29 Jul 2019

So total time from USCIS acknowledgment to card received was 165 days, and this was just a simple I765 form approval.

In the end, we don't know if they approved the case when they did because it was beyond their average processing time or because I had contacted both my congresswoman and senator. Either way, I would recommend doing everything you can because otherwise you'll never know if it could have been approved quicker.

Also, as many many others have said, it is down to you to be proactive, constantly following up with USCIS, congressperson or senator. It's a ridiculously stressful experience for you as the individual as well as your family and at times I felt like it was never going to be approved and we were considering going home. PLEASE HANG IN THERE and know that you're not alone! I have never been more depressed in these 5 months but reading this website and knowing that I wasn't alone provided a level of support that I am grateful for.

It's a situation like no other. I felt trapped because at times I felt like I couldn't find a job because everyone asked whether you had a work permit and I could not say yes, and also not knowing when it would be approved meant I wasn't sure whether a job would wait for an unknown period of time for it to be approved.

Some people would also say that having time off out of work is the best because you get to do what you want, try new things etc. Unfortunately I don't agree. I moved here in January with my husband and my intention was always to work. We don't know anyone here nor do we have kids. It's a very isolating experience having to worry about the unintentional pause in your career while surviving on one salary and for me I couldn't really think about all the fun things I wanted to do but never had the chance to while I was working. I volunteered with multiple organisations to stop going crazy but I was still very depressed and alone. I'm hoping things will now start to change.

I hope this has helped someone out there! Please let me know if anyone has any questions about my experience.

Hi guys, my EAD status has been “CARD WAS MAILED” since July 26th which is a Friday so I assumed that they wouldn’t be able to give me a tracking since usps doesn’t work on weekends. But it’s already tuesday and I haven’t received any update from them...do you guys know how long it normally takes? also, how do i sign up to receieve text messages about my case???

Of course this is a never ending situation.
On Friday the 26th my status said that USPS had picked up my card and when I check the tracking number it said it was gonna be here yesterday, the 29th, by 8:00pm. Now it says that my card is in transit and it is arriving late but now it says unknown date.

Can anybody tell me in what type of mail you received your EAD and if your tracking information was helpful? Does it come in a package or a simple envelope? Because on USPS website it says it is a package.

7.5 months and still don't have this card in hand, I am starting to get concerned.

When an ead application is approved what usually comes first a notice in mail or online it will get updated ? Thanks in advance December 24 nbc marriage filler. Still stuck on case received.

J-2 renewal with Potomac Service Center.

RD: 3/26/19
Card being produced status: 7/24/19
Case approved status: since 7/25/19
Approval Notice in mail: 7/29/19

The status has still not changed to "card mailed". From what I see on here and other tracking websites, it usually takes 7-9 days between the case being approved and the person receiving the EAD in the mail.

Did anyone else receive their EAD without another update change on the USCIS status website?

Hello,
         I filed for i485,i765,i131 on October 15,2018 (10/15/2018) Service Center - NBC
I got my biometrics done on Nov 16, 2018.

i485 status changed to "Case is ready to be scheduled for an interview around 48 days (1 month 18 days) before.

Marriage-based, filer from Houston, Texas.

I still haven't got my EAD yet and it's been 284 days, it's very hard.
I had raised an SR 2 months back, I got no replies from USCIS.

I don't know what I'm supposed to do.

Ok so the first thing to say is that I just hate this website. I hate how it's now only one of 2 websites that I go to religiously - the other being the USCIS status site (which I also hate with a passion). I remember the internet was made of so much content, yet this is where I go.

However I adore all of you, your experiences, points of view and virulent displeasure towards expedite experiences :)

So I finally (after 267 days of waiting), got an email from my congresswoman's office stating my application had been approved. I'd decided to lean more on them given my absolutely ridiculous hemorrhaging of finances since losing my job in early May and my wife is pregnant. "Yes I can advise you that your case has been approved". Hand-stands, cartwheels and an almost relief-vomit later - I eagerly log into the USCIS site and it's not showing anything. A contact with an L1 agent and they confirm this has been approved.

Alright so the site doesn't update - ok. But they say "your card might take 60 days". Wait wut. Has anyone got any counts on how long it takes to mail this sucker out? I've got a job that has waited patiently to welcome me, but can't do the i-9 without it.

Hi all, I've been an avid reader for a while and wanted to send my timeline and experience as hopefully it'll help all of us struggling with a system increasingly antagonistic to the immigrants that helped build this country.

02/14/19 - Received Date (RD) for I-485, I-131 and I-765.
03/14/19 - Biometrics complete.
03/25/19 - First attempt to expedite through my lawyers (i.e. personal request) as well as Senator Schumer's office.
03/31/19 - Visa became invalid due to our company taken over, beginning of unpaid unemployment.
04/12/19 - 3 updates on egov USCIS website on I-765 "On April 12, 2019, your request to have your case expedited, referral number T1 YYYY YYYY XMSC, was assigned to officer/sent a response/completed.".

Didn't receive anything, clearly they didn't accept my expedite request which included a job offer letter and evidence my company was losing millions in revenues. It seems they're unlikely to respond when they reject your case, extremely frustrating as it also wasn't clear whether this was just my expedite request or if it included the Senator's.

06/01/19 - Attempt again to expedite through personal application and senator's office and this time include a spreadsheet showing mortgage payments, etc. are far more than our monthly salary with only my wife working.
06/05/19 - I-485 sends me a Request for Initial Evidence (RFIE) which turns out to be a request for my birth certificate (again) with translation.
06/10/19 - Again get 3 messages that expedite has been responded to. Again hear nothing despite calling USCIS and Schumer's office on a daily basis, assume it was rejected.
06/13/19 - I-485 updates that they're working on my case again.

07/08/19 - Get desperate as only have 2 months of savings to keep paying household bills and mortgages, while prospective employer threatening to pull job offer. See on here that Congresswomen/men are another avenue so call them up and find them far more helpful as they give me an email address and number to call.
07/12/19 - Congresswoman Maloney's office send a forceful letter with all my evidence asking why I haven't been fast tracked. They also include the fact my mother is ill in my home country and I'm due to give my sister away at her wedding in mid-August.
07/17/19 - Usual 3 messages about case being looked at but call USCIS who tell me a letter has been sent out telling me the case is under review and I'll receive an update shortly. First time they've responded to my request.
07/24/19 - I-485 is ready to be scheduled for an interview.
07/27/19 - "New card is in production" message. Massive relief, I should receive it next week.

TLDR: Here are my key take aways

1. Congress was much better for me at getting expedites looked at and they have someone you can talk to to check on your progress. I spoke to a different person every time I called the Senator's office and they had little information.

2. Calls to USCIS didn't yield me any additional information (even with Tier 2 officers) until action is taken online - egov was the most update for me and I would sign up for the email and text alerts as they came through first. The time I got updates changed every day, one day it was 5.45am, one day was a Saturday at 6.45pm.

3. If you meet one of the USCIS criteria to expedite, do it. They have a very high threshold to approve cases so clearly if you're being expedited there's a severe need. My case was financial loss given huge losses each month, job offer and prospective employer losing millions in revenues. The Congresswoman's office also pushed them to send me the card before I fly to my sister's wedding given my mother has been recently ill.

Hope this is useful, I know many filers from before my received date will be frustrated but if you meet the expedite criteria you should use it. Good luck!