my AOS/EAD/AP/I-130 application package arrived at chicago lockbox on Oct. 15, and i got the receipts followed by biometrics appointment on Nov. 7. everything went okay so far except for a major setback on AP expedition.

hoping to expedite my AP so that i can visit my illed dad, i went to the NY district office first cuz it's closer to me by distance. i thought new yorkers are ruder but surprisingly the lady agreed to grant me AP the same day. before she was about to issue it, however, she discovered that i live in CT, apologized that she had to turn me down and said i had to go to the Hartford office though i'm only 45 mins away from NYC, but 3 hours away from Hartford. i then made another appointment w. hartford office last week. unfortunately, the day b/4 i went, i got a RFE cuz USCIS doesn't accept the birth certificate issued by my consulate (i followed the advice from the clerk at infopass appointment...sigh). with the assumption that AP shouldn't be affected by the RFE (cuz i'm not expediting EAD), i still went to Hartford office and explained the situation to them in the hope that i could get AP as easily as i would in nyc.

having read some posts ab Hartford office here, i thought they would be nice. unfortunately, the lady i spoke with was kinda mean to me. she said because of the RFE, they had to stop processing my AP. she also said i need to provide further evidence like doctor's note (the simple note, flight schedule and the letter of explanation of the urgent need to visit illed family member i had were not accepted) to prove it's DIFINITELY life or death situation othewise there is NO WAY i can expedite AP. to my surprise and very uncalled for, she then added that "just because you apply for GC, doesn't mean you will get it. a lot of people can't get it."

i was totally clueless as to why she gave such a comment out of the blue cuz i didn't request to discuss if i will get GC or not. nevertheless i still tried my best to be polite in response to her rudeness/insult, and asked to speak w. her supervisor. to my greater disappointment, the supervisor answered my questions while looking at the lady the same time as if he was afraid of pissing her off. he said Hartford office has NO discretion to grant me AP (i wonder why NY office has the discretion, but Harford has NONE then???). but i need to get doc's note to show EXACTLY that it's life or death situation, and i MUST come back to Harford again and ask them to fax over the doc's note for me to the MO office. and this is THE ONLY way i can expedite AP.

my dad lives alone at the nursing home after divorce w. my mom. he is indeed old and illed, and he fainted a couple of times the past few months that worries me a lot. but he is NOT ABOUT TO die in the next couple of days. i heard plp got AP w. a lot of differrent reasons including attending friends' or relatives' weddings, or even having your own wedding, etc. but i know for sure none of those reasons would be accepted by the cold-hearted Hartford office. my flight is next wednesday, but i guess i have no choice but give up AP and cancel the trip. SIGH....

I am sorry to hear you had to go to 2 different offices in an attempt to get an emergency AP.... In the 2 1/2 years I have been on VJ I have never seen anyone get a emergency AP for a wedding.... and every case that has been approved they did have evidence of the life or death situation... There is a big difference between getting them to process your normal AP application faster at the service center and applying for emergency AP at your local office.... you will need to get evidence such as a fax from your fathers doctors or the Nursing Home where he lives, detailing the severity of his health...

I hope thing work out for you and you get to go and visit your father soon..

Kez

thank you for your wishes and explanations. i can surely get a doc's note that describes in details the severity of my dad's disease. however, even if the patient does faint many times, any ethical doc won't write down anything like 'life or death' situation unless the patient is already dead, or is SURELY dying soon.
i'm not sure if all plp that got expedited AP only got it w. life-or-death reason. after all, i would have got it from NY office already if i have still had live in NYC (i moved to CT recently).
i shared my experience in the hope that plp won't get misled by how easy it seems to expedite AP as posted on this forum somewhere before (i swear i saw quite some posts b/4). also each office seems to have totally different policy. NYC has the discretion to grant AP right away, and is more willing to believe/help people. Harford, on the other hand, claims it has NO discretion or whatsoever to grant anything, and tends to be way more skeptical and critical than it's supposed to. believe me--you won't like it when they jinx you by saying "a lot of plp apply for GC and can't get it. don't assume you'll get it" when you politely only ask to discuss AP and REF from USCIS for B/C.
anyway...THANK GOD my dad and mom are still alive. hahaha... it's no big deal i can't expedite AP. i can postpone my trip. it's just another lesson i've learnt and hopefully would be helpful info for others.