Travel for work while awaiting green card interview

[meaganb 2]

Hi Everyone,

My husband (USC) and I are awaiting our interview for AOS from J1 to green card. I applied for advance parole and work authorization with the entire AOS package and suspect (hope?) that AP and Work Authorization will be granted next month. When this happens, I will continue working with the company that I had worked with while on my J1.

My question is this:

My work is asking me to travel for 3 weeks to Ecuador (not my home country) at the end of Dec/beginning of January. At this point, I suspect that I will still be awaiting my green card interview, and still only be in posession of AP and work authorization. It seems that the AP is for emergencies only, so, would it be unwise to travel out of the US for work? Is it best that I turn down this work opportunity and stay put until my interview/green card?

Thanks for your advice!

[Hypnos 6,576]

AP can be used for any purposes - not just emergencies - when it's issued on the basis of a pending AoS. Humanitarian parole is the one that is meant for emergencies only.

[CdnRN 40]

Hypnos has answered you correctly. I just used my AP to go back to Canada and had no issues getting back in.

One tip: I'd check your local office for processing dates - the kicker would be to have your interview scheduled for during your trip. I'm not sure how easily changeable interviews are (I've heard of people changing their interviews). Maybe ensure your travel plans are changeable???