AP: is it worth it?

[Shub 78]

I'm currently debating this with myself.

I'll be applying for AOS some time in July and am wondering whether I should bother with AP or not, mostly because it's $170 (or $180, whatever) and I'd rather keep the money (obviously ). I know it will be $305 after July 30th.

I see that it takes 2+ months to get approved (according to current statistics), I can probably deal with that.

- I saw that the I-131 form requires you to input when your intended date of departure is and how long you intend to stay out of the US. Does that really matter and can I just apply for AP with a mention that I may or may not decide to travel using it and that I obviously have no idea when that may (or may not) happen?

If I do have to give them an estimate, is it OK if, once I have the AP in hand, I travel before the dates I said I intended to travel at?

- Also, the form asks whether I intend to use my AP for one trip, or for more than one trip... if I tick "one trip" and then it turns out I need to do more than one trip, will that not be a problem? Shall I just tick "multiple trips" anyway and be done with it?

- Does the document ever expire, and can I use it as many times as I want -- provided I don't stay out of the US for too long with regard to the pending AOS application?

- And more generally, is it worth it to apply for AP, just in case? I myself am leaning toward "yes" as it simply makes more sense to me that way, even more so due to the imminent increase in fees, but it does also depend on the answers to the questions above; input is appreciated! Those are questions for which I could find no answers by searching the forums or the FAQs of this site, so I hope it's no problem. Thanks.

[Cécy 44]

Well, it all depends wether you plan to fly out of the country soon or not. If there are family members who are at risk of getting sick or in bad condition and you will want to be with them, etc.

Personnaly I'm not applying for it, it all coasts a lot of money already. The EAD is what I need so I can help my fiancé with the usually spendings of the household.

For the rest my family understands that I won't be able to travel until I get my green-card. I'm just hoping it won't take too long.

[Ngoc-Anh 1]

if you apply late july (30th) you have to pay the increased fee which includes AP anyway.

But otherwise it is really hard to tell because each case is different.

Some GC are approved within 2 months others are waiting for over 2 years

[mybackpages 0]

We applied for the AP just as a bit of insurance in case there was a problem with the Green Card approval because my husband needed to be able to return home this fall. Our green card was approved before the EAD and AP in almost 3 months to the day (We were transfered to CSC).

With the exception of some cases where the name checks are super long, the green card should be issued within 6 months or so. The problem is you never know if y ou are going to have problems with the approval process or not.

The APis good for one year and you can use it multiple times. You are not held to the dates you put on the form when applying.

In hindsight I suppose we could have save the AP money and wait to see if the AOS woul dbe slow. You can always apply for AP after you have the NOA! for the green card. It takes approximately 2-3 months. No doubt, if you have the money and going home soon is important, then it might be worth the "insurance" to have the APtake care of.

[jarl 0]

I'm currently debating this with myself.

I'll be applying for AOS some time in July and am wondering whether I should bother with AP or not, mostly because it's $170 (or $180, whatever) and I'd rather keep the money (obviously ). I know it will be $305 after July 30th.

I see that it takes 2+ months to get approved (according to current statistics), I can probably deal with that.

- I saw that the I-131 form requires you to input when your intended date of departure is and how long you intend to stay out of the US. Does that really matter and can I just apply for AP with a mention that I may or may not decide to travel using it and that I obviously have no idea when that may (or may not) happen?

If I do have to give them an estimate, is it OK if, once I have the AP in hand, I travel before the dates I said I intended to travel at?

- Also, the form asks whether I intend to use my AP for one trip, or for more than one trip... if I tick "one trip" and then it turns out I need to do more than one trip, will that not be a problem? Shall I just tick "multiple trips" anyway and be done with it?

- Does the document ever expire, and can I use it as many times as I want -- provided I don't stay out of the US for too long with regard to the pending AOS application?

- And more generally, is it worth it to apply for AP, just in case? I myself am leaning toward "yes" as it simply makes more sense to me that way, even more so due to the imminent increase in fees, but it does also depend on the answers to the questions above; input is appreciated! Those are questions for which I could find no answers by searching the forums or the FAQs of this site, so I hope it's no problem. Thanks.

what does mean AP?

[Shub 78]

AP means Advance Parole. It is something you need to get if you plan on leaving the US before getting your green card, as you will be denied entry if you have neither green card nor advance parole.

In hindsight I suppose we could have save the AP money and wait to see if the AOS woul dbe slow. You can always apply for AP after you have the NOA! for the green card. It takes approximately 2-3 months. No doubt, if you have the money and going home soon is important, then it might be worth the "insurance" to have the APtake care of.

Yes, I know I can apply for AP whenever I need it if I don't do it at the time of sending my application for AOS, however that would be after July 30th, meaning it will cost $305 instead of $170! That's why I'm thinking it's not a bad idea to apply for AP right away just in case, and if I don't need it, well... it's not too bad. But if I don't get it and then end up HAVING to get it after July 30th, then it's $305 and I'd regret not getting it when it was cheaper...

So, yeah, I guess I'm getting it. Thank you for the answers!

[gogal2020 0]

AP means Advance Parole. It is something you need to get if you plan on leaving the US before getting your green card, as you will be denied entry if you have neither green card nor advance parole.

In hindsight I suppose we could have save the AP money and wait to see if the AOS woul dbe slow. You can always apply for AP after you have the NOA! for the green card. It takes approximately 2-3 months. No doubt, if you have the money and going home soon is important, then it might be worth the "insurance" to have the APtake care of.

Yes, I know I can apply for AP whenever I need it if I don't do it at the time of sending my application for AOS, however that would be after July 30th, meaning it will cost $305 instead of $170! That's why I'm thinking it's not a bad idea to apply for AP right away just in case, and if I don't need it, well... it's not too bad. But if I don't get it and then end up HAVING to get it after July 30th, then it's $305 and I'd regret not getting it when it was cheaper...

So, yeah, I guess I'm getting it. Thank you for the answers!

We applied for AP (for jarl- AP is Advance Parole), because we know too well how the government operates. Some people get their GCs 3-4 months down the road, other wait for years, and it is a known issue, no one knows why though, I suspect pure luck - the didn't lose any papers

The reason we applied is in case the GC takes a long time, we don't have to stop our lives because of the beuracracy, we can still work with the EAD, travel with AP, and pretty much live a normal life, just renewing it every year, until the GC arrives. The money you are talking of are important in every family, especially if you are just starting, but the way I think about it, this is an investment into our future. We would lose more money by us not working by not getting EAD, and lose our health and mind if we were unable to travel in an emergency, only because of some $180. If that problem arises you would be ready to pay much more then that. So it's up to you, we checked multiple visits on our AP forms and did not specify any dates - same price.

Good luck,

Mike.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I applied for and received AP twice - once and then a renewal - and didn't use them, but then it took nearly 2 years for my AOS to be approved. Before I moved my mother took sick quickly and died within a month. If I had been in the US without an AP I would probably not have been able to see her before she died. (I realize we may have been able to get an emergency AP but didn't know that at the time). I didn't want to face that situation if something happened to my father, so we got the AP. Even though we didn't need to use them, still the value of knowing I could leave if I needed to and return safely was worth the cost. Think of the money as buying a type of insurance - you hope you don't need it, but if you do, thank god you have it.

Edited June 29, 2007 by Kathryn41

[featherB 1]

I've applied for it. I suppose there's always the argument that if you don't apply, and your AOS is taking longer than expected to be approved, you can always apply later and have the AP in 2-3 months... as well as the argument that if an emergency crops up, you can get emergency AP. But I'd rather have it in hand in case I need it, than go for the 'wait and see' option. I've seen too many people on here having a total nightmare trying to get emergency AP (and you have to remember that what constitutes an emergency for you might not cut it with USCIS - who wants to be told by some immigration officer, for instance, that their relative's medical condition isn't deemed quite dire enough to warrant it?? There's no guarantee that you'll get emergency AP if you apply for it... I'd rather not take the risk), I realise that if something crops up before I get my AP, I'd have to try the 'emergency' thing, but otherwise... I'd rather have it safely in hand so I could leave the country ASAP without faffing around with Infopass appointments and having to 'convince' an immigration officer, should the need arise.