Bronforth

22 hours ago, rye_212 said:

I spoke to tier 1 today who said that my original March 22nd date stands, that my AP/EAD is out of normal processing time and that I can submit a case enquiry.   I will have my lawyer submit that today.  

I submitted my second round of service requests on September 4th (for both EAD and AP). I got this response on my AP: "Due to workload factors not related to your case, USCIS anticipates a delay in completing your case. USCIS is committed to adjudicating immigration benefits in the order received and in a timely and efficient manner. "

This is contradictory to what was sent to the congresswoman's office. My SR for the EAD has been assigned to an officer as of 9/14 and I'm still awaiting a response.

17 hours ago, rye_212 said:

Wow!  Thanks for posting this.  

 

I had an RFIE on the underlying Greencard 485, and as best I can guess, it was processed on 16th July.  So if I understand this message correctly, the processing start-date for my AP/EAD gets reset to July 16th from the original March 22nd. 

 

Is anyone else in this situation!!

 

OMG, the RFIE was a mistake that the lawyer made on the 485 application, and now its going to cause me to be unable to travel in October, and unable to see family until next year!

 

 

It's epic. There's been no communication from USCIS (obviously) about what is actually happening to my specific case just this random rule of theirs that could apply in this situation. I'm hoping that they say it could be restarted but still may only have paused our cases so the delay will only be a few weeks. I'll definitely post what happens. Good luck to you!

34 minutes ago, Hishamf said:

Wow, I have never heard that the processing times start over from the date the RFE was received. 

 

I have been just just hoping to receive something in the mail at any time and that the website is just incorrect. But this sounds pretty frustrating. 

 

Good luck with the Senators office, I’m still waiting on a reply from my request too. 

The Sen's office apparently uses the same channels as the congressmen so there's not much more to get the politicians to do in my case unfortunately. 

Hope you hear something positive soon! Good luck!

1 hour ago, BlueGatorGamer said:

 

 

The law is a bit confusing on this one and the individual USCIS employees could interpret it differently. Not sure if they have an internal memo clarifying it. 

 

 

Wow I've read it multiple times and still struggle to get meaning out of it! Thanks for the source!

I fear I've reached a dead end and I'm just going to have to wait. Senator's offices apparently use the exact same channel as the congressmen so there is no benefit to getting them on board and it could apparently slow my case down.

7 hours ago, Bronforth said:

I feel like I'm in exactly the same boat (Feb 28th AOS, RFE for a more detailed birth cert in June, Interview ready to be scheduled since Aug 6, SR July 31 - no answer). I submitted a second service request but I really don't think they even look at those. I also hopefully have a job waiting for me (but I don't know for how long) and it was against company policy to write a job offer for somebody without work authorization so I couldn't go for an expedite.

So I have a maximally frustrating response from the congresswoman's office: 

"Thank you for your inquiry regarding this constituent’s immigration matter.  This case is currently within our normal processing times.  Our records indicate that we received a response to a request for evidence for the underlying I-485 application on 6/18/2019.  Pursuant to 8 CFR § 103.2(b)(10), if USCIS issues a request for initial evidence on either the Form I-765 application or the principal Form I-485 application, the processing timeframes start over from the date of receipt of the initial evidence.

It appears that the National Benefits Center is currently processing cases of this category filed on or before March 30, 2019. We can use this information to estimate that your case is about 3 months away from being assigned to an adjudicator.

Please let us know if you don’t hear back from USCIS by 12/10/19." 

I think I'll call the Senator in the morning.

35 minutes ago, Bronforth said:

I'm at 194 days and counting and the most I've heard on my EAD/AP/AOS is my AOS case is ready to schedule an interview as of early last month. I'm trying to get some answers about my seemingly stalled case through my congresswoman since I'm way beyond normal time now. In theory the case worker put in a request with USCIS last Wednesday. She says it should take 'a couple of weeks' to hear anything. That seems totally excessive to me. But so does this whole process so my judgment may mean precious little... 

 

Should I stay on her case with calls/emails or is there really nothing else to do? Is it time to get the senator involved? How have others worked with politicians to get their cases to move?

And I have an answer but it is probably the most frustrating answer I could have received:

"Thank you for your inquiry regarding this constituent’s immigration matter.  This case is currently within our normal processing times.  Our records indicate that we received a response to a request for evidence for the underlying I-485 application on 6/18/2019.  Pursuant to 8 CFR § 103.2(b)(10), if USCIS issues a request for initial evidence on either the Form I-765 application or the principal Form I-485 application, the processing timeframes start over from the date of receipt of the initial evidence.

It appears that the National Benefits Center is currently processing cases of this category filed on or before March 30, 2019. We can use this information to estimate that your case is about 3 months away from being assigned to an adjudicator.

Please let us know if you don’t hear back from USCIS by 12/10/19." 

😭

2 hours ago, ladybell3k said:

Has anyone in this forum who filed in January 2019 not received their travel document or work permit yet. To get even more specific, anyone file from NYC? I'm really running out of patience here and don't know what to do.

I'm at 194 days and counting and the most I've heard on my EAD/AP/AOS is my AOS case is ready to schedule an interview as of early last month. I've done 2 service requests too. I'm trying to get some answers about my case through my congresswoman since I'm also way beyond normal time now. Seems like that would be a good next step for you too. In theory the case worker put in a request with USCIS last Wednesday. She says it should take 'a couple of weeks' to hear anything. That seems totally excessive to me. But so does this whole process so my judgment may mean precious little... 

I'm wondering if I should I stay on her case with calls/emails or is there really nothing else to do? Is it time to get the senator involved? How have others worked with politicians to get their cases to move?

I'm at 194 days and counting and the most I've heard on my EAD/AP/AOS is my AOS case is ready to schedule an interview as of early last month. I'm trying to get some answers about my seemingly stalled case through my congresswoman since I'm way beyond normal time now. In theory the case worker put in a request with USCIS last Wednesday. She says it should take 'a couple of weeks' to hear anything. That seems totally excessive to me. But so does this whole process so my judgment may mean precious little... 

Should I stay on her case with calls/emails or is there really nothing else to do? Is it time to get the senator involved? How have others worked with politicians to get their cases to move?

14 hours ago, Hishamf said:

So I’m wondering what’s going on. We had applied for the EAD and AOS which was received on February 21st, fingerprint review completed on March 11th, RFE for a missing page from my wife’s birth certificate which was completed in 3 days and they received that June  17th. No answer or update since then. August 1st I sent a service request which they stated I would receive a reply by August 24th, however no response yet and when I call they say it’s normal. 

 

I sent a congressional inquiry on September 6th and hope to hear something soon.

 

Is this normal? I’m wondering if they lost my case or something? I’m seeing people from months later getting AOS interviews already and my wife already has a possible job opportunity and we’re just waiting on the EAD. It’s frustrating.

 

I did notice that everything through the Seattle office seems to take forever though but it says the last place it was at is the NBC?

I feel like I'm in exactly the same boat (Feb 28th AOS, RFE for a more detailed birth cert in June, Interview ready to be scheduled since Aug 6, SR July 31 - no answer). I submitted a second service request but I really don't think they even look at those. I also hopefully have a job waiting for me (but I don't know for how long) and it was against company policy to write a job offer for somebody without work authorization so I couldn't go for an expedite.

I totally understand the feeling it might have been lost. It feels like they handle these cases in such a random order. I have visions of my file falling behind a desk.

Realistically I think the EAD could (and should) show up any day but my pessimistic side fears the worst. I think the best we can do is keep pressure on the politicians to get an answer for us. 

Good luck!

16 hours ago, dr01d3k4 said:

I'm a week past when a tier 2 said I'd hear within a week, unless they actually meant a week + 1 day cause they were closed on Monday, but it shouldn't have gotten to this point anyway considering we sent the initial service request back in July! I should call them but I think I woke up with my wife's cold :(. If we haven't heard by the weekend, time to contact congresspeople/senator/ombudsman.

I filed Feb 28 and had the opportunity to open a service request on July 31 but it was completely ignored. I've filed a second one as of Sept 4. I contacted my congresswoman's office this week who has a case worker who is 'reaching out to USCIS'. My question is should I also reach out to the senator/ombudsman? Or is it redundant/not worth the effort? Thanks! 

On 8/28/2019 at 12:37 PM, ability said:

I’m trying to understand why someone from April get their combo card , and someone like me and you ,still waiting .. unfair 

Feb 28 and still nothing 😕 

5 hours ago, dittoditto said:

We sent the request during the first week of August. So 30 days haven't passed yet.

Yeah I'm in the same boat. I called the day after the date in my email (but before 30 days), talked to a tier 2, and all they said was they hadn't responded to my service request yet... which I obviously already knew. I guess I'll call at 30 days just because I don't have anything else to do but I don't expect anything useful.

22 hours ago, rye_212 said:

Ive now setup my informed delivery on USPS. 

Ah thanks for the tip I've done the same thing. Anything to add a little bit of reliability to this super shaky system!

2 hours ago, americaninlove said:

Omg five hours!? That’s the most I’ve heard. In theory, yes, it works but so many people say they never got a call back. But I wouldn’t call back now. I don’t think that will help. That seriously sucks for you. I’m so sorry

They did actually call me back with absolutely no useful information. Wait. Maybe something will happen in 30 days. Maybe it won't. 

2 minutes ago, americaninlove said:

Omg five hours!? That’s the most I’ve heard. In theory, yes, it works but so many people say they never got a call back. But I wouldn’t call back now. I don’t think that will help. That seriously sucks for you. I’m so sorry

Yeah I know it feels like they're trying to get rid of me 😉 Thanks for your input I'll give them a chance to call back today and call again on Monday 

22 minutes ago, americaninlove said:

‭(800) 375-5283‬ press 1-1-2-2 then when they answer say you want to put in a service ticket for being outside processing times and ask to speak to a tier two rep. They always push back. You do the same!

I called USCIS this morning using that system and first got a tier one person. I asked to talk to tier 2. She eventually agreed and transferred me to a call back system. Does this actually work? The estimate wait before a call back was more than 5 hours. Or should I call again and ask for tier 2 again?

The tier 1 person only managed to tell me that I need to wait more. I'm a Feb 28 filer, I submitted my service inquiry on July 31 online. I received an email confirming my SR number and to 'expect a reply' by Aug 22. The woman I talked to just said that wasn't true and that I need to wait 30 days.

2 hours ago, AlicerCooper said:

 

 

Guys i'm wondering the same thing now that its August. USCIS still gives an expected processing time of 2.5 - 5 months for EAD/AP on their website. I'm currently on 7 months too, yet when I spoke to USCIS they lady said the wait is now 8 months. So why haven't they updated the website to reflect that? AND we know other people are definitely getting their EAD/AP in 2.5 months - 5 months so why is our wait SO much longer with no info provided to us? Even if we use the 4-6 months wait time as VJ made me expect... we've gone a month over! I've had no RFEs with the K1 or the AOS so not sure why it's taking so long at all. No police convictions, prior marriages, children etc to make it complicated...😐

 

I'm thankful that I have saved enough money before moving here and that my husband can still provide for both of us but surely they should update their website so people can make a better decision if they wanna wait 7+ months for a work/travel permit! 

 

And yes, we ARE outside normal processing times but they won't acknowledge it. So odd. Lets hope August is good to us...

I couldn't agree with you more! 

On 7/30/2019 at 5:30 PM, coltr said:

Wow nice find. Well they're saying date for a case enquiry is March 2nd, and I filed February 22nd, so I submitted a service request. Just spoke to my friend who works in an immigration attorney's office who said the dates are genuine, and they're seeing a flood of approvals this week. Let's see what happens!

My date is Feb 28th so filed an inquiry for my EAD/AP. I also contacted my congresswoman's office who in June told me they couldn't do anything until it was out of normal processing time. Their response today left something to be desired: 

The National Benefits Center where your case is currently processing is working on I-765’s filed on or before March 05, 2019. Since your case was received by USCIS on February 28, 2019, we can estimate that your case was assigned to an adjudicator for processing about 5 days ago. 

We generally allow USCIS anywhere from 45-60 days to process these applications.

This doesn't really make sense to me and I suspect that the person who answered my email doesn't fully understand this process. My understanding is that 5 months is now the max length of time people should be waiting according to USCIS. Why tell me they can't do anything until I've waited 7 months? Just wondering if anybody has had a different/more productive interaction with a congressperson's office on this matter?

Best of luck to everyone waiting!

20 hours ago, Mrsjackson said:

There is no reason it’s taking as long as it is and it never has before in history. These cards used to come in about a month. This is an insane amount of time to be taking and I don’t know if it’s due to the current administration slowing things down by implementing new rules or what. It’s crazy. I can’t believe they think it’s okay for people to be stuck in the US for so long or stuck not working instead of hiring more staff. 

I guess we're all in it together... but I 100% agree with you it's nuts to keep us trapped in the country without permission to work. At least it's summer now

Just wondering if anybody knows what USCIS is actually doing that takes so long to grant the EAD/AP? We were allowed into the country on a K1 visa so haven't they already checked us out so thoroughly that it should be a relatively simple process to allow us to work? Is anybody ever actually denied an EAD/AP?

15 hours ago, AffableAndy said:

I just got my EAD (pd 2/12). I did file an expedite, but I am not sure that it actually mattered. The start date on the EAD is the same day I sent the expedite evidence, so either they processed everything and sent an approval notice all in a single day, or I would have got the card anyway. This makes me worried about renewal, though. If it's taking over 6 months to get an EAD, anyone with a job will probably need to file an expedite request.
 

Hopefully the decision to spread people across offices will reduce wait times for most folks!

I'm interested in your perspective on the expedite request. I actually had a potential job offer but without my EAD I wasn't able to accept. My understanding of the conditions for expedite are very serious medical/financial hardship and a job offer didn't qualify. Is it worth going for it anyway? The potential employer is still interested but I worry they won't hang around indefinitely if my EAD drags on through the summer.

3 minutes ago, Bunnypio said:

The timelines on this site are solely based on the data that the users input.  So if people on this site are getting approved and NOT updating their profiles then the VJ site thinks that nobody is getting approved and there is a processing delay and will base your estimate on the dates of the last approval.  The data on this site can be good at times but i feel it is most accurate for 129/130 forms as well as other long wait visa types.  Right now my updated estimated date for EAD is October 5th however i am confident that it will be approved well before then.  Last time i called USCIS they said they are currently processing EAD's as of October 15th 2018.  Meaning that if you applied ON OR BEFORE October 15th 2018 then you are allowed to request a "Case Inquiry"  which basically means they will stop and look for your application and push it through.  I find that usually they are already approving applications 3 months after this date, so in this case they should be already be working on applications from Mid- Jan to Early Feb.  Although we see approvals before and after this date i feel that the bulk of case workers are working on 2019 applications already.  I still have hope for June but it seems that July will be the month for Feb applications.  Just remember this is all going to be worth it in the end and through the struggles and frustration we will all have a sense of accomplishment when we reach the finish line.  

 

Good luck to all still waiting.

 

 

Thank you for that explanation it's very helpful. I'm happy to hope for a July approval! 

On 6/21/2019 at 2:15 PM, Bunnypio said:

Another Week goes by and all is quiet here.  Anyone receive any notifications this week?  Waiting for the 129F was one thing but i never would have anticipated that the EAD/AP would take this long when historically they have been processed in under 3 months.  Next week we are at 5 months, USCIS site has a laughable 8.5 - 10.5 month average processing time.  🤣🤣😢

 

No change to my case either since it was received in Feb, I think we're on the same timeline as you. Any idea why the estimate from VJ has pushed out so much? Any reason to hope it is extremely off? In April it had said end of June for my EAD/AP but now it's September. I contacted our congresswoman but she won't do anything until October when the USCIS processing time has passed. Good luck to you!