LiCaoli

2 minutes ago, jztelemark said:

Did they give you your SSN?  My wife also received her green card before her EAD and AP were approved.  I wasn't sure if USCIS was going to send the approval to the SS office or not.  I was going to wait a week to see if anything arrived in the mail.  

I had to apply for the SSN. Since the option to automatically get the SSN is part of the form I765 (EAD), not the form I485, you shouldn't expect that the USCIS will send the SS Administration your information.

I still didn't get the number, will receive the card within 2 weeks.

I went to the SS office for my appointment today! It was super fast (5 minutes) and everyone was kind. They said I should receive the card in the mail within 2 weeks. 

hi everyone!

I had my SS office appointment today, so I'm posting my final timeline for reference. I did apply for both work and travel permits, but I got neither. I wish you all good luck!

14 minutes ago, KAP2019 said:

Thanks. This motivated me to call again. They said to just email a copy of my documents and they will call me to arrange an appointment! Much better than mailing all these important things. And you're right, we're supposed to carry our green card at all times. I was thinking a copy would suffice for this, but apparently not! 

Awesome! I'm glad it worked out for you! I should get my GC tomorrow, so I'm really excited!

I've been noticing that many new immigrants that need to apply for the first time for their Social Security number/card are having a hard time getting an in-person appointment at the their local Social Security office, since the offices are closed for walk-in service due to Covid pandemic. 

The alternative these offices are suggesting is mailing your ORIGINAL documents, such as Permanent Resident card, Passaport and sometimes even Birth Certificates. To me, that sounds like a terrible idea, can you imagine the headache in case your documents get lost? I'm not sure how big of a risk it actually is, but I surely don't want to find out. That said, here is some information to try and convince your SS office to get you and in-person appointment. But first, if the person who answers the phone is not wiliing to help you, get their supervisor to talk to you.

• IT'S THE LAW:  You can't mail your GC since Section 264(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (I.N.A.) requires all lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to have “at all times” official evidence of LPR status. 

 (e) Personal possession of registration or receipt card; penalties

Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d). Any alien who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.

• USCIS 'Welcome to the United States A Guide for New Immigrants' states that:

 As a permanent resident, you must: Carry proof of your permanent resident status at all times

Page 14: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/M-618.pdf

• Here are two articles about the topic:

 “If you decide to carry a copy of your green card instead of the original because you want to keep the original safe, you will be violating the law.”

 https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/do-i-really-need-carry-green-card-me.html

 “Do you have to carry my green card around with you? Card holders are required under law to have their green cards on them at all times to prove their legal status. If you are detained, Federal law enforcement has the authority to demand that you demonstrate your legal status. Failing to have your green card on your person is considered a misdemeanor.

Practically speaking, chances are that you will likely not get into trouble if you happen to have it on your person. Immigration authorities do have limited resources and will likely not waste them on prosecuting people for not carrying their green cards at all points in time. But, especially in this tumultuous political climate, it is advisable to carry it with you at all times as is required by law.”

https://www.borderwise.co/learn/greencards/everything-a-green-card-holder-should-know

I hope that helps!

7 hours ago, KAP2019 said:

My local SSA is only open for "dire need" appointments. So, I may take a chance and mail documents by certified insured mail! 

I forgot to say that USCIS guide for new immigrants say:

As a permanent resident, you must:

● Carry proof of your permanent resident status at all times.

Page 20: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/M-618.pdf

AND

After We Grant Your Green Card

AND check this website:

If you are 18 or older, you do have to carry your green card with you. Section 264(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (I.N.A.) requires all lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to have “at all times” official evidence of LPR status. 

Failing to have your green card with you is a misdemeanor and if you are found guilty you can be fined up to $100 and put in jail for up to 30 days. (I.N.A. Section 264(e).) A copy is not good enough, because the law does not use the word “copy” or refer to “other evidence” of LPR status.

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/do-i-really-need-carry-green-card-me.html

7 hours ago, KAP2019 said:

My local SSA is only open for "dire need" appointments. So, I may take a chance and mail documents by certified insured mail! 

I've just called my local SSA office and they were surprisingly helpful, I provided them with some of my information and I should wait for their call (within a day) to schedule an in-person appointment.

Also, if you need to get a job, I'd say that's a 'dire need'. They state in their webpage this:

I need help with my Social Security Number (SSN)

We are prioritizing requests for in-person SSN services for:

• Individuals age 12 or older applying for their first SSN card.

18 hours ago, KAP2019 said:

Thanks. I'll give them a call. 

I am in the exact same situation. My GC was mailed yestarday, but my EAD never got approved, since the GC was faster. I also checked the box to get the SSN automatically, but I'm not sure what will happen, I'm afraid they won't mail the SSN automatically and I'll have to apply, which means trying to get an in person appointment at SSA, so frustrating.

Please let me know if you get any updates. I think I'll wait until the GC is here to give them a call.

15 hours ago, iris@@ said:

I filed i485 back in July 2020, but didn’t file i765 and i131, because I didn’t expect it would take this long to get a green card. 

 

Now my case is “ready to be scheduled for an interview”, but I have no idea when I can get scheduled. 

 

Do you recommend me to apply for the combo card now? Will it be faster because I already had my fingerprints taken?

 

Or should I just wait for my interview for the green card. Thanks!

I filed for both travel and work authorization with my i485 and still didn't get them, even though I already have my interview schedule for the next week, so it's not guaranteed 765/131 would be faster. After my case updated to “ready to be scheduled for an interview" it didn't take long until the interview was actually scheduled. Good luck!

Covid-19 era filers, how long after the interview did you get your green card in mail?

On 2/4/2021 at 9:40 AM, ksh9256 said:

Has anyone gotten EAD or an SSN number yet?

My wife had her biometrics this past December (Detroit). Checking the status they said they are getting ready to schedule her interview. No updates on EAD. I called the SSN office and since I filed for that with her AOS they said there is nothing they can do. Our offices were closed back then so I didn't have a choice at the time.

At this point she'll have her green card before anything else.

 

I´m in the same situation, recently received my interview notice (schedule to the 25th of Feb), but had no updates on the EAD whatsoever since the bio appointment (on the 5th of Jan, 2021).

On 1/15/2021 at 1:41 AM, Sinead91 said:

I received my interview date today but my field office scheduled for Feb 5th (very soon) and my husband has surgery that day so I requested a change and USCIS placed the request so I’ll wait for my new date! 

Hello!

Can I ask how many weeks/months from the day your form 485 was updated to "interview was scheduled" until you got the mail notice with the actual date? Thank you

1 minute ago, kenm said:

Wow, congratulations. I filed around the same time as you and received the interview is ready to be scheduled on Jan 5th, but it hasn't changed to Interview was Scheduled yet

This waiting game is really disappointing! My fingerprints were taken on the 5th, form 485 updated to "interview is ready to be scheduled" on the 12th and today (the 21st) updated to “interview was scheduled”.  It can be so different from local office to local office. Good luck!

2 minutes ago, iy2020 said:

If it says “interview was scheduled” instead of “ready to schedule for interview,” you won’t be waiting too long (although it definitely depends on what “too long” means to each person). I believe interviews dates tend to be 4-6 weeks from the status change on the website. 

Yeah, it says “interview was scheduled”, but I thought that even after that update, the interview would take a long time to actually happen, considering their agenda is busy. Good to know that it could be faster than I was expecting. 🙂

15 minutes ago, Elle53 said:

You will get your GC instead which is  much better  

 

It´s all about timing and priorities, getting the GC is great, but my interview most likely won't be schedule months from now and if I don´t get the EAD until then, I can´t work. Right now, being able to work is more important than getting the GC 😔

Thank you for your reply!

Hey guys!

Have any of you gone through the interview before getting your EAD?

I´m so frustrated with the whole EAD process. My bio appointment (Form 765 and 485) was on the 5th of January (filled on July 27 2020) , finally! But after that, only the form 485 got relevant updates, today it was updated to "Interview was scheduled", which is great, but the form 765 is still showing "Case Was Updated To Show Fingerprints Were Taken", since the 5th. Honestly, right now, all I want is my EAD, I need to work! haha

Hello July 2020 filers!

I finally got my fingerprints taken yesterday (Greer SC) and I was wondering if the AOS interview usually takes place in the same local office or not necessarily. Do you guys know? Thank you!