Jeff090

For the benefit of anyone else as unfortunate as me:
 
My AP card was stolen while I was travelling in Europe in mid-November 2019.  The US Embassy don't help non-greencard holders.  There isn't a standard USCIS process for handling the exceptional case of lost AP cards.  USCIS Customer support advised me - incorrectly - to submit a 131a to the Embassy - which is a request for a lost greencard.   The USCIS international office in London intervened to cancel this application - after I had pad $550.  London then facilitated me to re-apply for an AP card using the typical 131, but via the express "Humanitarian" office.  Another $550, stating my reasons for humanitarian needs ("theft").  They said the process would take a few weeks.   But figuring all that out was an incredibly stressful week, with lots of steps that I can't even bother documenting.   
 
However, the Humanitarian approval wasn't issued in time for my mid-December flight!  So I just went to Dublin Ireland airport with my AP card photocopies, police report etc.  I had already advised the airline that I would be doing this.  The checkin supervisor allowed me to checkin - without referring to any US authorities.  But in Dublin US immigration happens before you fly, so I guess that makes the airline more open to this.  I had also contacted US Immigration in Dublin in advance to understand how they were likely handle the problem.  At immigration, they reviewed my issue and admitted me.  Warned me that I could not travel again without a re-entry doc (eg another AP card, or greencard).
 
Two days after arriving back in USA, Humanitarian communicated that they had approved my 131 application and that I should visit an Embassy to collect a one-off "boarding foil" to allow me to re-enter.   The same doc that USCIS London had intervened to prevent in the first place! 
 
Also turns out that in the background USCIS Humanitarian had obtained my file from the USCIS Dallas field office.  That caused a whole other problem with my greencard interview.  But the file was eventually returned to Dallas.   
 
In some ways USCIS London, USCIS Humanitarian and even US Immigration were very responsive, informed and helpful.  Expect for Tier 1 Customer Support who were ill-informed and deeply unhelpful, cost me $550 for nothing.  And because I was calling from abroad they couldn't transfer me to Tier 2.    But while helpful, the various people were not very sympathetic, just very bureaucratic.