dunebuggy

Has anyone successfully renewed their EAD/AP yet? I sent my renewal application on June 21st and really need it by September 18 at the latest so I can travel for our wedding celebration in my home country... eek. My current EAD/AP will expire by then.
 
We had my interview on July 31st and had an RFE because my medical exam is now expired (thanks USCIS for taking over a year to schedule my interview), so I just had my medical exam redone. Sending that over on Monday and hoping that my green card will be approved shortly thereafter - but they told us it can take up to another 120 days?!?
 
This is all so nerve racking since I have to travel on September 19

You should provide a copy of your I-485's NOA1 with your AP/EAD submission. That acts as proof that no payment is required.
 
For the EAD, there's now an automatic renewal of the existing EAD for 180 days once you file for the renewal:
https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/automatic-employment-authorization-document-ead-extension
 
Unfortunately, I see no such automatic extension for AP. You can make an Infopass appointment to try to explain the situation, but I'm not sure what you can do beyond that besides calling up USCIS and requesting an expedite. However, I don't personally foresee it being approved. Only way to know is to try.

Unless there is an urgent emergency, you won't meet the requirements to expedite.
However, I looked at your timeline and the processing times for you local office - you should be able to submit a request for someone to look into your case. It looks outside of current processing times. That might be the ticket to get it decided ASAP. Call USCIS and also, schedule an InfoPass appointment in the interim. Explain your upcoming travel and also that your case is outside of normal processing time. You *might* be able to have them review it in time. I think your full AOS will come before the renewal.
 

They reached out to me in early Jan and I got the interview notice the second day after they contacted me. It turned out that USCIS scheduled my interview few days before they reached out to me(I found the date on the actual interview notice paper). Good luck!

Hi Everybody, I had my interview on March, 22nd. The officer said everything was fine, my interview was 10 minutes. But, I haven't heard back from USCIS; iI have a inforpass on May, 2nd.. Is somebody in the same situation or I'm the luck one?
 
Thanks,
 
Greice

Beloved VisaJourney community,
 
I was just approved on the spot at my AoS interview. It took almost exactly a whole year from the moment of filing, but the silver lining is that we passed our two-year anniversary and thus received the permanent green card. I had no RFE's, nor anything alike.
 
The timeline is as follows: 
 
2016:
May 31st: submitted packet with concurrent I-130, I-485, and I-765 to National Benefits Center.
June 1st: packet was delivered.
June 9th: checks cashed and e-notifications received. None of the tracking numbers not working.
June 13th: received NOAs in the mail, with priority date June 1st.
June 25th: received NOA for biometrics appointment sheduled for July 7th.
June 27th: showed up for biometrics and did walk-in.
July 26th: tracking numbers started working.
August 15th: submittedservice request for EAD pending for over 75 days.
August 21st: submitted service request for change of address.
August 30th: submitted service request for EAD pending for over 90 days.
September 19th: resubmitted first service request for EAD pending for 110 days.
September 20th: I-765 approved and EAD produced.
 
2017:
March 3th: submitted I-131 package to National Benefits Center.
March 13th: submitted service request for I-485, since the processing times showed that my office was already processing cases received after my submission date.
March 15th: received e-notification for I-131.
March 29th: submitted service request for I-130.
April 3rd: scheduled infopass appointment for pending I-485.
April 10th: I-131 approved and produced.
April 15th: received approval notice for I-131.
April 17th: received Advance Parole Document.
April 17th: attended infopass appointment and was told my case had just passed background checks and was soon to be scheduled for an interview.
April 20th: submitted 30-day-no-response service request for prior I-485 service request.
April 20th: interview scheduled for May 25th.
May 25th: interview and approved on the spot.

Greice we're in the same situation.... our interview was March 23rd and was mostly radio silence. I called about two weeks ago and was told I would hear back from the case officer in 5 business days.... nothing. I logged onto myUSCIS today and saw there was some update to the case history (see below) but I am not sure what that means..... We have an infopass today, will let you know how it goes!
 
Case History
04/25/2017
On April 25, 2017, your general inquiry, referral number WKD####NYC, was completed.
04/25/2017
On April 25, 2017, we sent a response to your general inquiry, referral number WKD####NYC.
04/24/2017
On April 24, 2017, your general inquiry, referral number WKD####NYC, was assigned to an officer for response

You will need it, get a replacement.
 
For EAD renewal: 

1. Fill out and sign form I-765. Link
2. Two RECENT passport color photos with A-Number written on the back of them
3. I 765 Approval Notice and Receipts 
4. Photocopy of 485 receipt (i-797) 
5. Form G1145 for (email/sms) notification during the application process (optional)
6. Photocopy of Current EAD/AP combo card (front and back)
7. Bar codes page attached to the previous EAD/AP approval (optional)
8. Copy of Marriage Certificate for dependent only (optional)
9. Front and back copy of I-94 (this is not required for people with pending I485).

Other Details: 
1. If you file your I-485 after July 30,2011 there is no additional fees (Please confirm in I-765instr.pdf)
2. Address to send: depends on where you live, see page 10 of the I-765 instructions document. 
3. http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-765instr.pdf 

For AP renewal: 

1. Fill out and sign form I-131. Link
2. Two RECENT passport photos with A-Number written on the back of them 
3. Photocopy of 485 receipt/ Approval Notice (i-797) 
4. I-485 Receipts 
5. Form G1145 for (email/sms) notification during the application process (optional)
6. Photocopy of Current EAD/AP combo card 
7. Bar codes page attached to the previous EAD/AP approval (optional)
8. Copy of Marriage Certificate for dependent only (optional)

Other Details: 
1. If you file your I-485 after July 30, 2011 there is no additional fees (Please confirm in I-131instr.pdf) 2. Address to send: depends on where you live, see page8 of the I-131 instructions document. 
3. http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-131instr.pdf 

Tip: Put EACH application in its OWN envelope and write the name, A# and form number on the outside for each applicant. Then put all of the envelopes in ONE courier package (FedEx, UPS, Express Mail) and send it to the USCIS. This way your multiple applications (if any) will not get lost/separated. 

Note: If you are applying for Combo Card, please send both the documents (I-131 (AP) & I-765 (EAD)) to I-765-EAD address.

I agree with Nipperswife on this. I would schedule an infopass to see if you can get more information. 
 
Calling customer service is really a waste of time. I spent hours on the phone with customer service and they just don't have any answers or advice. Infopass is really the only way to get answers.

Mu Interview  appointment was  today at 7:30am , 26 federal plaza NY
I got to federal plaza at 6am on the dot . Federal plaza was empty at the time.  My wife and I decided to walk around till 7am.. bad idea . Lol. By the time we got back the line was ridiclously long  but it was moving . We got inside the building after a fast pace  security check ,went to the 4th floor then redirect to the 8th floor where our interview took place.. We met 5 couples waiting but we were called first .
 
My IO was an american oriental... she walked us to her office and told us to raise our right hands up.  Nothing but the truth blah blah .  
She direct most questions to my u.s citizen wife ..where , when ,first date e.t.c questions ..our child dob, my dob, my place of birth e.t.c. 
She questioned my wife for about 10 to 15 mins..  My wife speaks well in general so it was entertaing to her .  The whole interview became a convo and laughter .   Then she's asked me my wife's dob.. my  previous marriage divoce decree and[what happened?) lol.  I said we were young and naive .. she said she understood. She asked of we had any bonified documents.. 
Then she asked me the yes or no questions.
Then she said she will go over our case and seek for approval.. as soon as we stepped out her office . . My i485 changed to interview completed.. Then card in production.. Then case approved  Mewo! 
In all, the Interview was great ! If your marriage is real you have no problem.
Be out spoken and be honest !  Thank you all ! I will not disappear from this forum.  I will post and answer questions in order to help others .  Oh she didn't ask for my new medical..  I asked her if she wanted it .. she said my current one is good . I was like dam. Money wasted lmao. Lol. . 

Try 8am every time I've gotten through it was a bit after 8am ... I scheduled one before but didn't go scheduled another and I will be going on the 26th of this month

Interview went well yesterday at 26 Federal Plaza.... got the verbal "OK" from the officer!  
 
Make sure you are on time to your appointment time and allow yourself 15-20 mins to go through security. We were slightly late and that added on a 3 hour wait because there was a complicated case in front of us!
 
Let's see if / when we get the GC in hand....

I am on another thread and reposting this:
Hi everyone, I just got the time to update after the interview. I had to catch up with realities of work and make up for the focus that I so lost. 
Regarding the medical, I saw a post on the previous page that it is counted from the day the application was filed- not on the day the medical was signed or done—that is correct. However, if you feel safer and if the dates of your interview and the medical expiration is too close or overlapping, I suggest to waste money on being sure, because IOs may treat things differently. On another forum, there was person who was denied because the RFE for the medical was not sealed properly and lab report was sent with it. So make sure that it is included in there when you need to bring one. 
 Our interview went well, more of a conversation and counseling session, there was no structure or outline when I try to remember, there was no what-is-your-favorite food tricky or trivial questions. We were asked how do we resolve our arguments- I was taken aback because I didn’t expect that type of questioning, the only ‘basics’ that were asked were when was the last time you entered US, where do you work, -they were not ‘cross-directed’ at us, the IO asked information about me and directed to me. The IO was nice. I suggest that people dress nicely and professionally, I think it has an impact on how your interviews are handled too. We were not approved on the spot verbatim-ly but it was implied. She said you will recieve great news in 3-5 days. I guess they cant upfront make that decision. We got text notifications in the evening and the next day. 
Just FYI- we did not adjust from K1- so prepare accordingly, meaning the questions might be different and the structure of the interview might be different. Bring along all the correspondences of you have history of arrest, history of divorce, or other complexities because they will be asked- just an observation from recent interviews I read. File tax joint returns if you can now, it will help with the evidence too. 
 If you have specific questions- please ask me I would love to answer them. 
 

Thought I would join this thread. We applied February 2016 and still waiting. In fact, I sent out my EAD renewal package last week  what a pain... We had an interview scheduled at one point but it got cancelled a week later. Hang in there New York filers!!!

Hello Everyone, I'm from Brooklyn and thought I'd join the NYC thread. It seems as if NYC processing times are taking much longer than other field offices... I cannot wait for my case to get to the next level. The latest on mine is my husband received his EAD on Christmas Eve (yay) however it had an error in his last name. Opened a SR and was told to wait for a letter. Went with my husband to the SS office in the meantime to try and get a social under the correct last name however we were advised that they can only provide the ss# based off the EAD card which had the spelling, which they did. We were told to come back to correct it once we receive the corrected EAD card. The typo is so annoying, it wasn't our fault I triple checked the forms I sent and all of them were correct which means that this was USCIS's error. Fine. I just sent back the EAD with additional info that they required and we're now awaiting an answer. We're going to go to the DMV tomorrow and get my husband his first US license ever after being in this country to 10 years. Hopefully they'll just look at the spelling on his passport instead of his SS card, I would hate to go back twice!

I posted this in the Visa Journey FB group a few days ago and forgot to post it here:
"Just arrived back home from a holiday in Dubai with my husband. He managed to enter the country with his EAD/AP combo card without any issue. Secondary screening took forever because for some reason the Boston airport was busy on a Thursday afternoon. Other than that, nothing outstanding to report."
I've also attached a photo of what the paroled passport stamp looks like. Hope this helps put some of your minds at ease!

Hi everyone. I've just received an expedite for an AP and since there's not a lot of information online about the process I thought I'd share my experience in hope it'll save someone some difficulty. 
 
I submitted my AOS papers including AP application around 85 days ago in hope that I'd have enough time to get my AP before my academic and business appointments. After about 2.5 months I decided to expedite the process because I was getting concerned I wouldn't receive my AP in time for my flight. I should point out that simply submitting your AP documents (i.e. letter, evidence of emergency etc.) does not expedite your processing. 
 
I called the 800 number to check on status and began the expedite process with a tier 1 representative. 4 days later I received an RFE with instructions to submit documents via fax. For the following 3 weeks I continually tried to submit documents via fax with very little success; out of the dozen + times I tried to fax the documents over a period of 3 weeks the office only picked up the fax once, and even then we didn't receive the confirmation receipt were were supposed to. I called the 800 number daily and talked to a number of tier 1 representatives. Almost all of them just told me to wait between 16 and 90 days, and if I received no confirmation of receipt letter I could call back again, which of course is far too late. Eventually I was put onto a tier 2 receptionist (after waiting 2 hours for a callback - 1-2 hours is the norm) that recommended that I post my documents to a PO box with the words "DO NOT OPEN IN MAILROOM" on the letter. We tried this, but even then 3 weeks after it was supposed to arrive we received no information as to wether or not it was actually received by the office processing my case. Talking to three other tier 2 receptionists (every staff member will likely tell you something different) it was clear there wasn't really anything they could do at all beyond submit a request for a status update, which itself takes at least 3 weeks to be posted out. In other words, from my experience the 800 number was completely useless other than to begin the expedite process, request forms, or check on status - most of which you can just do online. Not all of the staff were terrible, most of the T2 people were great and really understanding, but with two exceptions the T1 people were totally hopeless and frequently said things that were completely false. 
 
Eventually I came across an article about someone's experiences going directly into a field office without an appointment and I decided to give it a try, in spite of the fact that all of the call center people I talked to about going in person said it wasn't possible and I should just wait (with the exception of one lady that told me I could try the field office in Jamaica, which is the wrong office). I went to the office near city hall. I first had to visit a kind of preliminary intake desk on the first floor where they checked my documents and asked questions, after that I was sent to the third floor where I waited for around an hour and copies of my documents were made and I was then interviewed fairly briefly. The clerk asked a few simple questions about my travel plans and mainly just checked over my paperwork. She did ask if I had my biometrics appointment, which I hadn't, so she scheduled an immediate visit to the passport office on the corner of Houston and Varick. I had read online that the biometrics weren't required for the AP and the call center staff also mentioned this also, but in my case at least it was required. I did the biometrics, which didn't take long, and went back to the USCIS field office, waited another while and walked out with my AP documents in hand. I think all together it took around 5 hours including travel to the biometrics. 
 
It's worth mentioning that I was told the phone line initiated expedite process and the field office expedite processes are completely unconnected so it's possible to apply via both channels. 
 
tl;dr: if you're applying for an expedite it's probably simplest to go directly to your local field office. If that isn't possible or you're rejected, then try apply by post. And after that, maybe contact the call center and ask to be connected directly with a T2 staff member. 
 
Good luck! 

I just want to share my experince traveling with AP (combo card, AOS pending)! I was able to take 2 weeks off work to visit home (Bangkok). Before leaving the States, I was super nervous and worried that I would have a hard time reentering. I prepared all my documents (notices, wedding certificate, etc.) and made sure i photocopied everything. I brought all that along with my combo card, ID and social security card with me.
 
Leaving the states was no problem. The way back was different. At the Thai airport, I had a hard time explaining to the ANA airlines check in lady what my combo card was and that I could enter America with it. She seemed super confused and called her supervisor over (who was equally as confused). After an hour and lots of explanation (I showed them the letter that came with the combo card) - I was able to check in.
 
Entering America was pretty much what I expected. My husband and I entered this express immigration line together (we had a connection) and the immigration officer looked at my card, took our customs paper and marked it with an "I" - which stands for secondary inspection I think.
 
We had to go into this room for a secondary inspection. I gave the immigration man in there our passports and my combo card. We unfortunately had to wait 3 hours (there was like 50 people in there and they go in order) for a 15 minute procedure. The man called my name, asked for a photo ID (gave him my MN one), and took a quick picture of me. That was it.
 
No questions asked about why I left the country. I didn't have to show anything else.
 
It helped having my husband with me the whole time
 
I was super nervous leaving the US and re entering so I just wanted to share this with everyone! I know every case is different but hopefully this helps ease peoples minds

Hi all, I got so much information and help from all the forums on VisaJourney and I received my EAD card on Day 58 after I did my concurrent filing of I-485, I-130, I-131 and I-765 in early July 2014. I'd thought it'd be nice to collate all the resources I found and do a step-by-step list on how to expedite an EAD based on a job offer.
Make sure that you have a job offer letter that clearly states your start date. The USCIS will only expedite processing if you can prove that a lack of the renewed EAD will cause financial loss to you. More info can be found here http://www.uscis.gov/forms/expedite-criteria. Call National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283 and put in a request for an expedited EAD under the “Severe financial loss to company or individual” criteria. You will most likely be speaking with a Tier 1 officer who won’t be able to help much. It’s just a crucial step for you to ensure that your expedited request gets in the USCIS system. Note the Service Request case number – this is the number that the congressman’s office will use to look up your expedited request with the USCIS. Find your congressman at http://www.house.gov/htbin/findrep?ZIP=98004&Submit=FIND+YOUR+REP+BY+ZIP Go to the congressman’s website and search for the privacy release form. It will look something like this: http://adamsmith.house.gov/uploadedfiles/privacy_release.pdf . You needs to print out this completed form. Draft up a letter explaining why you need to expedite the processing of his renewed EAD. I’ve attached an edited version of my letter in this thread for your reference. Call the congressman’s office and request to speak to an immigration liaison staff. He/she will ask you to sign the privacy release form and fax the completed form before they will do anything. Fax the completed privacy release form together with the drafted letter and any supporting documents to the congressman’s office The congressman’s office should be able to get back to you within 2 weeks (or less, this is just based on my own experience!) about whether or not your expedited request was approved Please note that this is only based on my experience, and is not representative of everyone's experience nor is it an official representation of the process. Obviously you have to be fairly certain that your EAD WILL not arrive before the start date of you job. If your EAD is scheduled to arrive within the next 2 weeks, then there is no point in expediting it. My job offer letter came on Day 29 after I did my concurrent filing, and there was no way my EAD card would have arrived in time for me to start my job.
I wouldn't have received my EAD so fast if it wasn't for all the information and resources here. I just want to pay it forward and help anyone else who’s in a similar situation as I was. Mods, please delete this thread if you think that it's inappropriate. Thanks!
Letter to Congressman for EAD Expedite based on job offer.doc

Working for me

Hey everyone, My wife was approved at AOS interview on july 25th. Arrived at 10:40am for 11:am interview. They called us in at 10:55. The immigration officer was very nice, she asked us to take an oath and then asked a few official questions date of birth date of marriage, arrival date of my wife and when we decided to apply for AOS. Then she asked us about when and how we met, looked at our photo album. We had not one document with both our names on it. I explained why she asked if we had any questions, we said no, she said ok you are approved.
14 weeks from start to finish of AOS received hard copy of approval on 28th. green card should arrive any day.
God is so good.
Good luck everyone.

Several of us May filers are seeing the same thing, looks like soft touches on several cases. Here a fellow VJ Poster provided the following info explaining the difference between a hard touch and a soft touch by USCIS:
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/594695-aos-may-2016-filers/?p=8240889

Our EAD and AP numbers are still not working after 95 days.
I-485 was not working and updated after 43 days to ready to be scheduled for interview.
I was told by tier 1 last week that they have thousands and thousands of receipt numbers not working. So we are not alone in this issue at all.

Guys, you should follow this topic as well http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/594695-aos-may-2016-filers/

Please ignore the above as it is incorrect for 2 reasons:
1. You do NOT complete the "reasons" box on the AP document when filling it in for AP see here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=12413
2. As you are applying with AOS you do NOT attach any document outlining your eligibility (explains it in the instructions).
in short you write NO reason, and attach NO document stating your eligibility if you're filing it together with AOS. If you file for AP after sending AOS then you'll need to send the AOS NOA1 as proof (both to avoid paying the fee and to show your eligibility).