tom169

I have successfully expedited my EAD application. Here is my timeline and step by step explanation of what I did.

12/9/16

• I applied for my I-485 and I-765 together in my AOS pack.
• I had a job offer on the table that would cause significant loss to myself and the company if I was unable to start work. The job offer stated it was contingent on I-765 approval and a start date of 3/6/17.

1/11/17

• Biometrics taken at local support center

2/21/17

• I called USCIS and a tier 1 person and created a service request. With this service request I was assigned a referral number.
• I drafted a letter to my congressman's office. This included a copy of I-797C from I-485, I-797C from I-765, stamped biometrics appointment I-797C and a copy of my job offer.
• I went in person to the congressman's office's open drop-in at a local town hall. I spoke in person to an immigration specialist working for him. This very helpful employee then contacted USCIS's congress liaison and worked some magic.
• I received an email from USCIS saying "Upon receipt of your request for expeditious processing, your case was reviewed and a determination was made that we need additional information to make a decision regarding your request. Please fax proof of a pending job offer to the following number..."
• I faxed a fax cover sheet, the email printed out, job offer to the number
• I informed the congressman's office of this change to keep them updated.

2/22/17

• Called back USCIS to see if they have received the faxes. Their system was down, said call back tomorrow.

2/23/17

• Called back USCIS and they said they had no way of knowing if the fax was received for my request

2/24/17

• Email and SMS that card is in production

Rete

Good news for you Tom.

tom169

Thanks. Hopefully the card won't take long to arrive.

Rete

At the very least if it is not received by March 8th, you can give the email to your employer as assurance that it is on its way.

tom169

Yeah I think that would work. I believe it is 3 business days for the I-9 to be completed.

tom169

When it arrives should I be carrying my EAD in my wallet?

ian-mstm

There's no requirement to ever do so.

You'll need it when you complete the I-9 at work. As an aside, you - not the employer - decides which documents to use to complete the I-9. Indeed, US employers are specifically prohibited from dictating which documents they'll accept to meet the I-9 requirements.

Ian

tom169

Thanks, Ian.

tom169

Card arrived today ready for 8:50 Monday morning. Much relief.

KK85

Congratulations, Tom! Great news. Good luck in your new job!

ian-mstm

Congratulations! Great news.

Ian

alexwarri123

This provides me a lot of hope! I have just requested that my EAD be expedited today based on a job offer. Do you have any tips for the cover letter or evidence to send when they request?

Thanks,
Alex

tom169

The evidence is the job offer. Just send them that if they ask for it. They sent me an email requesting it, so check it regularly and also your spam.

The cover letter wasn't a cover letter in the traditional sense, but one for faxes. It was basically 1 page 72pt text saying who it's for the attn of (the email says this) and the referral id (again the email said this).

As for the job offer... It needs to be on letter headed paper and should say the pay and date to start work.

alexwarri123

Thanks, much appreciated.

Alex