harleytee

Hi all,

Long time lurker here with my first post - thank you to all who have given advice about the K1 visa process, this forum has been an invaluable resource.

I recently arrived in the US and today (February 5) my wife and I filed my AOS. We are concerned about Advance Parole - I've seen that it should take less than 90 days, but also that people have been waiting much longer lately.

We are due to go back to the UK in May for my best friend's wedding (I'm the best man) and the wedding date is May 25, 109 days from now.

Has anyone applied for AP recently? What are my chances of receiving it before the big day? I'll be devastated if I can't go, so if anyone has any tips or advice to speed up the process, they'd be hugely appreciated.

Rete

Yes many have and are waiting for the EAD/AP card and it is taking 90 days + from the date of biometrics. My only suggestion to you would be nearer the time of the wedding, i.e. 4 weeks away, either call the 1-800 number and follow up on the A/P or contact the local political rep and have them try to speed it along.

BenK91

Very hard to give a timeline, I personally wouldn't be surprised if you didn't get your AP in time for your friends wedding. (Not trying to be rude/negative... just realistic!)

Rete's advice is as solid as you'll get, there isn't really much else you can do other than what she's suggested.

Noorah101

It has been taking longer than 90 days to get EAD/AP card in hand. As Rete suggests, perhaps you could try to expedite it, but no guarantees.

Rene

TheKingOfHearts

From the recent posts here and on various Brits in the US groups I'm a member of on Facebook; I'm usually seeing AP/EAD combo cards taking 4-5 months as a minimum. There are however the occasional ones that skirt through quicker (I even saw an AOS take 5 months recently, which is nuts) so there is some hope, but in all honestly it seems very unlikely you'll have your card in hand in 109 days.

harleytee

Thanks all for the quick replies, looks like we're set for a frustrating wait. We'll do all we can to chase it up as per the suggestions, so thank you.

CaptainAmerica

I'm sorry to say that my experience was 121 days to approval (with an added month on top due to delivery issues) when I filed in June last year. Add on a few more days for actual delivery too. I was able to get my local Congressman's office involved in the end due to USCIS's inflexibility - and they worked quickly to help solve the problem - so as others have mentioned, that is a potential option should it come to it in the end. There is no guarantee even with a Congressman's involvement, however they're more likely to receive a more helpful/specific response than you'd receive from just speaking to USCIS directly yourself. Fingers crossed it won't come to that, but prepare yourself for all eventualities.

harleytee

Aquapanther

scrubbedexpat099

With current processing times it would be equivalent to lottery win.

I would approach it from a different angle as a wedding nost likely will not work, get a job offer and seek an expedite, they come as a combo.

harleytee

Hello all,

By means of an update, my biometrics were taken today, so the timeline now looks like this:

Filed on Feb 5
Biometrics on Feb 20
Wedding in Britain on May 25 (94 days away)

Judging by all your helpful comments a couple of weeks ago, it still seems like a long shot that I’ll be able to get back in May. But I’m definitely encouraged by how quickly the case has moved so far, and plan to take the advice shared in this thread a little closer to the time.

amanseth

Any updates on your situation? I filed I-131 on Feb 21st and have still not received combo card. Biometrics were done April 2nd.

harleytee

As others on this thread have mentioned, the EAD/AP card certainly is taking longer than 90 days - I still don't have mine 5 months later.

However, that's completely irrelevant because I already have my green card! The AOS interview was on June 18, couldn't have been more straightforward, and it turned up in the mail a few days later.

Bizarre to have received it before the combo card. It seems that we were just very fortunate to have a proactive case officer on the AOS.

Filed on Feb 5
Biometrics on Feb 20
AOS approved on June 18