Joe Yu

Finally had a taste of the bastard CIS officers. They change their
rules all the time and let people learn it in a hard way. I started
waiting in line at 6:30 am. Got to submit my material at 8:45 am. Was
told at room 1304 that they no longer accept walk-in advance parole
application except in case of extreme emergency. I had to mail in my
I-131. Excuse me? My friend's AOS application was returned by Newark
only a while ago because she MAILED IN the form I-131 with the other
applications. And CIS website still says Newark office only takes
advance parole application in person.
OK! It turns out my case is an emergency. I attached a statement. Then
I was told hand-written statement is not enough. They want HARD
EVIDENCE. FINE! I called the other end of the earth and got the doctor
out of the bed to fax me a prescription. Then they wanted it
translated. All right, I translated it for them. Then they said the
prescription was not specific. OK. I called and got the doctor out of
the bed again and let him write another one. (I owe him a lot for
that.) Then I got it translated again. And they look at it and say no,
they do not see an emergency. (They would like to see a person really
dying.)
The result: After running in and out of this freaking building 3 times
for several hours, I still had to drop my I-131 application in a
mailbox and started waiting.

As for EAD, looks like they still accept walk-in EAD applications but
they again rejected me because I already sent in my I-765 application
by mail. What can I say? It is all about their ridiculously
inefficient and incompetent rules.

Final result: I wasted a whole vacation day and ended up with nothing
in hand.

P.S. Another instance of this stupid system: They let me call to
schedule my finger print and they scheduled me on April 20! I said
screw it. I went to the finger printing center and got my fingerprint
done on 3/8. People there didn't even bother asking if I had an
appointment.

Stephanie11

UNBELIEVABLE! My husband will also be applying for advance parole in Newark, and we ALSO were under the impression that the AP would be issued for walk-in's ONLY.

The idea of a walk in sounds good, but they state that AP can only be issued 3 weeks before planned departure from the states. Which is CERTAINLY cutting it close in my book. Here's my Nightmare Scenario: We spend 1000's on plane tickets, anticipate the trip for months, and then 3 weeks before your trip some crazy $hit happens and you get denied for ther AP?? IMAGINE!

My husband is set to pick up his EAD on March 29th, appointment was set...he will definitely inquire about these new AP Rules.

Thanks for bringing this matter to our attention. Although I'm sorry that the day did not end up successful for you, Good Luck with the remainder of your proceedings!

Matthew Udall

Before filing an AOS, it's not a bad idea to double-check their procedures (and it sounds like you did make some effort to do that). I used to routinely send a letter to a new office asking detailed questions. I still will do that occasionally.

Now I usually start out be reading my AILA USCIS Directory and Resource Guide as that usually contains the most up to date information. I also now go check the USCIS's website for that particular office to see if it says anything that is inconsistent with my AILA Resource Guide. Often, I'll simply pick up the phone and call an officer in adjudications (at that particular office) to ask about a filing question, or I can check the local AILA chapter's website for specific up to date instructions (as those can and do change form time to time) or call an AILA member who lives near that office for the latest information.

Last time I filed an AOS & AP at Newark, I "believe" the policy was AP by mail, and only file AP in person for an emergency. My clients had a vacation planned, so we tried the in person filing, and they granted the AP right there on the spot. Of course, if I were getting ready to file this case today, I'd have to double-check a few things before doing so.

Isn't the church right next door to the Newark office beautiful? The weird "head" sculpture in the plaza in front of another building next door to the Newark office doesn't do anything for me though. I visited that office in November 2002 while on my USCIS geek quest tour of the North Eastern U.S. I rented a car and drove through New Jersey (all the way down to the Cherry Hill office), through Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), back through New York (visited the office at Fed. Plaza), over to Connecticut (the Hartford Office), up through Mass (already visited the Boston office while on a different trip back east… a prior AILA conference held in Boston), up through Vermont (stopped by the VSC), across the river back into New York (Stopped at the old Albany office), and finished back in NYC. I did this just to see some of these offices where I submit cases for my client's. What can I say, I'm an INS geek (and of course, it's my "job" to be a USCIS geek :-). I wish I had time to drive up to see the Portland, Maine office, and I'll have to do that some other time.