danlom

Hi everyone.

I'm living in California on a J2 visa. Recently got my EAD but I stupidly took it back to the UK with me at Christmas and left it there. I'm back in California now and it was mailed to me here but it hasn't shown up yet. (USPS tracker says: Origin Post is Preparing Shipment)

I've had a couple of interviews that I'm due to hear back about very soon. Should I be offered a job, is there any way of proving my authorisation to work to an employer without the card? Or will I absolutely need it?

Also, worst case scenario, if it's lost in the post, how quick and easy / agonisingly long and difficult is it to get a replacement? Thanks!

Noorah101

Your employer will need to see the original EAD card.

Not sure how long it takes to get a replacement, but I'd figure at least several weeks.

Rene

McZaki

It seems you will get your card within a day or two, so relax

Generally, after accepting the offer of employment, you would go through the background checks (thoroughness and overall time depends on the industry), so you'll get time to sort out the card. Typically, you don't need to provide proof of legal status and/or authorization to work until day 1; however, every company has their own HR policies around this piece.

As for getting the replacement, if your EAD is lost, stolen or destroyed, it may be replaced by filing a new Form I-765 and filing fee. The replacement card may take a few days or few weeks. If you have not received the card prior to starting work and/or the prospective employer requesting to share the details, you can advise them that you are awaiting replacement - HR need this piece of information to put you on the payroll, and it's at their discretion whether they can wait for you or look at other candidates.

P.S: Scanning important documents, and keeping them safe and secure electronically, may help in these situations; the onus is on you to provide proof of legal status/authorization to work, and sometimes it may be sufficient providing a scanned soft copy or at least prove that you are authorized to work and have a legit reason!

Noorah101

The EAD needs to be shown to the employer with 3 days of the start date of employment, to comply with the I-9 requirements.

The company I work for won't accept scans. We need to see original documents


Rene

danlom

Thanks so much for the information! I guess I will just have to wait and hope it arrives in time. Seems like that USPS message means the mail is held up at customs. It's been there 7 days, not sure if that's normal. I really hope so.

I can't recommend NOT losing the EAD card enough! Looked into it and as McZaki said, you do have to to reapply and pay for it again. $$$. Not good.

ian-mstm

The replacement card usually takes as long as the original: about 60-90 days.

Ian

danlom

I thankfully received my card in the end!

On a related note, I have been trying to find work in San Diego, CA for a couple of months now and I am finding it very difficult. I can't escape the feeling that I am being overlooked due to my visa status. I have applied for (MANY!) office-based roles as well as bar/cafe jobs, both of which I have plenty of experience in, but I rarely hear anything back. The few interviews I've had have been unsuccessful despite them going very well and me having plenty of experience, immediate availability etc.

Could this be a factor? Is there something off-putting to an employer about an EAD holder? I make it very clear on my resume that I am eligible to work, have a EAD and a SSN. Not sure what's going wrong! I've never found work this hard to come by in other country.

ian-mstm

Yes.


Yes. Do you have any local references?


You should immediately remove that information from your resume. It is illegal for a US employer to ask any question other than "Are you legally authorized to work in the US"... or some such variant. You shouldn't advertise the fact that you're a foreigner - because many people equate foreigner with illegal alien... whether it's true or not.

Ian

danlom

Hey thanks for the reply.

Do you think it's worth giving a 'personal' reference? Someone local, i.e the director of the school my wife works at?

It's kind of hard to get around the fact that I am foreign as my references and employment history are all in the UK or Spain. So I felt like I needed to emphasise that I am eligible to work here.

Anyway, I've taken that out and rewritten my resume to not include any location-specific information about my employment history. We'll see how that goes. Thanks got the advice!

Noorah101

I agree with Ian. Set up your resume as any other person who doesn't need special permission to work.

Rene

ian-mstm

That's a tough one to answer - but my gut reaction is no, it isn't. While I understand that you want something in your favor, you don't really want an endorsement by someone who isn't familiar with your work.


You don't mention what skills you have or what sector you work in, but let me give you an example. Keep in mind that this was in 1998... so, quite a while ago and long before the current economic downturn. After arriving in the US and even though I had an EAD, I was out of work for a full 4 months... and even then I only got a part-time job. It was a full 8 months before I got a full-time position. When I entered the US, I had both an undergraduate and graduate degree, had held a steady job for 13 years prior to moving, and spoke English without much of an accent. I spent a lot of time volunteering in those first few months and making local contacts... and I was able to use them on my resume (which I retooled to a US market). I think that's what did the trick for me. Hope this helps.

Ian

dj6372

Some advice I was given for making your resume more 'attractive'

Remember that a lot of US companies have filtering software that discards resume's with certain words

As Ian says dump the SSN, Green Card, Authorized to work wording, this doesn't help

The companies you have worked for, discard the country
For example Plant Manager, Fred Industries, Northtown, UK. Lose the UK part

As much as it hurts make sure you spell 'correctly' color for colour etc

Make sure the qualifications are worded/matched to US equivalents
BTEC NVQ HND might as well be Russian

Remember there maybe hundreds of jobs in the papers/online but there are millions unemployed

Don't give employers reasons to reject your resume because it is too English!,

danlom

Hey guys, sorry I seem to have missed the replies. Thanks for the advice!

I actually made those changes to my resume and have been having much more luck getting interviews. So that's good. But no offers yet. At first I was looking for work in digital marketing but when it became clear how tough it would be to get work here I started looking in bars and cafes, etc too.

Today I went to a recruitment agency for a one-month data entry assignment they were supposedly desperate to fill. I interviewed with them, passed their tests and they more or less told me I had the job, that the hosting company just needed to approve me. I called back later having heard nothing, to then be told by the recruiter that the agency can't take me on because I don't have any work experience in the US. This is just crazy. They told me in the interview that the only condition of employment for that particular position was passing the typing tests and that they were submitting me for it. Is this discrimination?!

Noorah101

Doesn't seem like discrimination to me. Sounds like the employer is choosing someone with US work experience over someone with no US work experience, which is allowed. The recruitment agency can say anything they want, but it's ultimately the employer's decision.

Rene

ian-mstm

No. Regardless of what you were told by them, it's not the recruitment agency who makes the final decision or defines the hiring criteria - it's the company. Since companies in the US expect applicants to have US experience, I doubt the "what if" scenario was ever discussed with the agency. At any rate, having (or not) US experience doesn't form the basis for a discrimination charge.

Ian