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I promptly applied to renew my DACA status on Aug 23, 2017. My EAD, license and DACA status was due to expire today Jan 22, 2018. So as soon as I hit the 150 day till expiration mark, I sent all my paperwork. By Sept 23, 2017 I was already scheduled for biometrics. On Oct 30, 2017 my DACA status was approved and I received the approval notice in the mail. Then... the nightmare began. Usually (from my past two filing experiences) after the DACA is approved, the EAD is also approved and arrives in the mail within a week. Well, mine never did. For my past two filings, I would receive a tracking number when using USCIS' online case status lookup tool. It would say something like "my card was mailed to me" and include the tracking number for USPS. This time, the only status update I had was that it was approved and that it would be mailed to me.
Since my previous EAD did not expire till 2018, I thought perhaps they were going to wait a bit before actually sending it out. This was obviously not the case. For the past two weeks I was trying to get any type of information on my new EAD, and an ETA for when it would arrive. I obtained a job offer and they wanted me to start on Jan 29, 2018. The issue was that I did not have the new EAD. I contacted USCIS four times, and 3/4 times they were having "technical difficulties," and once I was told they could not provide me with a tracking number because only supervisors could do that and the lines were closed for the day. 4/4 times, they were unable to provide me with any type of information. The final time I spoke with an agent, I was told that there was no tracking number, so it did not seem like the card was ever sent out and I would need to file a service request. Unfortunately that day, the agent was having technical difficulties, and therefore asked me to call back within the hour, or maybe the next day. I instead chose to file a service request online, as well as contact my congressman's office for further assistance. Online it said to expect a reply by Feb 8, 2018. Much after my old EAD would expire. The congressman's office quickly got to work on filing an inquiry on my case, and within a day they had an update for me.
According to USCIS, they did in fact mail the EAD and provided the congressman's aide with a tracking number that... at least according to USPS showed the EAD was delivered. As such, USCIS would not reissue a card to me and I would have to file for a new one. I sent the paperwork swiftly the following day. Today it should be arriving.
I missed out on the opportunity to start a new job at a new company thanks to this mishap. But now my main concern is that I'm still employed with my previous employer of almost two years. My old EAD has expired, the new one never arrived but was approved, and I had to refile for another. Is there anything I can do to help me out when the time comes to be re-verified? They have not asked me yet, but I know they have to ask for a new EAD document (which I lack at the moment.) I don't want to end up unemployed.
Thank you for reading through this long post, and also for any useful information you may have.
I have attached two images, one showing the usual message I got from USCIS's online case status lookup tool, and the other showing what this particular case has been showing for months.
Since my previous EAD did not expire till 2018, I thought perhaps they were going to wait a bit before actually sending it out. This was obviously not the case. For the past two weeks I was trying to get any type of information on my new EAD, and an ETA for when it would arrive. I obtained a job offer and they wanted me to start on Jan 29, 2018. The issue was that I did not have the new EAD. I contacted USCIS four times, and 3/4 times they were having "technical difficulties," and once I was told they could not provide me with a tracking number because only supervisors could do that and the lines were closed for the day. 4/4 times, they were unable to provide me with any type of information. The final time I spoke with an agent, I was told that there was no tracking number, so it did not seem like the card was ever sent out and I would need to file a service request. Unfortunately that day, the agent was having technical difficulties, and therefore asked me to call back within the hour, or maybe the next day. I instead chose to file a service request online, as well as contact my congressman's office for further assistance. Online it said to expect a reply by Feb 8, 2018. Much after my old EAD would expire. The congressman's office quickly got to work on filing an inquiry on my case, and within a day they had an update for me.
According to USCIS, they did in fact mail the EAD and provided the congressman's aide with a tracking number that... at least according to USPS showed the EAD was delivered. As such, USCIS would not reissue a card to me and I would have to file for a new one. I sent the paperwork swiftly the following day. Today it should be arriving.
I missed out on the opportunity to start a new job at a new company thanks to this mishap. But now my main concern is that I'm still employed with my previous employer of almost two years. My old EAD has expired, the new one never arrived but was approved, and I had to refile for another. Is there anything I can do to help me out when the time comes to be re-verified? They have not asked me yet, but I know they have to ask for a new EAD document (which I lack at the moment.) I don't want to end up unemployed.
Thank you for reading through this long post, and also for any useful information you may have.
I have attached two images, one showing the usual message I got from USCIS's online case status lookup tool, and the other showing what this particular case has been showing for months.
