Background: Wife's H1 expires in a couple of weeks. Needed EAD card. Had filed I-765 on sept 07 2005. Five months and no EAD card yet. Checked with INS 800 number. Found the card was at Missouri ( Lee's Summit ) service center. Since time was running out on the H1 B. Took an appointment at Detroit Office. For interim EAD. Here is a sequence of events for some one else who might need an interim EAD in Detroit MI.
I reached there around 4:30am. People were already lined up. First you have to get the form from one line and then wait in another line. Around 6:30am they asked people who are there for EAD to form another shorter line. I got the token and my no. was called around 8:30am. The required documents are :
1. I-485 receipt
2. I-765 receipt
3.information about any previous I-765, like receipt date
4. previous EAD Plastic card
5.California driver license and Passport for identification.
I went to the Miami office today to apply for a temporary work authorization card. This office no longer accepts walk ins as of two days ago. People can either make an appointment with the office on the web from home, or on site. The waiting time is approximately two weeks for an appointment. This is for any type of immmigration case.
"96 days after submitting the EAD application, Tampa refused to issue an interim EAD. Evidentially an appointment card had been mailed that same day.The appointment was set for 10 days later. Including 2 months wasted trying to get the initial appointment to submit the EAD application, it took 5.5 months to get this EAD renewal. The real tragedy was the loss a job and residual loss of income which lasted months. We will start this process again 6 months before this EAD expires. Hmm...that's pretty soon".
My wife got FTJ IV visa stamped in her passport in Chennai. EB3 - PD 4/30/2001.
Below is the process, in her words, she went thru:
Medicals:
Called two days ahead for a 10.00 AM appointment with "Lister METROPOLIS Laboratory Research Center Pvt. Ltd" and a 4.00 PM appointment with "Dr. Mathai Thomas".
Flew in from Hyderabad to Chennai, had in-flight breakfast, took a taxi from airport to the Lab, 30 min ride.
yeaaaahh..i am so happy and that wouldnt have been possible w/o this forum and all the help I have received!
We had our interview appointment at 11.05. We left home at about 8.00. And of course, Chicago would not be Chicago if there was no traffic jam, so we left the highway to take an alternate route. After spotting the INS building, we looked for a parking. We enter the building at 10.00.
Alright, first off thank you to everyone that helped me out with what to bring!
We showed up with about 30 pounds of paperwork, photos, tax returns, wedding albums, cards.
Our appointment was at 1 pm, we arrived around 12:15. We got in the lineup, and waited. and waited and waited. (got a little warm considering it is still in the high 80s, 90s) At about 12:55 they let us in along with a swarm of other people coming in for the same thing (and some naturalization cases) We signed in, and waited right up at the door to be called.
I had my interview today in downtown miami. The entire process took just less than an hour of which around 45 min was the wait for my turn. I had taken so much with me but nothing was needed except the passport and green card. I did get one unusual question related to my mailing address. I have always used a P.O Box as a mailing address so she just asked why P.O Box, why not use the home address. I just told her I change residences quite often ( am a single guy ) and its just easy for me to get a P.O Box near work.