I never thought I’d be writing something like this, but I don’t know what else to do anymore.
I’m a father of four. I have a 3-month-old baby and a 3-year-old — both U.S. citizens. Also a 9 and 16(AOS with us). I’ve always been the only provider for my family of six. I did everything by the book — worked legally, paid taxes, followed the process.
Now I can’t even afford to take my infant to the doctor.
Because my work permit(EAD) is delayed, I lost my job at the end of February when my visa expired. Since then, we’ve had zero income. No insurance. We’ve run out of medications. We’ve had to cancel doctor visits and even vaccinations for our baby.
That’s the part that’s breaking me.
What makes this harder is how long this has been dragging, and how many times I’ve been told “just wait a little longer.”
Here’s the timeline in plain terms:
- Nov 2025: Filed everything (EB2-based AOS + EAD/AP). I-140 already approved.
- Dec 2025: Biometrics done.
- Jan 2026: Reached out to my congressional office to request an expedited EAD based on humanitarian hardship → they helped push an expedite. USCIS agreed and basically said: “give us ~45 days.”
- Late Feb: 45 days pass… nothing. At the same time, my visa expires and I lose my job. Income gone overnight. Company promised to re-hire.
- March: Congress follows up again → USCIS responds with “..give us 30 days..”
- Late March: Still nothing. Another follow-up → suddenly I’m told my case is now “with a specialist,” then “assigned to an officer.” Again: “wait 30 more days.”
- Now: Still waiting. No updates. No EAD. No way to work.
It just feels like I keep getting pushed into another waiting window while my real life is falling apart.
I’m honestly just trying to survive this and make the right next move for my family.
If you were in my situation, what would you do?
Any advice, perspective, or even shared experience would mean a lot right now.
P.S Citizenship or Country of birth NOT in any ban or pause list