I've been helping people with unemployment appeals for years and this denial doesn't make sense based on what you've described. When you file your appeal, emphasize these points: 1) You were laid off due to lack of work/economic reasons 2) You are able, available and actively seeking work 3) You're willing to accept suitable employment at prevailing wage rates. The minimum wage increase is irrelevant to your eligibility. If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone to discuss this, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps people get through to unemployment agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Might be worth checking out if you need to speak with someone directly about your appeal.

same thing happened to my brother last year, he appealed and won but it took forever. just keep trying to call them every day until someone explains what happened with your claim

Been through this 3 times with plant closures. The dread comes from knowing that factory shutdowns create a flood of claims all at once, which overwhelms the system. Plus manufacturing workers often have complex situations - shift differentials, overtime calculations, health insurance continuations through union plans. NYS Department of Labor has to verify all of that before approving benefits.

The older workers probably remember when the system was even worse. These days it's actually not terrible if you stay on top of your weekly claims and job search requirements. Just make sure you're logging your job search activities properly in the system.

Also remember to report ANY income you earn during unemployment on your weekly claims, even if it's just $20 from a side gig. NYS Department of Labor will find out eventually and then you'll owe back all the benefits plus penalties. Better to be honest upfront.

same boat here, got laid off from restaurant work in december. the weekly filing is super easy once you get used to it but yeah the job search thing is annoying. at least we're getting some money coming in though!

the whole unemployment system is such a mess anyway, federal or state doesn't matter when you can't even get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to ask basic questions about your claim!! been waiting 3 weeks just to find out why my payment was reduced

Same here with the confusion about federal vs state rules! I thought everything was federal but turns out NYS Department of Labor has a lot of control over the specifics.

honestly the whole immigration system is so unpredictable these days that even if unemployment technically shouldn't matter, you never know what officer you'll get. my friend got questioned about everything during her interview, even stuff that wasn't supposed to be relevant

While there's always some uncertainty in immigration cases, unemployment insurance really is treated differently than public assistance programs. The key distinction is that UI benefits are based on your previous work history and contributions, not financial need. As long as you're meeting the income requirements for sponsorship and can demonstrate ongoing efforts to find employment, this shouldn't be a significant concern for the adjustment of status case.