Had major issues trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor when I filed last year. Their phone lines are constantly busy and the online system can be glitchy. If you run into problems reaching them for questions about your claim, I had success using claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you get through to actual agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.

wait i thought you had to be unemployed for like 2 weeks before filing?? this is confusing lol

My cousin had the same worry but her immigration lawyer told her to definitely file for unemployment since she earned it. She's been collecting for 4 months now with no immigration issues. Don't let fear keep you from getting benefits you're entitled to!

I completely understand your anxiety about this - it's such a scary situation when you're worried about your immigration status! But everyone here is absolutely right. I went through this exact same worry when I was laid off during my green card process. Unemployment insurance is NOT considered public charge because it's an earned benefit - you literally paid for this insurance through your payroll deductions. The USCIS policy manual specifically excludes unemployment compensation from public charge considerations. I collected UI for about 8 months and it had zero impact on my immigration case. Don't let fear prevent you from accessing benefits you earned and deserve! File your claim with NYS Department of Labor - you paid into this system and you're entitled to these benefits.

Just wanted to add that you should register ASAP because some people have had their claims held up for not completing the work registration requirement on time. Better safe than sorry with NYS Department of Labor - they're pretty strict about following all the rules.

I went through this process a few months ago and want to add that the work registration on jobs.labor.ny.gov also requires you to upload a resume. Make sure your resume is in a common format like PDF or Word doc - I had issues with other formats being rejected. Also, once you're registered, you can actually use job applications through their portal as part of your required 3 weekly job search activities, so it does serve a dual purpose. The key is doing it within that first week like Rachel mentioned - NYS Department of Labor is really strict about the timeline.

Just went through this same thing last month. Left mine blank since my company closed permanently. No issues with my claims. As long as you're honest about your situation you should be fine.

I had a similar situation when I was laid off from my retail job last year. The recall date field confused me too at first. What helped me understand it was thinking of it this way - if your employer gave you a paper or told you verbally "we expect to call you back on [specific date]" then that's your recall date. But if they just said "we're laying you off" or "this is permanent" or even "we might call you back someday but don't know when," then you don't have a recall date. In your case, since your employer laid you off in December without giving you a specific return date, you're safe to leave it blank. The NYS Department of Labor uses this to determine your status and requirements, so it's better to be accurate than to guess.

I had similar confusion when I was on standby status. What really helped was using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get through to a real NYS Department of Labor agent who could explain my specific situation. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or getting disconnected.

Wait, I thought if you had a recall date you couldn't collect unemployment at all? Now I'm wondering if I missed out on benefits when this happened to me six months ago...