This whole immigration system is so confusing! Why can't they just have clear guidelines about what counts and what doesn't? I've been stressed about this exact thing for months. Good luck with your interview!

I went through this exact same situation! Was on NYS Department of Labor unemployment for almost a year while waiting for my citizenship interview. Not only did it not hurt my application, but the immigration officer actually seemed impressed that I was actively looking for work and following all the requirements. She said it showed I was being a responsible member of society. Just make sure you have your tax documents showing you paid into the unemployment system - that really helps demonstrate it's not welfare but earned benefits. You've got this!

Anyone else feel like we need a support group for dealing with NYDOL? 😅 Maybe we can all pitch in for a group therapy session lol

I had this exact same issue last month! What finally worked for me was going to my bank branch and asking them to print out a direct deposit form with the correct routing and account numbers. Turns out my online banking was showing a slightly different routing number than what I needed for direct deposits. The teller explained that some banks have different routing numbers for different types of transactions. Once I used the numbers from the official form, it went through immediately. Might be worth a shot!

The system is SO messed up. They make it almost impossible to reach anyone to ask questions but expect you to follow all these complicated rules perfectly. Meanwhile people are just trying to survive and pay rent.

I just went through this exact situation last month! I started driving for Uber while on unemployment and was terrified about reporting it correctly. Here's what I learned: you MUST report every penny you earn, even $20. But the good news is you can still collect partial benefits. NYS has a formula where they let you keep most of your unemployment plus some of your earnings. For me, when I made $120 in a week from Uber, they only reduced my $380 weekly benefit by about $30. So I actually came out ahead! The key is being 100% honest on your weekly certification. Don't risk fraud charges over a few bucks - it's just not worth it.

This whole thread reminds me of when I was on unemployment back in 2019. I was so paranoid about doing everything right that I probably spent more time reading the NYS Department of Labor rules than actually job searching lol. But seriously, the key is just to be honest about your work situation and when in doubt, call them or file anyway and let them sort it out.

The 26 weeks is from when you first filed your claim, not when you were approved. So if you filed 4 months ago, you've probably used up around 16-17 weeks already. You can check your exact remaining balance by logging into your NY.gov account - it should show you how many weeks you have left. And yes, you can definitely work part-time and still collect partial benefits as long as you report all your earnings when you certify each week. The system will automatically calculate what you're eligible for based on how much you earned that week.

File ASAP and then stay on top of your weekly claims! I can't stress this enough - you have to file every single week even if your initial claim is still being processed. Miss a week and you can't go back and claim it later.

Don't panic - you still have time! As others mentioned, you can file up to a year after becoming unemployed, but those first two weeks are lost. The key thing now is to act fast and be thorough with your application. Make sure you have all your employment documentation ready, including your final pay stub if possible. After you file your initial claim, set up reminders to file your weekly claims every single week - I use my phone calendar with alerts because it's so easy to forget. The weekly filing is just as important as the initial claim, and missing even one week means you lose that money permanently. You've got this!