Just want to add that you HAVE to report any unemployment benefits on future immigration forms, so keep all your records organized. The 90-day unemployment period includes weekends and holidays, so it goes faster than you think. Also make sure your job search activities meet both NYS Department of Labor requirements and USCIS expectations.

ugh the whole system is so confusing!! why cant they just give straight answers about this stuff... been unemployed for 2 weeks and nobody can tell me if filing will mess up my status or not 😤

what everyone's saying is right but honestly the thing most associated with unemployment in my experience is just WAITING. waiting for your claim to get processed, waiting during adjudication if they need to verify something, waiting for your weekly payments to hit your account. the system is slow and theres not much you can do about it except be patient

The waiting is definitely the worst part! But to answer your original question, the three main things associated with unemployment eligibility are: 1) involuntary job loss or quitting with good cause, 2) meeting the wage/work history requirements in your base period, and 3) being able and available to work. If you meet all three, you should be approved assuming you file correctly.

I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about my benefit calculation and someone recommended checking out claimyr.com - they help you actually reach an agent by phone. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I was able to get my questions answered about the funding and how my benefit amount was calculated.

just to add - during the pandemic there was federal funding for extended benefits but that's all ended now. regular state unemployment is back to being funded the normal way through employer taxes

One thing that tripped me up was the weekly benefit amount calculation. The system does this automatically based on your earnings history, but it helps to understand how they calculate it. They look at your highest quarter of earnings in your base period and divide by 26. Don't worry if the amount seems low at first - you can always appeal if you think there's an error in your wage records.

Just make sure you answer everything honestly! The NYS Department of Labor crosschecks everything and if they find discrepancies later you could end up with an overpayment issue or worse.

honestly the hardest part is getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor when you have questions or problems. their phone system is a nightmare and the wait times are insane. i spent weeks trying to get my claim unlocked after a technical glitch

Make sure you file your weekly claims every week even if your initial claim is still pending! Missing a week can mess up your benefits later. And be 100% honest about any work or income - they cross-check everything.