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Hi Diva
I wish I could answer you questions more confidently. I will try my best, and probably others can correct me if I am wrong or throw some more light on this subject.
Losing job or EAD expiration doesn\'t make you out of status. You will be in status till your case is pending and INS has not officially denied your case. GC is for future employment, so even if your employer (if still alive) provides a letter saying they will hire you after you get your approval, then it will be fine.
Generally employers don\'t inform INS about terminations. If they did in your case, then with this new 180 days rule, I don\'t know how INS will react to it. I am not sure, but if your case is denied, then INS will provide you a written notice and ask you to leave the country (don\'t know in how many days). At that time, if you are employed with similar job responsibilities, then you can appeal and still work around it.
Getting unpaid leave is similar to employer promising that the job is available after 485 is approval. NSC doesn\'t generally ask for pay stubs (unless you are called for interview) or W2. In my company, some of them have taken unpaid leave (sabatical) and hoping that their case will get approved soon.
If you are on a edge, then start searching for a good lawyer and be ready to act if something goes wrong. Also remember, don\'t trust lawyers (in fact, anyone) completely. Verify with others.
For EAD renewal, you don\'t have show any proof of employment. Just photo copies of 485 receipt, current EAD, GC photos, check for $100 and I-765 application form. You can fill the form on your own. You can get the form from the below url. I guess, immitracker.com has the editable pdf format (thanks to myladoor).
http://www.ins.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-765.htm
Hope this answered some of your questions.