You should be able to file for unemployment when there is no work for you--especially when the lack of work is open-ended (i.e. there is no indication of when they will have work). An employee is not obligated to wait until there is some official statement he/she was laid off or terminated, when as a practical matter, there is no employment for him or her. There is no way to be sure but to file--and no harm in filing, as long as you are honest and open about the facts (which means that worst case, you will be denied but should suffer no other penalties).