GC received today ...it took five days !

The good news is :
http://www.nysun.com/article/72897?page_no=2

Good luck everyone !

http://www.nysun.com/comments/63252
"The Ombudsman left DHS also, but he was actually trying to help petitioners and beneficiaries by actually RESPONDING to the complaints and concerns and attempting to resolve the problems.....and if you look at all the recommendations he's made to USCIS to improve their services and ease the immigration process, he was right on point. Sadly, USCIS hasn't responded to ANY of his suggestions since July 2007, after the price hikes....and coincidently a serious decline in customer service and efficiency. Gonzales was NOT prepared for the surge in applications just before they raised ALL application fees....and that's poor leadership. He should go, only they shouldn't have given him the 'option' to resign, they should have just fired him....months ago."

Congrats, iansig40. Your persistence (in bugging them) finally pays off!

I am not sure how the recent changes of USCIS officials will help the people on this board in the near future. I am glad to see Gonzales go but the ombudsman left, too. That means my letter to him is rendered useless. On the other hand, someone at the senator's office wrote back to me and said they have contacted NSC on my behalf. I will wait to see what the response is. My husband starts talking about taking a vacation in Europe after working really hard for the past few months (50-70 hours a week). It will make me really happy if they give me my card so that I can go on this trip.

I guess now is the time for all of you guys that you've been waiting for more then 12 months to start harassing them in any way possible(letters, calls, Congressman, Senators....etc) .Finally their incompetence was made public and I see more coming in the next few months ,THIS IS JUST THE BEGINING

USCIS will only care about citizenship applications , but not about the I751 and now everybody left in leadership in USCIS , who will care about us waiting for the I-751? I am pretty sure the person that will replace Gonzales will only care about the N-400 applications so he/she show themselfes, but not I -751 anyone thinks the same??????

The truth is my wife and I found each other and fell deeply in love and we knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, but we were from different countries that have different laws and she also had a daughter that was subject that was subject to even a different set of laws.

The girls biological father, while absent from his family for over six years and living in a different country had all the power over her and the say whether she could leave her country or not, but it came down to whether he wanted to pay child support payments for her until she was 18, was that minor detail that led to a neogotiation where in exchange for his signature would free him of those payments, that little detail postponed our marriage plans for nine long months. But it was done legally. Then there was the problem of bringing them here with proper vistas and paying blackmarket prices for a new cover on their passports, the blackmarket was right inside of their consulate office. Wasn't a case of going in the street to some shady character wearing a long black coat.

I had my own problems being divorced for over nine years and even though I had full custody of my then three minor children was still paying alimony payments, not very good for entering a new marriage, so got my ex to agree to a one time payoff, raised the money and paid all that off plus other bills of hers that I got stuck with, and I feel illegally that led me to get that marriage annulled by my church, I was finally free of that.

While I considered my mating IQ to be around 0.314 in that first marriage, had to learn something from that very bad experience. Wife also had a very low mating IQ. Then there was all the USA laws to learn and comply with, one was proving to our state we were both free to marry before they would even issue us a marriage license, the State of Illinois screwing up on my transfer of my original birth certificate with typo's to their computer system didn't help. Can't they hire people that can read? Then problems finding a good USCIS approved doctor for the I-693, many of the nearest ones had their own interpretation of this simple form and were trying to hit us with many additional tests that weren't even required to give some pretty stiff bills, like $5,000.00 per person? They have you by the proverbial balls and love to twist, thank God their are some honest people left int this world, was a 300 mile trip for us, but covered both for under a thousand, and yes, USCIS approved. Then finding an honest and approved translator for all those Spanish documents, wondered about that since the USCIS has all kinds of Spanish lines, but that cost another small fortune.

Finally in the interviewer's office to get two said stories, the good news was my wife did get here PRC, the bad news was my attorney didn't have me do a separate I-130 on my daughter. When you read that form, the language is so poor it does say her child is covered under this form, but then it doesn't. Anyway, my attorney apologized paid the fee out of his own pocket and got it through and my daughter receiver her PRC six weeks later. But I cannot tell you how she felt during those long six weeks, mom, are they going to send me back?

My attorney didn't feel it was necessary for him to send in our I-751, but I did send in the entire package for him to look over, said I had more than enough proof that our marriage was honorable and that we are still living together, this was all done a month in advance of that 90 day limit, said not to send it in even a day earlier, they may reject it, I paid the 15 bucks and sent it over night on a Wednesday, my check was already deposited and cashed the following Friday, God, that is quick, as was the biometrics, again with a 400 mile round trip, then nothing, nothing, nothing.

Both of our families highly approve of our marriage, in research after my divorce plus problems with my ex's family, families play an important role in determining the fate of a marriage, all of my kids love their new step mother, and my wife's family love me for how I am taking care of my wife and her daughter. This is not a problem for us. Are only problem and cause of stress is the USCIS, what else can we do?

And why don't other legal and state agencies know about this extension notice? You not only have to deal with the feds on this issue, but other forms of government as well. Sometimes feel this country should be renamed the United State and get rid of that "S" with a zillion different other laws to deal with. Even George Washington had his problems in trying to deal with 13 different states, should have been an indication to him that a state system doesn't work from the very start. Now states are making their own immigration laws as the feds can't agree on anything.

There has to be a way to contact the SS and IRS in regards to the USCIS, if they don't put pressure on the USCIS, they are both going to see a dent in their income if my wife loses her job due to their delays. Last year the IRS made a big deal out of a 20 buck error I made in my taxes, God, more government forms that twist my brain, they got their 20 bucks plus 1% per month interest, but they stand to lose thousands if my wife loses her job.

So is it 1.6 million or 3 million Mexicans that apparently are here legally that wanted to vote in last years November election, and didn't do anything about it for years until they heard there was going to be a rate increase? And is this the reason why our I-751's are being delayed?

I am ignorant on this subject, but do not see anything on the internet where the four key service centers process N-400 forms, but it does show processing of the N-400 forms at all the local field offices, so shouldn't these supposed new N-400 applications put the burden on the field offices and not the service centers? Something here is not adding up. And the USCIS did report the number of I-751 applications decreased from 2007 compared to 2006.

Nothing about this makes any sense.

Get this, during our original interview was asked why my wife was not on my key savings account, showed her a letter from that band they couldn't add her until I could show proof she was a permanent resident due to their interpretation of the American Patriot Act, that I could show as proof with her PMC, now. I can tell you, we were not dealing with 25 million bucks that the families of those terrorist got, substantially less than that, but nevertheless, a big deal with the banks.

Another new agency, more rules, and the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

Probably true.

No, the agency was criticized for their activity in general not only for the N-400 , we will see what's going to happen in the next few weeks
I suggested at one time that a lawsuit against them may speed up the process but....

Does this mean there is no Ombudsman at present as well? If so, any petitions sent to that address would be in the same boat as NSC petitions.

Does anyone know for sure?

No, they will find a replacement pretty soon if they didn’t find one already .That should future explain how messy is out there and the people we’re dealing with!!!!
What does it take to fire all these incompetent bureaucrats?
Here is what I found :

http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1204720623164.shtm

Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on the Appointment of the CIS Ombudsman
Release Date: March 4, 2008

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Timothy Dougherty as the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman. Michael will serve the department by directly interacting with individuals and employers ensuring that USCIS meets its obligations to the public in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Michael previously served as Acting Director of Immigration Policy and Senior Policy Advisor for Immigration at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Policy and Planning. He returns to DHS after working as legislative counsel to U.S. Senator Jon Kyl, where he advised the Senator on legal and policy issues related to homeland security and immigration. Michael has also worked at the U.S. Department of Justice as a trial attorney in the office of Immigration Litigation and an Attorney Advisor for the Executive Office for Immigration Review.

Michael’s 15 years of policy and litigation experience and a deep understanding of immigration law will serve him well as CIS Ombudsman. In this capacity, Michael will identify areas for improvement in the communication individuals and employers have with USCIS and will recommend solutions that will mitigate identified problems. I’m grateful for Michael’s steadfast dedication to the American public, and I look forward to his leadership and many contributions as we further enhance immigration services.

Isn't the Ombudsman an agency rather than a person and strange to find it listed in the USCIS site. So far a letter and a form to Ombudsman, contacted two senators, one congressman, a wasted stamp and time to the USCIS local field office.

Nobody seems to know for sure if Nebraska is still in the running, referring to the USCIS where we are not even close to the processing dates, if California, we are way past due.

Our major problem is losing my wife's passport, she hasn't lived in Venezuela for the last four years, we still own property there and are paying taxes and the USCIS is very one sided on making sure the immigrant is living in the USA. That can get us to bend over, but don't seem to have that power with a foreign country and expecting an immigrant to hold a valid passport for years while not living there seems a bit way out of hand. This is really unreasonable.

Hearing about people getting word on I-751's that applied in as late as September 2007, this has led me to wonder if I should send another 625 bucks with the same I-751 application to the USCIS for maybe a better second shot at this. But the latest form still says to send this application to:

If you live elsewhere in the United States mail your petition to:
USCIS Nebraska Service Center
P.O. Box 87751
Lincoln, NE 68501-7751

So why should I send this form to that service center if they are not even processing it anymore. I am so screwed up, I don't know if I am coming or going.

Officer charged with demanding sex for green card
immigration screening officer faces felony charges for allegedly demanding and receiving oral sex from a woman seeking a green card, according to authorities and court documents.


A spokesman for the Immigration agency says the agency "has absolutely no tolerance for employee misconduct."

Isaac Baichu, 46, was arrested last week. According to charging documents filed in Queens County, New York, criminal court, Baichu met with the woman and her husband regarding her green card application and initially told her there were no problems. However, he asked for her telephone number in case he needed to reach her.

The woman told authorities Baichu soon called her and said he wanted to meet with her alone, in a location other than his office, to "discuss matters," court documents said. He also informed the woman that "she needed him and that she had to work with him."

The two met in December in the man's car, and during that meeting, the man told her that "in return for assisting her in her green card application, the complainant must have sex with him at least two times," according to the documents. The woman said she tried to leave the car, but, documents said, Baichu grabbed her and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

She told authorities "that she feared that if she did not comply with the defendant's demand ... the defendant would use his position as a public servant to cause her green card to be denied," according to court documents.

The New York Times, which first reported the case, said in a story Friday the 22-year-old Colombian woman was recording the encounter with her cell phone, and that she later approached the Times and prosecutors with the recording.

"I want sex," the man identified as Baichu says on the recording, posted on The New York Times Web site. "One or two times. That's all. You get your green card. You won't have to see me anymore."

Baichu's attorney, Sally Attia, told CNN, "we're denying any wrongdoing at the moment. There are always two sides to a story."

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She questioned why the woman would meet Baichu and plan to record him if she was going to be forced to do anything inappropriate, and alleged the woman is seeking a "U-visa," which provides a form of legalization for immigrants who are victims of crimes or are cooperating with a criminal investigation.

Charging documents, however, said that in a recorded conversation March 11, Baichu told the woman her file was complete, but he would call her a few days before she received the letter. The woman asked if she would have to do anything, the documents said, and authorities heard Baichu say "just like the last time, and it would only take a minute."

The woman told Baichu that she loves her husband and that she was uncomfortable, court documents said, but Baichu told her "this was business, not love, and that if he were her, he would do it in a minute." He also offered to take her to a garage, a friend's real estate business or to a bathroom if she would be more comfortable there, according to the documents.

CNN is not naming the woman because authorities believe she is the victim of a sexual assault.

Baichu's employer, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, "has absolutely no tolerance for employee misconduct," spokesman Peter Vietti said Friday.

At least two immigration authorities have been convicted on criminal charges in recent years.

• In 2005, Kelvin Renard Owens, 34, of Jonesboro, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual assault and was sentenced to serve every weekend in a federal jail for six months, as well as five years' probation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta, Georgia. Owens, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employee, grabbed and sexually assaulted a 45-year-old woman during a citizenship interview, prosecutors said.

• Earlier this month, Lloyd W. Miner, 49, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was sentenced to a year in prison, according to federal prosecutors. Miner, the assistant chief of investigations for internal affairs at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Office of Security and Investigations, was convicted in December 2007 of harboring an illegal alien and encouraging and inducing an illegal alien to reside in the United States. The immigrant in question, according to court documents, was Miner's girlfriend, Tsomorlig Batjargal, 21, of Mongolia. She was sentenced to one month in prison for conspiring to commit fraud with identification documents. A statement from prosecutors earlier this month said proceedings were under way to return her to Mongolia.

Immigrant advocate Michelle Brane said such conduct is not unusual. Immigrants, she said, are vulnerable and at the mercy and disposal of immigration officials.

In 2006 testimony before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims, former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director Michael J. Maxwell said, "The temptations for employees of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to commit crime are constant. Employees work in an atmosphere that permits -- and often encourages -- the waiving of rules. It is only a small step from granting a discretionary waiver of an eligibility rule to asking for a favor or taking a bribe in exchange for granting that waiver."

As of July 2006, Maxwell testified, the backlog of misconduct complaints against these employees was more than 3,000. More than 500 of those alleged criminal violations, he said.

Vietti, however, noted that of that 3,000, only 11 percent, or about 330, were shown to be allegations of employee misconduct. The rest, he said, were routine inquiries as to status of an immigration application. An e-mail address was posted on the agency's Web site for complaints of employee misconduct, he said, and "people that had applied for benefits and immigration services were going right to this channel." Staffers then had to "weed through a lot" to discover complaints, he said.

The e-mail address is no longer posted on the site for that reason, Vietti said. The agency works closely with the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, and complaints are channeled to the inspector general's hot line number, he said.

As of Friday, the agency had 165 open investigations into allegations of employee misconduct, he said. The agency lists 15,000 federal employees and contractors around the world.

The U-visa program -- or the "U" nonimmigrant classification -- was created in 2000 as part of an effort to strengthen authorities' ability to investigate and prosecute cases such as domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking of aliens and other crimes while offering protection to victims of such crimes, Vietti said. E-mail to a friend

If people who filed in Sept 2007 got approved, that means the FBI name check takes more than 12 months was just an excuse used by NSC. How else can they explain the same type of petition takes less than 6 months elsewhere other than NSC! A bunch of liars. Like many fellow applicants here, I have contacted my senator, my congresswoman, USCIS ombudsman and am going to an InfoPass appointment, though I am not expecting to get anything other than a stamp there. Here is what I got from my senator's office. I just don't see the light from the end of the tunnel here.

Dear Ms. X - I am in receipt of your email to Senator XX. An inquiry has been sent on your behalf to the Nebraska Service Center to determine the current status of your application I 751. Once I have a response, I will be back in touch with you.

Officer charged with demanding sex for green card

If that all it takes to get my wife a green card, I'll do it, but can a hire one those Emperor Club gals instead? Well one of the cheaper ones, there are certain things I prefer to job out, and this is definitely one of them.

...and if the immigrant is a male then .....we get a piece of USCIS
It's interesting to read what other people posted on their website :
http://www.dhs.gov/journal/leadership/2008...t-to-print.html

I read one statement from Emilio T. Gonzalez in an address to a congress committee that over 3 million applicants have applied for US citizen, then later, 1.6 million, now 0.6 million? And all these were processed already in record time? Somebody is confused.

But what does this have to do with I-751 applications and only 140,360 of them last year that was 360 less than the year before? And what does this have to do with background checks? That was already done with the I-485's and the G-325A's, they don't just issue out green cards without a thorough check first.

Have a son that sold automotive insurance, was shocked by the information he had about my family and me on a special website and also my complete credit history, he does this while talking to his customers, and the IRS knows more about me than I know about myself. Would think the USCIS also has this information and it just takes seconds to learn all about a person or a family.

Nothing is said anywhere about I-751 delays and no premium services available, already checked on that. Something here is bad wrong, I never in my most wild imagination thought this would lead to major problems.

everythink you said is 100% true, everybody is so frustrated by that , and no one knows what to do with NSC concerning the I-751 I suggested emailing the first lady but no one was with me, I have a lawyer and he su**** , I am going cazy because of that too, We need to do something, we don't care about citizenship yet, just give us our GCs that we paid for . I-751 should be one of the easiest thing an immigration officer have to do , they just loo at evidence and decide if it is a current marriage or not it is not like the first time they will give you a Green card, if they had doubt they should never give out the first green card( conditional) in the first place, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING PEOPLE otherwise nebraska will never go bak to our files and give us our GREEN CARD,... GOd i am so madddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

God i am so madddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd, too

[/quote]

Maybe a Federal writ of mandamus is the way to go. By filing such a document in a Federal court it would force the USCIS to make a decision on your pending case provided that a reasonable amount of time has passed.

28 USC § 1361 :

.

This doesn't guarantee a yes or no on the case but merely compels the USCIS to make a decision one way or the other.

Why do you think we are NEVER going to get it? iansig40 got his. I have faith, yeah it might take over a year (already is for us) but it will come. A friend who applied two years before us, his took 10 months to get. So we wouldn't have been that much better off back then either.

Sure, but it will take time and money. I would guess you would be approved by the time all the preliminaries are gotten out of the way. And even if you're willing to do it pro se (i.e., not hire an attorney), who wants to pony up the $300 just to file the petition for writ of mandamus in federal court?

Strikes against us, only 140K I-751 applications in the USA per year with most not running into difficulties, we are the minority. Already discussed this with my senator as in 1988 was over a reported, and I use the word reported by the INS that many false applications that was around 2 million. Two things were done, much stricter background checking on the initial applications that apparently did work as no longer 2 million applications per year, just 140K, and not all those 2 million applications were just to bring aliens into this country. There is really no need for the I-751 anymore!

Effective action can be of one of two forms, the legally correct way to form a large movement, a lobby if you may, central headquarters, staff, mailings, etc, hardly worth it for, what are we talking here, a hundred, a thousand, maybe 20 thousand people? Have no idea, but certainly not any kind of majority. The crazy way, where an individual depressed by some imposed hardship, gets a gun, goes into a business or federal office, shoots a bunch of innocent people than takes his own life. Certainly not an ideal situation, but has been done that created media attention and laws have been altered. Certainly not my idea of a solution.

Somehow, our government has to realized the sacrifice a person has to make to come to this country, a culture shock, and leaving everything behind, but still left in a limbo state in that everything in their lives was left behind, and when you leave things behind, like a job, possessions, etc., they are no longer there to go back to. Perhaps the reason for the hardship clause on the I-751, already met a person that had to use this. The question of family or friends left behind is solved by having a valid passport to visit them occasionally, with having problems in maintaining a foreign passport while you have given allegiance to a new country is something we didn't consider. And how can the USA government expect a person to give allegiance to this country when they have to depend on their old country for that passport? Forming an allegiance to a new country is tantamount to breaking that allegiance with your old country.

In bringing my wife her we considered the K1 visa that is not only difficult to get, but with a totally stupid time frame, have to get married within 90 days or go back home. Not nearly long enough to plan a wedding let alone to help you decide if that person even wants to stay in this country. Ha, met a couple of people that tried that only to let their marriage end up in a divorce, 90 days is not enough time. Far more important things in a permanent relationship than the USCIS, neither my wife or I wanted our marriage to end up in a divorce and both of us needed that time to decide, that was far and foremost in our minds, than the law. In working closely with our immigration attorney, our best bet was to have her and her daughter come here on a I-94 and extend it if necessary, her daughter at 14 years of age also has a say. But with the I-751 okay to have a divorce provided that divorce was due to abuse and not just to bring that person into this country, try and prove that in court especially in a state where abuse is not even considered a legal reason for a divorce, but then there is the hardship clause that really seems to defeat any logical reasoning for this I-751 burden placed upon us.

What our goals are is to get US citizenship for my wife, that only has two major advantages, the first permitting that person to vote which seems to be the key reason for rushing through these latest 600k, 1.6M or 3M N-400 applications. Ha, voting may be a key issue for some, in my dinky state, the primaries were already determine even before they got here, and the parties concentrate on those big winner take all states so my state never makes a difference in the outcome of the election, even the candidate with the most popular votes loses with our ancient electoral system, but this is a subject for a different discussion.

Key advantage for us is to get that USA passport, so my wife will be free to visit her family, and that cannot be done until this stupid I-751 application is over with, she could have been a US citizen eight months ago by law. This is affecting our family life, and really beginning to tee me off.

One thing the USCIS will never be able to prove, is that I have a long history of marrying immigrants just to bring them into this country, they can dig as deep as they want, I only married one and intend to spend the rest of my life with her, we took our time. What I find disturbing is that the burden of proof is on my shoulders and not theirs, a complete contradiction to what is written in our US Constitution, if they ever took the time to read it. I am on trial here, but my wife has to pay the price, that is not right!

Holy cow - that's awesome! Congrats!

I just scheduled my next infopass to get my passport stamped before all expires. The saga continues...

Claudia (Bogotá, Colombia)

Cool James, we have something in common, my wife is also from Bogotá, Colombia, she was working for Johnson & Johnson, (the BandAid people, but they make more than that), but was transferred to Venezuela. Guess they like to move their people around. Practically all of her family lives in Bogotá and finally got to meet them last June, she has a wonderful family and her nephew took us for a long tour of the city and up that mountain that I can't recall the name of. But do recall it was raining.

Ha, couldn't quite get use to that watchman blowing his whistle all night long and all the people parking their cars inside of their houses was rather new to me. Yes on the inside of their homes right next to the kitchen table, LOL. No heat, no air conditioning, climate was wonderful and literally thousands of little shops. When I commented on that was taken to a mall like place with the bubble packs, but much preferred those little shops.

Wife and mother-in-law were concerned about my urge to wander alone, afraid that I may be kidnapped or something, don't like living in fear, and just had a wonderful time. People are nice as long as you don't pose a threat to them. Can't wait to go back.

James, your wife is very beautiful, but so is mine, worth fighting for. Hope it doesn't turn out to be a ten year Helen of Troy thing, but if that is what it takes....

To be quite frank with you Nick, the US government doesn't give a flying leap what is sacrificed in coming here. They only care about the fact that we are petitioning for the privilege of coming, staying, and perhaps becoming a citizen here, and whether or not it is a legitimate petition.

Table reformatted, with danutuke's information.

List of I-751 to NSC, ordered by date on NOA, after the last known approval in 2007 (NOA 06-Dec-06)
and before the first known transfer to CSC (NOA 05-Aug-07)
UserName...........Date of I-751.....Date on NOA...Biometrics......Approved.....RFE, Service Request, etc.
haozi101...........11/27/06..........12/06/06......01/03/07........09/14/07.....
Bertrand...........12/19/06..........12/27/06......01/20/07........01/29/08.....N-400
sandeepb...........12/26/06..........01/04/07......02/05/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months, service request, N-400
coloradogirl.......12/27/06..........01/04/07......01/30/07........--/--/--.....
echostorm..........12/--/06..........01/05/07......02/16/07........--/--/--.....
mew5280(CAPG)......01/06/07..........01/16/07......02/15/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 6 months, interview scheduled
jennybirgitta......01/13/07..........01/18/07......02/14/07........--/--/--.....service request, congressman, N-400
traversm...........01/14/07..........01/18/07......02/14/07........--/--/--.....
MDandZJ............01/21/07..........01/25/07......02/14/07........--/--/--.....
Ruari..............--/--/--..........01/25/07......02/23/07........--/--/--.....congressman
ron&nadine.........01/07/07..........01/22/07......02/27/07........--/--/--.....
dee................01/25/07..........01/29/07......02/20/07........--/--/--.....
Peter T............01/27/07..........02/01/07......03/09/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
drawbridgep........01/11/07..........02/02/07......02/15/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
danutuke...........01/29/07..........01/31/07......03/06/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 2 months, Service Request, N-400
Illinois77.........01/31/07..........02/02/07......03/02/07........--/--/--.....
chus...............01/26/07..........02/03/07......02/23/07........--/--/--.....
STBM04.............01/31/07..........02/05/07......03/02/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
ives_damian........01/31/07..........02/06/07......03/12/07........--/--/--.....
winterpassing......02/06/07..........02/12/07......03/09/07........--/--/--.....
MonicaT............02/08/07..........02/14/07......03/10/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
iansig40...........02/02/07..........02/16/07......03/23/07........03/17/08.....
grenoble38.........02/01/07..........02/20/07......03/03/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
Illinois...........02/19/07..........02/23/07......04/18/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
onur ............. 06/26/06..........03/15/07......04/13/07........--/--/--.....
Tammi..............02/23/07..........03/23/07......04/05/07........--/--/--.....
decharte...........02/28/07..........03/26/07......04/10/07........--/--/--.....
ace13..............03/22/07..........03/27/07......04/17/07........--/--/--.....
NickD..............03/27/07..........04/--/07......05/01/07........--/--/--.....congressman
Lyuba..............--/--/--..........04/17/07......05/07/07........--/--/--.....
gyuwono............04/17/07..........04/20/07......05/18/07........--/--/--.....
Kearinne...........04/09/07..........04/30/07......06/02/07........--/--/--.....
charlie & yeng.....4/27/07(resubm.)..05/01/07......06/02/07........--/--/--.....
Frances............04/02/07..........05/05/07......05/24/07........--/--/--.....
Kanadka............05/12/23..........05/23/07......06/11/07........--/--/--.....
Badgerbabe.........05/10/07..........05/24/07......06/11/07........--/--/--.....
debeselizz.........05/24/07..........05/31/07......06/21/07........--/--/--.....
sandy2000..........06/--/07..........06/12/07......07/13/07........--/--/--.....
laura19angel.......--/--/--..........06/15/07......07/13/07........--/--/--.....
pkmk...............06/18/07..........07/02/07......07/13/07........--/--/--.....
wifiman............06/29/07..........08/05/07......08/15/07........08/25/07.....NSC > CSC

NSC claimed accomplishments for processing I-751s:
Posting date......Processing timeframe
12/14/07..........02/09/07
01/15/08..........02/10/07
02/15/08..........07/05/06 (yes, they went backwards)

I got my infopass today but was denied with the I-551 extension stamp. The lady said I just have to show the expired green card and the I-751 letter and that I am valid until April 15, 2008. She said if I am planning to leave the country which I intend to do this August that I should come back one month before which would be July and that is the only time she is going to stamp my passport. So I ask her what is going to be my status from April to July 2008, she said it would be pending. I even show her the memo but she refuse to stamp my passport for the reason that its not expired yet.

She also said, that last month they were processing January 2007 petitions but they found out that some June 2006 petitions was left behind somewhere so they have to go back and processed those. And that I have to be PATIENT. (Like I am not patient enough). This is sooo frustrating....

I feel your anger:
- They should have given you the I-551 stamp for 12 month. If they don't next time either, demand to speak to a supervisor.
- Your status is NOT "pending" but "permanent legal resident" (until the USCIS adjucates your case, see memo).
- Next time you go, tell them that you are thinking about getting another job (and who doesn't sometimes) and that you need the stamp for starting one.
- The whole thing is only necessary because of the delay the USCIS has generated - they should accomodate you.
I feel your anger.

"they were processing January 2007 petitions but they found out that some June 2006 petitions was left behind somewhere"

June 2006 infers that infamous date of July 05, 2006 and were processing in January 2007 would be more accurately described as Febuary 10, 2007 in which both dates infer the Nebraska Service Center.

I and one other board member were told by our senator's office all of the I-751 applications were transferred to California with a August 19, 2007 date as of last February 15, 2008, so we were left far back in the dust. So who exactly is telling the truth?

Was advised my attorney to always get the name of the interviewer, did you know that? And did your US citizen go with you? I would never send my wife and daughter alone, just from observations, they tend to walk all over the applicants, a US citizen does make a big difference. And if I have to drive 400 miles just to get a partial stamp, that interviewer would get a mean face our US government taught me how to do. Taught me a couple of other things as well, but will leave it at the mean face.

Instead walk in there with a big smile on my face, hello, my name is NickD, this is my precious wife, Gloria (while giving her a hug, and my step daughter, Jessica, shake hands with the interviewer, then when we sit down, start off by saying, my attorney would like your name for the records, and go from there, that sets the pace.

Really? My card expires on 4/19/2006, with the one year extension expiring on 4/19/2008. My infoPass appointment will be on 3/28/2008. Does that mean they won't give me that damn I-551 stamp? What the hell? I thought people get the stamp within 30 days before the extension expires. How annoying!!! How dare she implying that you are "IMPATIENT"! Guess if I don't get that stamp on Friday, I will have to go back a second time because I plan to go travel, too, in May. And also why are different USCIS offices giving contradicting information on why the processing dates are going back?!!! IDIOTS!!!

I agree, last time when I called USCIS I asked for the agent ID Number and I told that lady (agent) that the conversation will be recorded .She did not show any kind of opposition to that and she was the one that send a Service Request to Nebraska .She even provided a Case Service Request # and I was told that I should here from them in seven day . Five days later I got he e-mail saying that the GC was ordered

No ,what you have to do is ...don't give them a specific date when you expect to travel but tell them that your job requires a few trips to Canada at the end of the month .They will have to put the stamp in your passport way in advance of those 30 days
Good luck !

The infopass office is very close to my workplace, so I am going back next week to try again. I will be more persistent this time. I went there alone, I cannot expect my husband to take a day off just because USCIS cannot get their job done. But I will call the customer rep tomorrow and will try what you did 'iansig40'.

I know someone whose letter expires on May 20th (same as my husbands by chance) and he got his stamp a few weeks ago in Cleveland. So that was well in advance.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

I thought I had my info on there. If someone wants to add me to the list here is my info.

Sent: 01/13/2007
NOA: 01/27/2007
Biometrics: 03/14/2007
Service Request, congressman, N-400, I-551 stamp for 12 months

I also decided to take a new approach. I sent more information to add to my file today with a letter reminding them that I have not had my case looked at since 3/31/2007. I sent my 2007 tax returns and our new home loan which we got after I had sent the original application. Just trying to stir the pot. Ill let you know if anything happens here.

colonelc22 added to the list.

List of I-751 to NSC, ordered by date on NOA, after the last known approval in 2007 (NOA 06-Dec-06)
and before the first known transfer to CSC (NOA 05-Aug-07)
UserName...........Date of I-751.....Date on NOA...Biometrics......Approved.....RFE, Service Request, etc.
haozi101...........11/27/06..........12/06/06......01/03/07........09/14/07.....
Bertrand...........12/19/06..........12/27/06......01/20/07........01/29/08.....N-400
sandeepb...........12/26/06..........01/04/07......02/05/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months, service request, N-400
coloradogirl.......12/27/06..........01/04/07......01/30/07........--/--/--.....
echostorm..........12/--/06..........01/05/07......02/16/07........--/--/--.....
mew5280(CAPG)......01/06/07..........01/16/07......02/15/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 6 months, interview scheduled
jennybirgitta......01/13/07..........01/18/07......02/14/07........--/--/--.....service request, congressman, N-400
traversm...........01/14/07..........01/18/07......02/14/07........--/--/--.....
MDandZJ............01/21/07..........01/25/07......02/14/07........--/--/--.....
Ruari..............--/--/--..........01/25/07......02/23/07........--/--/--.....congressman
ron&nadine.........01/07/07..........01/22/07......02/27/07........--/--/--.....
colonelc22.........01/13/07..........01/27/07......03/14/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months, Service Request, congressman, N-400
dee................01/25/07..........01/29/07......02/20/07........--/--/--.....
Peter T............01/27/07..........02/01/07......03/09/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
drawbridgep........01/11/07..........02/02/07......02/15/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
danutuke...........01/29/07..........01/31/07......03/06/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 2 months, Service Request, N-400
Illinois77.........01/31/07..........02/02/07......03/02/07........--/--/--.....
chus...............01/26/07..........02/03/07......02/23/07........--/--/--.....
STBM04.............01/31/07..........02/05/07......03/02/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
ives_damian........01/31/07..........02/06/07......03/12/07........--/--/--.....
winterpassing......02/06/07..........02/12/07......03/09/07........--/--/--.....
MonicaT............02/08/07..........02/14/07......03/10/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
iansig40...........02/02/07..........02/16/07......03/23/07........03/17/08.....
grenoble38.........02/01/07..........02/20/07......03/03/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
Illinois...........02/19/07..........02/23/07......04/18/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 12 months
onur ............. 06/26/06..........03/15/07......04/13/07........--/--/--.....
Tammi..............02/23/07..........03/23/07......04/05/07........--/--/--.....
decharte...........02/28/07..........03/26/07......04/10/07........--/--/--.....
ace13..............03/22/07..........03/27/07......04/17/07........--/--/--.....
NickD..............03/27/07..........04/--/07......05/01/07........--/--/--.....congressman
Lyuba..............--/--/--..........04/17/07......05/07/07........--/--/--.....
gyuwono............04/17/07..........04/20/07......05/18/07........--/--/--.....
Kearinne...........04/09/07..........04/30/07......06/02/07........--/--/--.....
charlie & yeng.....4/27/07(resubm.)..05/01/07......06/02/07........--/--/--.....
Frances............04/02/07..........05/05/07......05/24/07........--/--/--.....
Kanadka............05/12/23..........05/23/07......06/11/07........--/--/--.....
Badgerbabe.........05/10/07..........05/24/07......06/11/07........--/--/--.....
debeselizz.........05/24/07..........05/31/07......06/21/07........--/--/--.....
sandy2000..........06/--/07..........06/12/07......07/13/07........--/--/--.....
laura19angel.......--/--/--..........06/15/07......07/13/07........--/--/--.....
pkmk...............06/18/07..........07/02/07......07/13/07........--/--/--.....
wifiman............06/29/07..........08/05/07......08/15/07........08/25/07.....NSC > CSC

NSC claimed accomplishments for processing I-751s:
Posting date......Processing timeframe
12/14/07..........02/09/07
01/15/08..........02/10/07
02/15/08..........07/05/06 (yes, they went backwards)

My case was not touched since the biometric appointment which was on like 07/12/07 and the last date updated on my case is 07/15/07 I guess they will never get at it pretty soon,
I am so sad, But what can I do? My stupid lawyer won't do a thing neither, he is wait wait...
Does anyone knows when USCIS will put the dates for march 08 process???

Does anyone knows when USCIS will put the dates for march 08 process???

Would be around the 29th or the 30th, takes them two weeks to update, and that would be only until March 15th.

My attorney is super at other things, but worthless with the I-751 so he tells me, asked me if I had any friends at the USCIS, wish I did, said to contact your senator, congressman, can do that Ombudsman thing posted awhile back, infopass when time runs short.

The I-751 has to be the easiest form for the USCIS to process, for most of us, same old stuff as the initial immigration procedure and perhaps the most frustrating for those waiting.

Well I am afraid if I try to contact the Obdusman he will tellme it is too soon you see I send my application in 06/07 and we are 03/08 so basically it has been in process for 10 months, but I know that it won't process by time because a lot of people ahead of me are waiting, i will do wherever it takes but I don't want them to tell me you only waited for 10 mts!!! What do you think I wait a couple more months or i go ahead and contact senator or obdusman??? I appreciate your help already

Some people have been waiting for more then 13 months if you can believe it
According to their website it should take between 10 to 12 months but we all know how slow they move !

OK, here's our update! My husband received a letter the beginning of March asking us to come for an interview on March 20. We went to the interview last week, with all our additional evidence and it was all of 10 or 15 minutes long where we were only asked very basic questions, name, address, name of children. The officer got a little upset that neither of us had our SS cards with us (OOPS) I though passports were good enough. But he took the number off our tax forms and was fine. The only evidence he wanted was out last 2 years of income tax. Nothing else, we left with a file folder full of "evidence" hoping to never need it again. At the end of the interview, the officer said that he was recommending approval and that he would enter it into the computer that afternoon and we should have a letter in about 5 days.

SO, we have no letter but it hasn't been 5 business days yet. Also, the USCIS online status has not changed, still says "pending" so I'm guessing the NSC and the local offices aren't connected that well.

Anyway, sounds like good news but would love to have something official that says we're approved.

mew5280(CAPG)......01/06/07..........01/16/07......02/15/07........--/--/--.....I-551 stamp for 6 months, interview on 3/20/2008, verbal approval, waiting for official notification and/or the GC

Glad the interview went well for you and your husband.

I just want to hear from USCIS about my case! They need extra tax return? Fine since we just filed taxes last weekend. I am about to go to the same office this Friday where you got interviewed. Hubby said he would get some time off work to go with me. He has been working long hours at an engineering firm and this half day trip to USCIS really isn't a vacation for us.

Folks,

Here is our (short) story :

- NOA for I-751 --- Nebraska - 6/14/07;
- Fingerprints ---7/12/07 --- all being processed with my son [he is 16];
- August of 2007 – daughter arrives with B2 visa [she is 16 – they are twins];
- December of 2007 – file AOS for daughter;
- January 2008 fingerprints for her;
- March 18th of 08 - we were called for interview [for her - AOS]. Of course we all went, just like a good Family.

We got basic questions mostly from the filed forms, read by the officer. I remember, I copied all the evidences from our I-751 folder for her I-130. The officer looked at the family pictures, evidences, then we handled in our 2007 joint tax return and that was all.

She granted the new card but wasn't sure what type the card she should issue to my daughter since I don’t have the 10 yrs GC yet.

Since then there is no one single update in her case. Her online status still shows January, no card, no notification.

[....]

Dont feel bad, my wife and I just passed our 12 month wait date. We are going to wait for the next USCIS online update, and hope our date is covered. If not, I plan to stop by to see my senator. We have heard rumor that N-400 processing takes about 6 months, so after waiting a year whats another 6 months? So many of our plans have been parked or abandoned altogether due to the spectacular incompetence of the USCIS.

If copies of the IRS returns is all they wanted, that would have saved me a lot of work and they don't even need your copies as these are all online at the IRS site for the last four years or so. As a government agency they should have access and that would let them know your copies are not forged.

Some things you never think about being born and raised in the USA, like a government issued ID, we don't have one. In Venezuela, every man, woman, and child is issued a state ID and has to renewed as peoples faces change, especially kids. What to we have here? Nothing! While you need to show plenty of proof as to who you are to get an SS card, that is not a form of ID, no photo or physical description of who you are, not even your address and very easy to counterfeit as the USCIS is slowing learning due to all these illegal immigrants in this country.

That only leaves the drivers license that more recently has a photo included, my pilots license doesn't even have that. Now you pick up your airline tickets at the terminal or if you want to check a personal check, they ask you for your driver's license as the only form of ID. But that ID is issued by the states and not the federal government and each state has it's own form of drivers license. When you think about it, it is crazy. Our state legislators are battling the issue of whether to use the drivers license for voting registration and can't settle on that as many people don't have one, but is this a state or a federal issue?

This all started with 9/11 and even our congress can't make up their minds, many don't want photo ID's as they may not get a vote, kind of hints as to voter fraud so they can be reelected.

Recall a few years ago waiting in line at the DMV office where the guy in front of me didn't have any form of ID, so was asked if he could bring in a utility bill or something to prove his identity, just said to myself, what in the hell kind of proof is that? But the USCIS also asks for that kind of proof. Seems like if you can prove you are paying taxes, that should be enough.

Ha, and they want a copy of the rear of the PRC which is essentially none copyable, I went to hi res color, but still couldn't read it, don't they have a copy?

Government agencies were formed in this country in the 20th century to first aid congress in technical matters, each with it's own department head making rules and regulation that drastically got out of hand. OSHA, EPA, and the DNR are highly redundant and can drive a general manager crazy, if the CIA would share information with the FBI, 9/11 would have never of happened and including the INS with the DHS just added more confusion than ease the problems and our president refused to let SS work with the DHS. We are just one person, but have to deal with 1525 different agencies with rules and regulations not even our congressman know about, and does it really take over 11,000 pages to tell you how to pay your taxes?

Ha, when I turned 18 the selective service sure knew all about me, was a joke when they cut the draft and my boys received a letter from the replacement agency, while there is no draft, and you won't be drafted we know you are 18 years of age and were born on so and so date, you live at so and so address and are eligible for the draft if there was a draft, but if you do not sign and return this card, you will be liable for a $10,000 fine and up to five years in prison.

Just saying the mess is at the top and we are the ones that have to suffer for it, the right hand still doesn't know what the left hand is doing. While people here are still posing about dates, is Nebraska and Texas still processing I-751's? And if they are not, why are they still listing the I-751 in there processing date sites? And what difference does it make whether a couple is living together when there are several options to work around this?

To aid to the confusion, the current candidates for president are talking about giving amnesty to the some odd 20 million illegals already here. This would not be a first, they did that back in 1974. And if they do, would we get a refund for all the money we spent so far?

It's crazy, and more crazy that the USCIS requires a person to have a foreign current passport for that stamp, my wife feels that she doesn't even have a country that she can call her own, and she is correct. USCIS sits on their ### and her last country wants to pull her passport because she is no longer living there.

This country is becoming very arrogant, was shocked that I didn't need a visa to visit Colombia or Venezuela, but it took my mother-in-law over a year to get a visa to come visit us. My wife still has a son in Venezuela, and he can't even get a visa to come visit us, we are working on getting one of my wife's properties in his name, but running into all kinds of legal hangups. Just one thing after another, if she was a US citizen, could apply for a I-130 so he can visit, but she can't due to delays at the USCIS, so this is really hurting us.

We would welcome a USCIS agent to share our bed, have a king size so plenty of space, what else can we do?

There is some truth in what you have said. Unfortunately some "patriotic" people probably might feel offended by what you said. Actually, the way USCIS is treating me makes me feel like an illegal immigrant. It does not make any sense to me the politicians want to give amnesty to illegal immigrants as they could barely handle the legal immigrants' cases. It also confuses me why there is no national photo IDs. Could one of the reason be the money goes to the federal government rather than a state government so the state governments aren't happy?

I for one do not want national ID cards or any form of ID dictated by the Federal government. It's bad enough we must have Social Security numbers. I think that should be eliminated as a form of national ID as well.

AFAIC the only form of national ID that's reasonable is a passport.

Hi guys, just wanted to update... so my wife's application was approved a couple days ago and an approval letter has been sent according to the case status online.

Our info dropped off the list but we were in the same limbo as the rest. We went in last Thursday and got a 6 month I-551 stamp as the officer noticed that the case had been approved that day. We're traveling next month so we needed the stamp. But anyway, I'll post again when she gets her new green card. We also filed the N-400 last month. I'll update the dates on our sig when I get a chance.

Just wanted to let you guys know that it looks like the wheels got greased at Nebraska or something and maybe you all will be getting approved soon!

Yay!!! Congrats!