I sent my wife's I-751 packet to the Texas Service Center on July 20th, I mailed it regular Express Mail mail with no signature stuff or anything like that. In my opinion, that is a waste of money. Who cares if someone signs for it. If they say they don't have it, what good is saying "well, this person signed for it on XXXX". In the end, they are going to ask you to resend it anyway. With a generic govt. PO Box number, the US Mail is going to get it there, if not sooner, then later.

So, we received her receipt letter on Monday, July 31st. It says:

" Your alien card is extended one year employment and travel authorised.
Processing your form will require a minimum of 120 days. If you have not heard
from us within 11 months, then you may contact this office."

I will update as soon as we get any further information.

Actually, the letter said this:

" Your alien card is extended 12 months - employment and travel authorized.
Processing your form will require a minimum of 120 days. If you have not heard
from us within 6 months, then you may contact this office."

Hi! Cool Everything seems like it supposed to be ,so now you just have to wait 6 month until they send you and Approval letter
Best Wishes
Sincerely.

I have an update already.

Yesterday, August 4th, we received another NOA. They request my wife go for Biometrics (fingerprinting only I think) at one of their local centers. They gave her an appointment for August 11 at 11 AM. They said you could reschedule, but that would delay your application.

This is a little bizarre since she has already done this right after we filed her AOS application 2 years ago, but maybe this is one of their new methods of rushing it through. I put together a pretty thorough I-751 package in the hopes of avoiding an interview or delay, so I am hopeful that she will receive another NOA of approval in the next month or so.

What service center, if you don't mind my asking? There are so few people going through TSC that it'd be nice to hear about what happens when you do, so I'm crossing my fingers that that's it.

Hi everyone

I haven't been around here for a couple of years, but am now at a similar stage to Mjpyro.

We sent our I751 to the Texas Service Centre recently - on 25 July. Today, 5 August I received the letter of receipt/extension of greencard. It appears we are tagging along just behind mjpyro!

Hoping to receive the biometrics letter soon, as we want to take off on a road trip before the end of the month.
Fingers crossed!

HI! When we were filing the I-751 ,I didnt receive any biometrics letter.
Well,maybe thats their new style of doing things or they just maybe have lost the old biometrics and need her to do it again.
Usually,when you go to the local office for the infopass appointment for I-751 they take the fingerprints of the one frontal finger from the right hand and fingerprint of one another frontal finger from the left hand.
If you have made a pretty thorough package as you say ,your wife is gonna be approved much sooner as you say within a month or so.
When you gonna go to the biometrics with her ask the officer about how is your I-751 application doing and when the Approval letter will arrive..?
It took 5 month in my case ., but ive heard some people were approved even sooner than that.
Sincerely.

Sweetgirl:



According to a poster on British Ex-pats message board, who had asked about it when attending for fingerprints, the biometrics letter is a new procedure which started 1 July.

I am guessing that it's connected with the new proposal that LPRs be subject to the US VISIT procedures at airports - link to info.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/pres...elease_0968.xml

We sent her I-751 to the Texas Service Center.

This request for more Biometrics is strange though. Perhaps it is part of a new expanded USVisit program, but as I said, shortly after we filed her AOS application in Oct 2004, we got a letter saying to report to a local center for Biometrics, as everyone does. We did that. In fact, the picture they took of her that day in that office showed up later on her EAD and Conditional Green Card.

In any event, we are going to do it again this Friday. The letter specifically mentions fingerprinting only. It als says that rescheduling will delay your application so there is no chance of doing that.

We're right behind you mjpyro and annatenna Sent our I-751 to TSC on July 31, received proof of delivery dated Aug. 2. We're checking the mail daily ....

Denise

Hello again Denise! I remember you !! Nice to "see" you once again.

I'm watching the mail too - in case of biometrics letter. I can't decide whether we'll get one or not - whether it's connected to the way we obtained our visas, or to the new proposed US VISIT thingie.

You and I are both DCFers - I'll post on here if and when I get a call for fingerprinting.

UPDATE:


The appointment today took about 30 minutes total. Apparently, you have to get Biometrics done once every year until you become a citizen. At least that is what they told my wife. I asked her if they meant her Permanent Green Card, and she said no, they said citizenship. Not sure if this is something new or not, but that's what they said.

They took her fingerprints again and another digital photo.


Now the waiting really begins.

Thanks for the update, mjpyro. That's a new piece of information - once a year Biometrics! It's going to add to their workload somewhat.

HI!
Are u sure that you didnt file the N-400 form by cnance?..
Hm...thats so weard as why would they need the Biometrics for the Citizenship now?....as the N-400 hasnt been filed yet?..
I dont know you might get lucky and get approved for the Naturalization or something..., but the stuff l i am writing sounds nonsense to me
But who knows ,as the INS is full of surprises sometime
Best wishes.
Sincerely.

August 11: Received NOA today: receipt/extension of green card.

This is certainly some *good* news for a change, as my husband is in London (his daughter is getting married tomorrow down in Plymouth), having arrived just before all that mayhem at Heathrow earlier this week....

I want to use the word "kerkuffle" in the Heathrow sentence but I just can't work it in. I think "kerkuffle" is the coolest word!!


Denise

Sweetgirl .... let me make sure you understood what I said.

My wife said that they told her that she would have to come get the Biometrics done each year, up until the point that she actually becomes a citizen of the USA. She is not eligile to file for citizenship until 3 years after the date that her Permanent Residence Card is approved, so that means this yearly Biometric thing could go on the next 3 or 4 years.

I'll provide another update whenever we receive anything.

There's a bit of terminology mixup.. "biometrics" is the fingerprinting (10 digit) + photogaphs, yes? Fingerprinting is just fingerprinting. A single digit fingerprint is required for production of the 10 year card. Since 10 year card production is changing (different for each SC too), maybe this is why she was pulled in for FP?
I've not heard or read anything about "biometrics" or fingerprinting being required every year for resident aliens---it sounds highly impractical to me!


It reads as if you may be confused about when your wife is eligible to apply for citizenship, too. She would normally be eligible one year after filing I-751---time as a Permanent Resident with conditions still counts toward natz eligibility (see my sig).

They got the reply within 11 days of mailing the I-751 from the Texas Service Center. Does anyone have any information about the time between mailing and reception of the reply as it relates to the California Service Center in Laguna Niguel.

All I can show you is my time line in relation to sending my packet directly to LAguna Niguel, CA.

Click this,..., and read the thread,...theres about 7 replys,...

Jodee

meauxna , you are right. It's 3 years after approval of AOS which means the date she received her Conditional Permanent Residence card, not her 10 yr Green Card. She received that in Dec 2005, so she still has over 2 years before she can apply for citizenship. Thanks for that clarification.

Also, I asked her once again about what she had to do at this recent appointment. She said they did all of her fingerprints digitally, just as they did a year and a half ago right after she filed AOS, then they took another digital photo.

Which brings me to my next question....

Why have you filed I-751?
What prompted the Biometrics appointment? (that may remain a mystery)

If her AOS was approved effective 12/something/2005, she would file with you to remove conditions in the 90 days before 12/something/2007.

But I see your wedding anniversary listed in your timeline and wonder if that has become confused...
Then again, I could have sunstroke.

I'm still puzzling over this---I have not heard word one about PRs needing to go for biometrics annually. It doesn't make sense and it wouldn't happen without it being published somewhere. Even that USVisit expansion is still in the comment phase. Not arguing with *you*, mjpyro, just trying to imagine what your wife was told & why! Anyway, I've got someone I can ask later this week so will let you know.

Further to my previous post. Double, nay triple check, the "resident since" date on your wife's card. Then look at the expiration date. The I-751 must be filed in the 90 days before the expiration date.

Yeah, I don't know what they are doing in this whole process either. It seems to be completely random.

Here's what happened:

-We were married in Sept 2004
-We filed AOS in Oct 2004
-Went for first biometrics in Dec 2004

I expected a 2 year wait for any type of Permanent Residence card.

To our surprise, in early Dec 2005, the Permanent residence card shows up out of the blue one day in the mail. It was conditional, meaning it had an expiration date on it of Oct 16, 2006. That date is roughly 2 years after the date we filed AOS.

There were also instructions that we would need to remove the conditions by filing I-751 90 days before the expiration date, which we did in July 2006.

Went for second biometrics last week.

And here we are ....


As for what they told her at the Biometrics Service Center, who knows.

Wow, that is the strangest thing I've seen in a long time.

Out of curiousity... what's the 'resident since' date on her card? Was the card valid for two years, or one?

<g> I should never expect 'normal' out of the service....

Update:
...received 1-year extension letter on August 7, and received biometrics letter on August 14, with an appointment date for this Friday, August 18 at our local (Charleston, SC) USCIS center.







Annatenna, have you received a biometrics letter yet?

DDL:

No! I was surpried to see your message, thanks for updating. I'd come to the conclusion that I would not be getting a bio letter. Hmmmm - now I wonder why i haven't?

Perhaps the appointments are sent by the local office and mine will be Oklahoma City, I think - maybe they are slower then some others - that's the only explanation I can think of - sigh - back to watching the mail every day!

Thanks again, Denise.

Annatenna, have you received a biometrics letter yet?

DDL:
No! I was surprised to see your message, thanks for updating. I'd come to the conclusion that I would not be getting a bio letter. Hmmmm - now I wonder why i haven't? Perhaps the appointments are sent by the local office and mine will be Oklahoma City, I think - maybe they are slower then some others - that's the only explanation I can think of - sigh - back to watching the mail every day! Thanks again, Denise



According to the return address/postmark, it looks like ours came directly from the TSC, but don't worry - they probably just ran out of that special green paper it's printed on because they sent us *THREE* copies of the exact same thing (go figure)!

The "notice date" is 8/4; it was postmarked 8/11 and we received it yesterday 8/15.

Yours should be there any day now ...


Denise

No , Ann, don't worry!
I-751s can not be individually tracked online, or by human.

Thanks for the reassurance, meauxna. I'll keep waiting and watching. Maybe they're going to call me for interview as a random "victim"

Same with Mypyro I got an Appointment letter yesterday for Biometrics or fingerprinting at local service center. I submitted my I-751 first week of July. This will be my second fingerprinting the first is after AOS. I think this is a new procedure.

Annatenna, you can check online the status of your I-751 when you get a Receipt of Notice (I-797) this is a 2nd letter. From there you will find an APPLICATION NUMBER which you will use in checking your status online.

Meijoe, when you go to your appointment, ask them why you are being fingerprinted again. Ask them if it is now a yearly thing until you become a citizen. I'd be interested to see if you get the same answer my wife said she got.

Mjpyro, I will be going for my biometrics on 8/23. Yes I will ask that question too.

Hi. I also received the extension letter from the Texas Center. Have any of you tried to check your status on the website or call the phone number? I tried but it says that they don't recognize my receipt number. Is it because the letter says after 6 months you may contact the office? Do they not make any info available until after 6 months? Just getting a little worried.

Also, is there a way to call and talk to a representative?

Thanks!

There is still no way to track an individual I-751 by internet or telephone.
You should watch the processing dates for your Service Center and your mailbox. Respond to whatever type of additional instruction *you* get (there are different flavors).
Realize that your status does not expire and that I-751s can take 3-18 months to be adjudicated. Your turn *will* come.

Thanks for your quick response! I didn't know about the processing dates. So, I just did a google search and found the page. Now I know that they did not pass my date yet, and I'll have to wait a while. This is helpful.

Okay, I see now this site also has links along the top for the processing times.

Why are the AILA dates different from the USCIS dates? AILA reported on 8/15/06 that the processing date for I-751 form is 4/7/06, but USCIS site shows 3/8/06 as the processing date that was posted on 9/8/06. Is AILA more accurate? (I hope.)

Thanks!

Hi guys

I am actually kinda concerned... although there might be no reason for it.

I applied for the I-751 about 3 weeks and a half (I sent it on the last week of August). A week later I received a notification saying that they had received my application. Another week later I received ANOTHER notification saying that I would receive a letter with an appointment to take my biometrics (why did they send me a letter just to tell me I would receive another letter? go figure). At this moment, we have 2 letters already.
A week later I received another letter with an appointment to take my biometrics.

When I applied for the green card, my husband and I hired a lawyer and he put us in a sort of "pilot" program that was going on only in Texas. I received my green card EXACTLY 90 days after we submitted the paper work and had the interview (we had the interview the very same day we submitted all the papers).

21 months later I applied for the renewal of the green card and i did not hire a lawyer this time.

I am getting so many letters that actually worries me... is this the way it is supposed to be? I had read that the USCIS DOES call you to take your biometrics AFTER you get approved for a 10 year green card. But I havent gotten approved... is it normal? Im kinda worrying....

Hello! I just had my Biometrics too last Sept.6, 2006. I received my NOA for my I-751 25th of August with notice date 8/18 and got my Biometrics appointment 8/29 with notice dated 8/24 scheduling me for my Biometrics on 9/06 which I did.Mine was filed at CSC. When I went there for my Biometrics, she had my index fingerprinted, captured my photo and did my signature and my ASC Appointment Notice has a biometric processing stamp to show I went as scheduled.. I have not received (if there's any) my approval notice yet and I'm wondering too where this case might lead me..As I've read with the other posts, this is new.Recently my case has new update (9/12), I assume my biometrics is in their system now...

Texas Wife:

Hi.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Your experience is the same as mine. I received 3 letters too. One straightforward receipt and extension of greencard. Another one very similar but stating that I'd receive an appointment for biometrics, this letter had a different Receipt number which hooked up to their website for tracking. I received the appointment letter for biomentrics about a week later.

I attended for biometrics at the local office in Oklahoma City on 28 August - very quick process, in and out within 20 minutes. I don't expect to hear any more for a while.

From reading the experiences of others at a similar stage, I think this is normal (or as near to normal as USCIS ever could be ;-)

Just an update since I started this thread.

As I posted in Tata's timeline thread, we've heard nothing since the Biometrics appointment in early August. I guess we are in for the long haul, although I completely understand that approval could arrive any day now. Her temporary green card showed up out of the blue this time last year.

Again, we filed to Texas around July 18th, 2006.

Well, I finally have a significant update to report.

Almost exactly 6 months to the day that we sent the I-751 packet in, we received a case status email today saying that her new card had been ordered and she should receive it within 30 days. Oddly enough, it doesn't say anything about being "approved". It goes on to say that if they need anything else from us, they will contact us. Here is the actual email:

Application Type: CRI89 , PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS OF PERMANENT
RESIDENT STATUS RECEIVED

Current Status: Card production ordered.

On January 19, 2007, we ordered production of your new card. Please
allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you. If we need something from
you we will contact you. If you move before you receive the card, call
customer service. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we
process your case. Just follow the link below to register.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case
status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from
USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS
Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.


From my experience with these status emails, they tend to run a bit behind actual events, meaning, I expect to receive the card in the next week or so. There doesn't appear to be an interview involved.

For the record, it's been almost exactly 6 months since the day we sent it in, and it went to the Texas Service Center. I'll post another update when the actual card arrives, or if we get a letter requesting anything.

update: We received another email status update last night. It says the petition has been approved and a letter has been sent, and to follow the instructions on the letter.

Looks like it took a few days over 6 months to get approved from the TSC.

Many congrats!

Annatenna, hopefully ours will soon be on the way!

I must have said the magic words last night with my last post, as there was a case status email waiting for us this morning saying that that my husband's new card had been ordered and he should receive it within 30 days!

Next stop on the Immigration Train: N-400

Annatenna, yours should be any day now!!

My wife's Permanent Card arrived today. Once you get that approval notice, it will all happen very fast. It happened that way when she got her conditional Green card, and it's happened the same way this time with the 10 yr. one.