We received an NOA saying "to bring 3 passport size photos and passport to the local INS office", after which "your new alien registration receipt card will be mailed to you withing 6 months."

The only problem is, my wife already received her Permanent 10 yr green card in the mail last week, after being approved a couple of days before. Do we need to bother with this step? Did the letters get crossed in the mail? The Permanent Residence card IS the I-551, AND we have already received it, so why would we need to go down and get a passport endorsement or whatever?

Hmmm
I dont know i would call and find out but it sure sounds like a clear case of the USCIS right hand does not know what the left hand is doing...

I would probably just go to the appointment with the local office and clear it up in person. Otherwise, these things have a way of coming back to haunt you in the future.

Well, the thing is, there is no appointment. It just says to go to that office with the photos and your passport to get what I assume is a I-551 stamp in the passport for use until hr Permanent Card arrives ... only it already arrived. Going down there is a pain in the neck.

Ok, I went by the regional office today and got a quick answer. They said not to worry about it. The GC came from one location, and the other letter came from another and they got crossed up. As long as you have the 10 yr GC in hand, you don't need to submit photos or get any stamps in your passport to travel, so we are going to ignore it.

Glad you got it all sorted out.

HI,
You still must go there and explain everything to them.
And Congratualtions!
Best wishes.

Why?
"Must" is a very strong word.

I "must" do nothing. I'm tired of doing things. We have green card in hand and they re going to have to pry it out of our cold dead fingers before we relinquish it.