Hello, everyone. My husband arrived last week with a CR-1 from the UK, but we have a bit of a problem. On the page opposite the actual visa, the following message is stamped in red:

"Applicant advised of the provisions of Section 216 and of the procedures for having the conditional basis of his/her status removed"

Next to that stamp, the officer at the Port of Entry handwrote 5/14/08, then wrote a 9 over the 8, as the visa is supposed to be good for two years. My husband was buzzing from the experience at the time, and didn't notice this had occurred. The officer didn't initial the change or write his ID number or anything. Just a hand-corrected date.

You can imagine what is happening. The DMV won't give him a driver's license because his visa looks tampered with, and the Social Security office (who were never informed that he had requested a SSN to be issued although he did all the right things to have this done for him) won't process a card for him, thus he can't apply for work until this is resolved.

We have an Info Pass appointment for next Tuesday (Charlotte, NC), and will bring the troublesome visa for their review. I have tried to get some idea via telephone of what will likely have to happen to resolve this, but have had no luck. I assume they'll need to keep the visa to correct it ... but for how long? John really needs to start working. At least he can drive for 90 days on his UK license here, but if the immigrations people take his visa he'll have no photo ID whatsoever.

An aside: we noticed a line on the visa page itself, in small black letters near the bottom, that says "Upon endorsement serves as temporary I-551 evidencing permanent residence for 1 year". Isn't the CR-1 a 2-year visa? So far both the Social Security office and the DMV have misinterpreted this to mean his visa is a 1-year deal. I'm concerned that a prospective employer who hasn't seen a CR-1 before will think the same.

Please lend me your expertise. This is getting a little stressful.

Alice

Don't know why the change, but you should soon receive your conditional green card in the mail. This will have your actual A# on it and expiration date. You just have to suffer the torment of the DMV next year for a one year extension.

Welcome to America

He should get his Greencard in the mail in the next few weeks.... so what is stamped in his passport wount be an issue.... once he has the Greencard it is good for travel and work.... he can use this to get his drivers licence ans SSN....

Kez

Hope the infopass appointment will take care of everything. When you receive your green card by mail, just take that to the DMV.

Alice,

The CR-1 is a 6-month 1-entry visa.

As the small black letters say, upon endorsement by CBP on entry to the USA, the visa acts as a temporary green card until the I-551 arrives. So it isn't a visa anymore, it's now a temporary green card.

As the message stamped in red says, in two years your husband will have to submit an I-765 petition to remove the condition on his LPR status. Two years from May 14 2007, the date that he became an LPR, is May 14 2009.

I can understand a state DMV person not understanding things immigration, an SSA person should know better and should be able to verify your husband's status using the SAVE database. Ask to speak with a supervisor or go to a different SSA office.

Yodrak

Thanks, all of you, for you replies. This does explain some things ... very helpful indeed.

How many weeks does the greencard usually take? Is there a way to check up on it, to make sure at this point that it will be issued properly/in the right amount of time? After finding out that the SSA never got word that he wanted to be assigned a SSN, I'm becoming distrustful and feel the need to do what I can to follow up on things ... .

Alice

I would say if he has not got the Greencard by 06/15/07 then you should make an infopass appointment at your local USCIS office and enquire as to what has happened to his Greencard.....

Good Luck

Kez

It seems normal to me except that correction.
For CR-1/IR-1, immigration officer at the port of entry will stamp on the passport with hand-written A# number. Usually that stamp is valid for 1 year from first entry, which is temporary.
In the meantime, USCIS sent the order for actual I-551 (Permanent Resident Card, A.K.A. Green Card) plastic one.
Your husband will receive actual plastic I-551 card in 3~4 weeks by mail.
But sometimes it may take more than 1 month.
If your husband doesn't receive actual card in 3 months, he should call USCIS to check the status.
For SSA, and DMV, if I were your husband, I would wait for actual card delivery.
It shouldn't be mattered, but some people, who is not familar with immigration, may issue driver license valid for 1 year because temporary stamp said so.
Also, if your husband is CR-1 case, don't forget that you have one more step.
From the date of entry printed on your husband I-551 card, count for 2 years, and minus 90 days.
That's the day you and your husband needs to file I-751 to remove the condition and renew I-551 with 10 year validity.
So you may mark your calendar for that day.
If you and your husband forget to file I-751 between ( first entry date + 2 years - 90 days ) and (first entry date + 2 years ), your husband's permanent residency right may be canceled.
Basically the filing of I-751 is that USCIS wants to check whether you and your husband is really in good shape in marriage, and not for immigration scam to marriage to get Lawful Permanent Residency status.

One last angle. It seems to me that if we attend our scheduled InfoPass appointment about this issue, we will probably be told there is nothing to do but wait for the permanent greencard. It seems unlikely that the problem described in my original post can be "fixed" without USCIS somehow sending John's passport away, which as I said before is his only photo ID at the moment.

Can anybody think of a scenario where the corrected date in the passport/visa will be a problem after the "real" greencard arrives?

The "real" greencard bears a photo, doesn't it? So we won't really even need to use the one in his passport once the other one is in hand, right? Does anyone think we just cancel the InfoPass appointment and use the visa/passport for whatever we can until the "real" greencard comes?

Sorry I keep coming back with more questions. After reading all of your kind responses, we are doubting the trouble and expense required to drive to Charlotte ... .

Alice

No, not a problem. When you go to local USCIS office for infopass, they may stamp temporary I-551 with 1 year validity. And that's it.
I think you can try it.
But in the meantime, I think plastic I-551 will be in the way to your home any way.
I-551 stamp from the passport is for temporary until your husband receive plastic formal I-551 card.
I think it will be fine with current I-551 stamp from the passport.
Usually you will receive actual plastic I-551 card from the mail within 3-4 weeks.