I filled I-751 at VSC on Nov 15th 2006. Got NOA Dec 1st 2006 and fingerprinted Jan 2nd 2007. Waiting....waiting....waiting... Starting from June 2007 I repeatedly and until Nov 5th 2007 checked the website and called 800 number to find out that nothing new had come and the case was pending normally.
Guess what; on Nov 5th 2007 I got a DENIAL letter stating I didn't reply to RFE they had sent me in June 2007.
Guess what more; the receipt number on the denial did not match the receipt number on my first NOA, the number I checked online all the Time. And guess a little bit more. The state abbreviation in my address for Delaware was printed NJ .
I went to INS office and a very nice lady told me that all those “small” mistakes happen. The letter is received by zip code. The receipt number doesn’t have to be the same.
I should file a new I-751.
After filling a New I-751 on Nov 13th 2007 I got a new NOA Nov 20th 2007. As me and my wife have purchased tickets for the Christmas holidays to Europe our dreams for traveling were shattered. I went to INS office again with the new NOA and the same very nice lady stamped my passport, extending I-551 for additional 1 year and stated that I can work.
But she did point to me: NO TRAVELLING!!!
Now I am waiting for FP notice.
On Nov 29th 2007 I also filled I-290B...Motion to reopen. Because I never received any RFE. I'm now waiting.....waiting....

Regards,
KAKA

Sorry to hear this. And thanks for sharing the experience. It will help us who will soon be applying for the removal of conditions. Good luck and God bless...

Wow, that is kind of scary AT least you caught it and was able to rectify it, it is just too bad you and to refile.

That's terrible- best of luck to you!

I'm a bit confused though- why are you unable to travel?

you should be able to travel using the NOA...

No I can not travel. As of the denial all my privileges were terminated. In INS computer next to my
A# it states a big T = terminated. When everything is normal an I is stated next to the A#. The very nice lady at INS office told me that. I could choose to go, but when entering back to the US, at the airport the gentleman/lady sitting and letting you in will see that T and CAN choose not to let you in.
I will check with them periodically and see when the T will change to an I.


Regards,

Kaka

Sorry for your experience and thanks a lot for sharing with us.
The "T" and "I" info is very interesting. Anyway, I am not a big fan of travelling with an NOA letter and/or the stamp in the passport. On the other immigration board there is a person who wasn't allowed to board an Air Friance flight with an expired GC, a stamped passport and an NOA letter.
I know it should work and it is completely legal, but I would not be afraid of entering the States. What bothers me is there are a ton of customs/airline employees abroad that don't have a clue and a simple "No" from them jeopardizes so much... I just couldn't do it.
I had my NOA and could've scheduled an Infopass appt, but I would not leave the States without the plastic in my pocket.

I don't understand why they would ask you for an RFE when you got fingerprinted for the biometric. Thanks for the notice.

So does that means plp that has pending application should check in with USCIS and see if there's anything wrong such as a possible RFE that might be associated with your name? I mean I do appologize that we are learning from your example, but how would people like us who currently have pending cases find out if something like this are happening (rather, not happening) to us?

Along the same token, upon speaking to a cust. service on the 800 line, one of the representative informed me that RFE for items that you might have send in your original packet happens somewhat frequently. Since it's handle by lots of people, misplacing certain document and/or not understanding the package's story happens... Just FYI

rtheman...

I don't think you can do anything.... as in my case, I gave them my first receipt number…the same number that I periodically checked online and everything was pending and the officer at local uscis office told me it was pending without any new comings. As I never received an RFE, I never had the new receipt number and thus I could not check on it.

If you are happily married, as in my case, then they could never deny you.

Uscis is playing with lives of immigrants.
You would assume that paying those huge fees at least they should send you letters certified…. So if something never reached you, you could at least track it and find out what happened to it. As in my case, uscis can not prove they sent my letter (RFE) to the right address and they don’t have to, but now I have to pay the cost…money, psychic and time wise.


R//

Kaka

Lucifer,
Any luck with INS?
I have the same situation. I applied for I-751 in March, 2007. On Oct, 17 I went to Houston INS and they told me that some kind of letter was sent me in July.
I called 1-800 and asked them to resend the letter that I never received. Instead, on Nov 14th, I received a denial notice stating I didn't reply to RFE they had sent me in July 2007. I even do not know where they sent it to. I hired a lower and he sent a fax to the director of Texas Center with request to reopen my case, since I never received a RFE. He supposed to answer in 10 days but he still did not. I re-filed another I-751 on Dec, 4th and still waiting on their response. Now I do not know what I can expect.
I just hoped that they will open my case and I can work and travel. I do not care how long does it takes. I am married for 5 years and happy with my husband and my kid. I just need NOA. But from your email I see that I will not able to travel!!!! It is unbelievable.

When you re-file, do you have to pay the fee again??? Just reading this makes me so angry!!! You think they would prioritize your case if they mess up, instead it sounds like they just make you get in line again!!

good luck to everyone in this situation!!! (oksana & lucifer)

First i sent a fax to reopen the case without any fee since i never received a letter from them. No luck. They just ignored it.
Then I paid for new I-751. Also I paid to my lower.
I am still waiting on their responds. Over 1 month I did not get a NOA!!!!

Holy cr@p - this is scary stuff. i am so sorry to hear this is going on and that it happened to you folks. hope it gets resolved soon.
best wishes.

I would be livid if I had to pay again for their mistake!! $545 is a lot of money!! Good luck oksana

Did you receive the NOA1 the first time you applied in March 2007?

That is scary indeed. After your lawyer sent the Motion to Reopen and it wasn't answered, what did your lawyer do or recommend? There must be a way to drag the USCIS to immigration court. Decisions of immigration judges overturn USCIS's decisions.

The nice lady might have been less nice to you than she appeared. She recommended "new filing" where a Motion to Reopen instead might have been better, but a Motion is more cumbersome to the USCIS. Did you pay the full fee for the second application? The outcome of a Motion would depend where all these small mistakes would have made, inside the USCIS or outside. Did you consult with an immigration attorney? Did you file your Motion to Reopen with an immigration attorney?

I was denied my first (conditional) Green Card, due to an oversight on my side (I sent the requested evidence with a normal letter that got lost; now I send only tracked letters). My attorney wrote a Motion to Reopen that was granted after about six weeks, if I recall correctly. I couldn't travel or work in the meantime and even afterwards, until the Green Card was granted, because my work and travel documents had expired after the long processing.

I definitely send everything via traceable mail. I usually dhl/fedex/ups and Google for the street address (since they don't deliver to PO Boxes) I advise that to everyone.

Sorry to hear these.

To zzz123:
>Did you receive the NOA1 the first time you applied in March 2007?
I did. I did have fingerprints as well.

>That is scary indeed. After your lawyer sent the Motion to Reopen and it wasn't answered, what did your lawyer do or recommend? There must be a way to drag the USCIS to immigration court. Decisions of immigration judges overturn USCIS's decisions.


I can not wait on immigration court. It does take too long. The Motion to Reopen does not grant the right to work until Green Card is approved. In meantime nobody knows how long does it take. My lower said that in same cases in Texas it takes over 6 month. Re-filing another I-751 grants right to work. That is very important for me even it can take longer then the motion to reopen approval.
Last week I finally received a NOA1. It says that I can travel and work again. I can not see any T (terminated) letter in my case number. NOW I AM COMPLETLY CONFUSED. Lucifer posted that he is not allowed to travel. In my letter I see "during the on-year extension you are authorized employment and travel". Seems like different offices issue different receipts.

Sorry folks, I have been busy with work lately and haven't posted any updates. I filled a new I-751 in November 2007. Got fingerprinted a month later and now last week (June 2008) received a new RFE that I replied to yesterday. I guess they want all the couples to share on paper all the belongings they have. Somehow they do not understand that after a marriage, even if something is not shared on paper it still is shared.

Wow, you'd think that after all the trouble they put you through, they'd give you a break this time.

I agree that if something is not shared on paper that it is still shared.

Even when my family moved to a new place and applied for new utility accounts, we had a hard time asking those companies to put both our names on the bills. The best that some of them could do was add one of our names in the address field because their system doesn't allow for 2 names.

And even if it will save us more money if we just get individual health insurance with each of our employers, we decided that I should waive my benefits and let him add me as dependent so we can have more proof.

And before we got married, we always preferred paperless billing. So when we were getting our submission ready, we discovered that we have credit card accounts that are still in our old addresses.

We both had some years of car payments left so we just kept our separate accounts.

It's a good thing that inspite all these, we were able to gather enough evidence to prove that we are legit. But USCIS sometimes sees things differently - so unless I get the approval email, I will always be stressed out. I've been reading posts with RFE so I can be prepared if we get one, since there is a time limit to submit these. If you don't mind, what did you submit and what additional evidence did they request?

Thanks!

I am telling you these people over USCIS are stupid!!!!!!!!! but why is the reason she told you NOT TRAVELING????? if you already have an extension and a stamp why you can not travel??????????

RFE: they are not specific; just a general list, the same one as on i751. Lease, saving accounts, children, tax returns, joint property..... Bla bla bla....
I had provided everything except joint property... Now I transferred the property to our both names and Send it to them.

And by the way.... Don't ever call the 800 number, they don't know nothing...zero.

I also have some news. I had an interview yesterday for N400 ( applied on April,14th) and I-751. Both petions were adjudicated together. I had my husband with me but he was not allowed to go in. I passed the tests of English and US government and history but the officer did not make the final decision. She said that she does not see any problem with my i-751 since I had provided enouph evidence but she is going to go over it again and will send me a notice with the final decision. In case if they approve i-751 I will get a notice to report for the Oath Ceremony. She did not tell how long does it take. So I am waiting again... . Waiting....waiting....waiting... It never ends.

That is a scary story. And looks like happens often enough.
I have a lawyer. That was one of the reasons. Our mail get lost sometimes; sometimes we get mail sent to neighbours. I just hope that lawyers' copy (actually original would not get lost).

Perhaps because the "Denied" application is flagged in the system? I am just speculating.

Finally Approved! Hip Hip Hurra!

Today, July 21st is one of those days in my life that are included in my "LUCKY LIST".

Good luck everybody.
I will send in N-400 This week.


Regards
Lucifer

Congratulations! What a relief for you after all those problems.

Congratulations!
Finally they have approved you after second RFE. Seems that RFE is new standard now or they are just buying some time like Kathryn41 suggested. (or random computer selection). We have sent about 150 pages; but looks like might get RFE too. Would you share what you have included in the package? Thanks.

Any news, oksana?

So, from the date of November 15, 2006 you filled I-751 at VSC to the date you received the approval, it has been over one year and eight months.

Friends, I write my situation here hoping to get some advice.

I came to the US on December 14, 2005 on K1 visa and got married on Feb.16, 2006. My conditional green card was approved on September 7, 2006. In July 2007, I divorced my husband in despiar because I wanted a baby while my husband was stubborn enough not to give me one(He has two kids from his previous marriage). I returned to my country after the divorce.

Three months later, however, I returned as I thought I was happier to live with my husband than live by myself. We had been living together as boyfriend and girlfriend till June 2008 when it was time for me to apply for removing the conditions of my greencard. We consulted an immigration lawyer and were told it would be hard for me to get a new greencard since I was divorced. We were afraid of being seperate by being unmarried, so we re-married again on June 26,2008.

I filed I-751 on July 7, 2008 and I received a I-797, Notice of Action on July 15,2008. My conditional green card will expire on September 7, 2008

My questions are:

Will the divorce cause me any problems in going through the procedure of getting me a new green card?

My husband is going to travel to my country for a long term job in early August, he will have to buy a ticket today or tomorrow, and I will have to follow him as his translator. But my conditional green card will expire on Spetember 7, 2008. Will I be able to travel back on the I-797, Notice of Action?

I will be very grateful for any advice from you. Thank you very much in advance.

I went to INS today and they said that both petitions (i-751 and N-400) been approved on July, 31st. I will get a notice to report for the Oath Ceremony by mail. Finally it is over. I am so happy today!!!