AP hell

[sweetanne 0]

Hello all!

We are totally clueless to what avenues we have left to try and figure out what to do about this AP mess we're stuck in. If anybody has any suggestions, we would really appreciate it!

We applied for AP back in December and after we sorted out an RFE for my I485, we got the online approval for the AP on Apr 29. To get to that point was already quite frustrating, but once we had the approval, we were sure that that was it. We have our big wedding in Germany planned for June 17th and back in December, we thought we sure had enough time to get the AP and continued with all the planning.

Well, it has been almost 4 weeks since the online approval and we have not received anything in the mail. We have called the hotline several times, but they were not much help. We went to an Infopass appointment in ATL last Friday and spoke to a nice lady who told us that she was not going to be able to give us any type of emergency AP (which we assumed that) but she was going to inquire about where our papers where and if the actual document was already mailed at all and give us a call the same day or monday. Well, we never received a call from her. I was supposed to leave the country tomorrow, which that plan seems to be out of the window. I have a back-up flight for June 3rd, but my hopes are starting to fade with every day....So, here are my questions:

1. Is it possible that the AP hasn't been sent out even though it has been 25 days since it was approved? Has that happened to anybody else?

2. Is there an approval notice plus an actual AP document, and do they arrive in the same letter or seperately?

3. What happens when 30 days (end of this week) have passed and we still haven't gotten anything? Are they going to send out another copy of the AP if they can't figure out where the first copy went (if it was even sent out at all). We were told (on the hotline) that we would have to re-submit and pay again. That sounds pretty ridiculus to me..(By that point, the wedding will be postponed anyways, I might just wait for my GC then, right?) Is that true?

4. Are there any other avenues we have to figure out where our AP is besides the Infopass? We are going to set up another one, but since the first one did nothing, I am not quite sure what the second one can do...

I know there are worse things that could happen than having to postpone our wedding, right?! Anyways, thank you for letting me rant about all this...

[rob&ana 0]

Im so sorry to hear this.

I would go for another infopass, and try to bring all your paperwork from immigration (including a print out of the USCIS page with your approval). Then I'd carry stuff from the wedding (invitations, etc). And plead, plead, plead... until they find out where is your AP.

The work job is the one not done. So hurry up and make your appointment.

Good luck...

[Boiler 43,721]

1. Is it possible that the AP hasn't been sent out even though it has been 25 days since it was approved? Has that happened to anybody else?

2. Is there an approval notice plus an actual AP document, and do they arrive in the same letter or seperately?

3. What happens when 30 days (end of this week) have passed and we still haven't gotten anything? Are they going to send out another copy of the AP if they can't figure out where the first copy went (if it was even sent out at all). We were told (on the hotline) that we would have to re-submit and pay again. That sounds pretty ridiculus to me..(By that point, the wedding will be postponed anyways, I might just wait for my GC then, right?) Is that true?

4. Are there any other avenues we have to figure out where our AP is besides the Infopass? We are going to set up another one, but since the first one did nothing, I am not quite sure what the second one can do...

1. It could have been sent out but to the wrong address and returned, difficult to imagine that it was still en route.

2. Just the AP, one envelope. 2 Documents.

3. Probably they will say this will make another enquiry and to ring back in 30 days...

4. You could try your Congressperson. Usually Infopass is the solution, any other route is likely to take too long.

[Eveline 9]

Calling the information line and starting an inqiry didn't help in my case at all. I called in several times and they told me they were not able to do anythin until 30 days have passed. After 30 had passed I called and they told me to wait another 5 days cause the letter MIGHT be on its way. After that I called again and they told me there is nothing they can do, before another 30 days have passed. WHATEVER. I just gave up calling in.

Anne, I am sorry that you are going through so much trouble and even might have to postpone your wedding. Maybe the AP really is on the way. Did you call and ask to what address they sent it? Since there is only so much you can do, all I can say is good luck and all the best. I am sorry.

[zyggy 9]

1. Is it possible that the AP hasn't been sent out even though it has been 25 days since it was approved? Has that happened to anybody else?

2. Is there an approval notice plus an actual AP document, and do they arrive in the same letter or seperately?

3. What happens when 30 days (end of this week) have passed and we still haven't gotten anything? Are they going to send out another copy of the AP if they can't figure out where the first copy went (if it was even sent out at all). We were told (on the hotline) that we would have to re-submit and pay again. That sounds pretty ridiculus to me..(By that point, the wedding will be postponed anyways, I might just wait for my GC then, right?) Is that true?

4. Are there any other avenues we have to figure out where our AP is besides the Infopass? We are going to set up another one, but since the first one did nothing, I am not quite sure what the second one can do...

1. It could have been sent out but to the wrong address and returned, difficult to imagine that it was still en route.

2. Just the AP, one envelope. 2 Documents.

3. Probably they will say this will make another enquiry and to ring back in 30 days...

4. You could try your Congressperson. Usually Infopass is the solution, any other route is likely to take too long.

Agree with what Boiler said above..

[sweetanne 0]

Thanks for your answers! I set up another Infopass for tomorrow afternoon, hopefully that will help somehow...In the meantime, I have scheduled 3 flight options back home, last one on June 3rd...It helps to have a travel agent as a dad, otherwise, I would have already canceled everything....

I think that they have the right address. At the last Infopass, she pulled up all the info and the right address was on there. Also, my EAD made it here as well as all the other correspondance...

They also keep telling me that there is an actual AP document that gets sent out seperately from the approval notice. This confuses me highly, I have never heard that before...The approval notice was mailed out on Apr 29, but they're saying the actual AP might not have been mailed out at all yet...?!?!?!

Thanks again for all your answers! I am really this close to just leaving without the AP (this was even suggested to me by the immigration officer in Atlanta at my last Infopass), but having to start all over with the Visa process if the AP didn't make it here untill my husband would leave for Germany is much worse than having to postpone our wedding...So that is really no option.

[sanaay 0]

You will actually receive two pieces of documentation giving permission to re-enter the US and they will both have your picture on it. So it's actually seperate from the approval notice. Good Luck!

[jodee 30]

I know you probably dont wanna hear this, but I remember reading on here a while ago about someone who's AP did not arrived. After a few INFOPASS appts, and confirming the correct mail address, It was confirmed by USCIS that they had indeed sent it out. Once they send it out in the mail, its out of their control, or so they say, and refused to re-issue the AP without another fee and application. They way they see it, is if they sent it, and it doesn't arrive, even though they have the correct address, it's not their fault.

I really wish I could remember who it was tht went through this..

Jodee

[sweetanne 0]

They have been telling me that only the approval notice was sent and as far as they can tell, the AP wasn't mailed out yet..but then again, they keep telling me different stories every time I call....

I was told that if it was already mailed out and got lost somehow, we would have to resubmit the entire paperwork. So you didn't shock me too much. I am just hoping it won't get that far...

Edited May 23, 2006 by sweetanne

[claire 0]

I feel so bad for you. I would get on the phone with your senator's office NOW. Or, as my husband did, just drive down there and walk in. Beg, plead, do whatever is necessary. Our congressman tried to help us with AP, but was getting nowhere. A week after my husband went to Senator McCain's office I had the document in my hand. He sent us the e mail correspondence later that went back and forth between his office and the MSC - so I am pretty convinced that he moved things for us, rather than it being a coincidence.

Find someone who is in a position to help you and hopefully they will feel bad for you and help you out.

GOOD LUCK and keep us posted.

[Orojen 0]

Hi!~

I'm so sorry to hear such bad things happening... I was very close to cancel my wedding too. Funny, it's on June 17th!.. Anyway, my AP hadnt even been touched after the biometrics, so I got my infopass appointment and today I was there. I spent almost 4 hours at the office, luckly my husband and I were the only ones there ALL the time we were there, except for 1 person who walked in for biometrics. anyway, we explained the situation, we told them that first of all we planned everyting according to their timelines and that we got an email from them saying that my AOS was almost done (Funny how the AP is not anywhere near and the AOS is almost done!). We told them how much we spent $$ and how much my husband's relatives and our friend up here would lose because everyone have their flight tickets! ... So, we waited, and waited, and waited. After a while, the clerk came out and told us she would see what she could do, and we waited and waited, when she came back she asked me if I had my pics! Of curse not, I didnt know I needed any again!. So she asked me to fill out a new I-131 form, handwrite a letter explaining the emergency. I told her I understood they dont consider it an emergency but on the uscis website they say a bona fide reason is good enough. So I wrote all that, and as the director who approves the paperwork was out for lunch we took off to get my pics taken. When we got back he was had just walked in. The clerk gave him my original Notice of Action, the Biometrics paper, my new form, pics, the letter and passport, and we waited, and waited!... After a total of 3 hours she came out and said everything was ok! ... Meaning it had been approved! ... After another 15 mins she came out with my AP -multiple entries!!! ... I did not pay an extra fee or anything else. Stressful, very! ... I think I was lucky just because this immigration office is small, the director was right there, nobody else ringing their bell, you know what I mean...

I feel very lucky and blessed I'll be able to fly to my hometown on thursday...

I wish you all the luck in the world! ... Truly hope you dont have to cancel. I would try another infopass... Good luck again!

Jeny

[Kajikit 65]

Did it ever get to the point of saying your AP was approved and mailed? If so, I'm afraid that you're in the same position I was... my AP somehow mysteriously disappeared between when they said they sent it and me, and after giving me the helpline runaround for another three months they said it was my fault so I'd have to apply again from scratch. It was too expensive so I didn't bother and eventually I got my greencard and didn't need it any more. The whole thing was incredibly frustrating and a total waste of money and time... and I didn't even have an overseas wedding planned for them to screw up!

[sweetanne 0]

Okay, we just got back from the Infopass appointment in Atlanta and I thought I'd give you all a quick update. In Atlanta, we got to speak with the supervisor in her office, and she was really sweet. She got someone at the National Benefit Center on the phone and he told us that basically what happened is that when our AP was approved, it somehow never made it to the printing line and basically was forgotten about..He said that that barely ever happened. Can you believe that?!? Anyways, he took our credit card info and was going to print our AP real quick and mail it over night via DHL. We got home and he actually called our home again to tell us that he couldn't find the original AP (which he said was never printed) but created a new one for us that he was still going to mail over night to us. So basically, we have the name and number of the Atlanta supervisor as well as the name and direct number of the guy at the Natl Benefit Center. So I feel hopeful that even if the AP doesn't show tomorrow (everything else has not gone smoothly, it is hard for me to believe that all the sudden, something does), we can get this done....

Thanks for all your answers! I hope that my story will maybe be able to help others in future if they run into similar issues...

[sweetanne 0]

Just wanted to let everybody know that DHL just stopped by with my AP!!!! YEAY!!!!!

[claire 0]

Just wanted to let everybody know that DHL just stopped by with my AP!!!! YEAY!!!!!

Congratulations. I am so happy for you. Now go home and enjoy your wedding!