N-400 Lost Letter?

[bluebird74 34]

Hey everyone. I just found out, that my friend did not receive her fingerprinting appointment letter, she was supposedly mailed. She filed at Dallas Lockbox, received a txt confirming receipt of paperwork, then she waited. Nothing was coming, so she went online and checked her case status, only to find out that a letter for fingerprinting appointment, was mailed out to her on February 10th. Nothing came, and she assumes that her appointment might have already happened. She called USCIS and they just noted what she said - that's all. What now?

[Darth Vader Ku 16]

Hey everyone. I just found out, that my friend did not receive her fingerprinting appointment letter, she was supposedly mailed. She filed at Dallas Lockbox, received a txt confirming receipt of paperwork, then she waited. Nothing was coming, so she went online and checked her case status, only to find out that a letter for fingerprinting appointment, was mailed out to her on February 10th. Nothing came, and she assumes that her appointment might have already happened. She called USCIS and they just noted what she said - that's all. What now?

Possible solution:

- Attempt to make InfoPass appointment at local field office

- If one is not available, show up anyway as a walk-in (have ready to hand: Green Card, Driver's Licence, Notice of Action (I assume she at least got that?) and any other correspondence received with the N-400 petition

- Explain the situation to an Immigration Officer at the field office and attempt to either:

a) have a new Biometrics appoinement scheduled to be issued by local field office OR

b) plead to see if providing an on-site Biometrics record (if the office has such facilities) wold be permitted

There is some hope in that the USCIS permits early Biometrics with scheduled appointments and also provides some flexibility to petitioners who show up after their scheduled date. I am not sure how long this flexibility is (and it would naturally vary from office to office), but I seem to recal anecdotal evidence that suggests it could be as long as thirty days. This is important to ensure that the N-400 is not denied by default for abandonment on the part of the petitioner.

[bluebird74 34]

Possible solution:

- Attempt to make InfoPass appointment at local field office

- If one is not available, show up anyway as a walk-in (have ready to hand: Green Card, Driver's Licence, Notice of Action (I assume she at least got that?) and any other correspondence received with the N-400 petition

- Explain the situation to an Immigration Officer at the field office and attempt to either:

a) have a new Biometrics appoinement scheduled to be issued by local field office OR

b) plead to see if providing an on-site Biometrics record (if the office has such facilities) wold be permitted

There is some hope in that the USCIS permits early Biometrics with scheduled appointments and also provides some flexibility to petitioners who show up after their scheduled date. I am not sure how long this flexibility is (and it would naturally vary from office to office), but I seem to recal anecdotal evidence that suggests it could be as long as thirty days. This is important to ensure that the N-400 is not denied by default for abandonment on the part of the petitioner.

Thank you for the info. I told her about the InfoPass before I wrote here. thing is, she lives 350 miles from Dallas and 2.5 hr drive from nearest local office (Memphis). She's a single mother and ti would be very difficult for her to just drive up to either location without knowing whether or not she'll be able to take care of anything. I know that when they schedule fingerprinting, they sometimes do that locally, so I wonder if that's what they scheduled for her. What I don't understand, is why wasn't she told about the details of her appointment when she called to inquire.

[Darth Vader Ku 16]

Thank you for the info. I told her about the InfoPass before I wrote here. thing is, she lives 350 miles from Dallas and 2.5 hr drive from nearest local office (Memphis). She's a single mother and ti would be very difficult for her to just drive up to either location without knowing whether or not she'll be able to take care of anything. I know that when they schedule fingerprinting, they sometimes do that locally, so I wonder if that's what they scheduled for her. What I don't understand, is why wasn't she told about the details of her appointment when she called to inquire.

There is at least one very recent posting of a petitioner who had the exact same problem and called the USCIS several times to find out what had happened to her Biometrics appointment. She (or he), like your friend, was also not informed that one had already been scheduled. Eventually, her (or his) application was denied by default which was communicated to her (or him) months later.

The question is less about wondering about this, that and the other and taking action. Your friend doesn't seem to like driving two and a half hours each way to take a chance that might resolve this; does she have a better plan? If she does, she should definitely take it.

[bluebird74 34]

There is at least one very recent posting of a petitioner who had the exact same problem and called the USCIS several times to find out what had happened to her Biometrics appointment. She (or he), like your friend, was also not informed that one had already been scheduled. Eventually, her (or his) application was denied by default which was communicated to her (or him) months later.

The question is less about wondering about this, that and the other and taking action. Your friend doesn't seem to like driving two and a half hours each way to take a chance that might resolve this; does she have a better plan? If she does, she should definitely take it.

I'm pretty sure it's not about wanting or not wanting to drive. It's more a question of being able to take time off from work with short notice - which is very hard to do from what she's told me, and the money for gas is also an issue. I will convey the message and let her decide on what she wants to do. I know this much, USCIS doesn't just deny your application right away. From what I hear, it takes about a year to get denied on grounds of abandonment. Thanks for all the info though. I hope she can get them to reschedule.

[selinaxx89 4]

Hi Bluebird,

My husband recvd the text/email that on Feb 21st we got our FP letter mailed out.

We then received it March 15th and the envelope said it was mailed on March 12th!!! So the notification was wrong and I stressed out and worried for nothing.

The letter was coming from AZ to CA and it should have only taken a few days but it turned into 3 weeks. I called USCIS 2x and they told me nothing can be done about it until it's been 30 days to get a new letter. They also said they don't know the appt info because it is the nearest field office to us who sets it up and they dont' have access to their info. All they could do is that at the 30 day mark make a note so that I get a new appt.

So you are past the 30 day mark she should call and ask for a new letter.

[DC85 113]

Let her contact the congressman office which serves her area. mostly she will get another appointment within a week

Edited March 22, 2014 by myafi1985

[bluebird74 34]

Hi Bluebird,

My husband recvd the text/email that on Feb 21st we got our FP letter mailed out.

We then received it March 15th and the envelope said it was mailed on March 12th!!! So the notification was wrong and I stressed out and worried for nothing.

The letter was coming from AZ to CA and it should have only taken a few days but it turned into 3 weeks. I called USCIS 2x and they told me nothing can be done about it until it's been 30 days to get a new letter. They also said they don't know the appt info because it is the nearest field office to us who sets it up and they dont' have access to their info. All they could do is that at the 30 day mark make a note so that I get a new appt.

So you are past the 30 day mark she should call and ask for a new letter.

Hi. Thanks for the info. So maybe, they made a mistake and put February instead of March in the system. I'm not sure when my friend checked her status online, but it seems as it must have been just a few days ago - I'll ask. If in fact they did send it out on March 10 and not February, then she should be ok. The frustrating part is, that when she spoke to USCIS CR, they never could tell her anything except for what she saw on her own screen. They just told her that it's been noted. I told her to call them again and try and speak to Level 2 supervisor, because they have access to more information. I have yet to find out whether or not she was successful at speaking to level 2 agent.

[bluebird74 34]

Let her contact the congressman office which serves her area. mostly she will get another appointment within a week

I know that sometimes helps, but I wouldn't really recommend her doing so, this early, plus it isn't the case of USCIS losing her paperwork or such. It's better to wait a little. Doing too much, too quickly, can sometimes hurt more than not doing anything

[selinaxx89 4]

Hi. Thanks for the info. So maybe, they made a mistake and put February instead of March in the system. I'm not sure when my friend checked her status online, but it seems as it must have been just a few days ago - I'll ask. If in fact they did send it out on March 10 and not February, then she should be ok. The frustrating part is, that when she spoke to USCIS CR, they never could tell her anything except for what she saw on her own screen. They just told her that it's been noted. I told her to call them again and try and speak to Level 2 supervisor, because they have access to more information. I have yet to find out whether or not she was successful at speaking to level 2 agent.

Yeah it appears that mistakes can happen. So hopefully they meant March 10! Even then its March 23 now. So that is still a problem because mail doesn't take over 10 days here in the U.S. She should really fight to get another appt because they should see it was mailed out february 10 and it being march 23 they know the letter didn't come. She should speak to a level 2 supervisor. I wish your friend good luck!!

[bluebird74 34]

Yeah it appears that mistakes can happen. So hopefully they meant March 10! Even then its March 23 now. So that is still a problem because mail doesn't take over 10 days here in the U.S. She should really fight to get another appt because they should see it was mailed out february 10 and it being march 23 they know the letter didn't come. She should speak to a level 2 supervisor. I wish your friend good luck!!

Apparently, when she checked her online status, it was at the end of February - so that couldn't have been a mistake on their part. That makes it 30 days past that date. She has made an Infopass appointment for tomorrow and hopefully she will be given the chance to get her fingerprints taken on the spot. Thanks for the help. I will give an update when she comes back and informs me of what she was able to accomplish.

[agniecha78 1]

Same thing happened to me. I waited for months waiting for my biometrics appointment letter , only to find out that I did in fact had an appointement but I never received the letter. I called 1-800 number multiple times, only to hear to keep waiting, nobody informed me that I missed my appointment. Finally in February I called again and was transferred to somebody else who told me that my biometrics were scheduled for Agust and I missed it so they put my case on hold. He told me to write a letter to Application Support Center explaining my situation and to request rescheduling my biometrics. I did not do it, instead I made an Infopass appointment ( God know how long I would wait for them to respond to my request). After hearing my story, they filled out a request fo walk in biometrics for me, and I walked around the corner to ASC and they took my fingerprints there. Exactly 2 weeks later I received a letter with my interview date for April 24.

My advice - make an Infopass, dont waste time calling and waiting like I did!!!!

[selinaxx89 4]

I hope she found something out yesterday!!

Apparently, when she checked her online status, it was at the end of February - so that couldn't have been a mistake on their part. That makes it 30 days past that date. She has made an Infopass appointment for tomorrow and hopefully she will be given the chance to get her fingerprints taken on the spot. Thanks for the help. I will give an update when she comes back and informs me of what she was able to accomplish.

[bluebird74 34]

Yes, she has. Infopass was the way to go. She was finger-printed that day. Also, they took her picture and told her she should get her interview withing two months. On behalf of my friend, I thank you all for help.

[Darth Vader Ku 16]

Yes, she has. Infopass was the way to go. She was finger-printed that day. Also, they took her picture and told her she should get her interview withing two months. On behalf of my friend, I thank you all for help.

Looks like you actually did get some good advice!