NOA1 Returned in Mail?

[JaseFace727 1]

Hi all - 

 

My wife and I submitted the I-751 packet to the California Service Center on 10/19. The check was cashed the very next day, so we are sure that USCIS received it. (Her green card expires on 01/04/2018.) We then went on vacation. While away, it seems that our mailbox got too full (has literally never happened before), and all mail sent to it was returned to sender. I presume that our NOA1 form was sent and returned during that period. 

 

How should we proceed? We do not have a receipt or case number, so I'm not sure what information to provide when I contact USCIS customer service. Any online inquiries require one of those numbers. Has anyone dealt with a similar instance before? Would we need to resubmit the entire package? Would USCIS be willing to simply send another NOA1 notice? Would contacting the local office be advisable? I fear that my wife will miss her biometrics appointment. 

 

Thanks for any insight offered. 

[Faith38 37]

I would call USCIS first.

[WeGuyGal 1,052]

Although it's after the fact, it's good practice to have a friend or neighbor whom you trust to collect your mail when out of town on extended durations. Agree with above member to call USCIS. 

[Lemon23 400]

1 hour ago, JaseFace727 said:

Hi all - 

 

My wife and I submitted the I-751 packet to the California Service Center on 10/19. The check was cashed the very next day, so we are sure that USCIS received it. (Her green card expires on 01/04/2018.) We then went on vacation. While away, it seems that our mailbox got too full (has literally never happened before), and all mail sent to it was returned to sender. I presume that our NOA1 form was sent and returned during that period. 

 

How should we proceed? We do not have a receipt or case number, so I'm not sure what information to provide when I contact USCIS customer service. Any online inquiries require one of those numbers. Has anyone dealt with a similar instance before? Would we need to resubmit the entire package? Would USCIS be willing to simply send another NOA1 notice? Would contacting the local office be advisable? I fear that my wife will miss her biometrics appointment. 

 

Thanks for any insight offered. 

I would suggest to signup on USPS informed delivery so you can track all your incoming mails. This kind of service from USPS also have the features to request to hold all of your mails if your planning for vacation. 

[shell20 746]

2 hours ago, JaseFace727 said:

Hi all - 

 

My wife and I submitted the I-751 packet to the California Service Center on 10/19. The check was cashed the very next day, so we are sure that USCIS received it. (Her green card expires on 01/04/2018.) We then went on vacation. While away, it seems that our mailbox got too full (has literally never happened before), and all mail sent to it was returned to sender. I presume that our NOA1 form was sent and returned during that period. 

 

How should we proceed? We do not have a receipt or case number, so I'm not sure what information to provide when I contact USCIS customer service. Any online inquiries require one of those numbers. Has anyone dealt with a similar instance before? Would we need to resubmit the entire package? Would USCIS be willing to simply send another NOA1 notice? Would contacting the local office be advisable? I fear that my wife will miss her biometrics appointment. 

 

Thanks for any insight offered. 

Something similar happened to me with AOS, but it wasn't because the mailbox was full it was because the data entry clerk had not put my full address in the system, so it got returned. I rang up USCIS was put through to a tier 2 officer and they faxed what I needed over, it was my biometrics letter and I had the appointment the next day. I think I found out by looking at my case status. Had I not done that, I would never have known that the letter had been returned. So I would ring up USCIS as everyone has said and explain your situation with your overflowing mail box.

[shell20 746]

Actually told a lie there both the NOA1 and biometrics were returned, so I couldnt have checked online. I guess I must have been wondering why I hadnt received any of them and rang up after hearing nothing.  I know my bio metrics letter was faxed over to my husband at work, not sure what they did with the NOA1 but I know I have a copy.

[Ketsuban 1,034]

3 hours ago, shell20 said:

Something similar happened to me with AOS, but it wasn't because the mailbox was full it was because the data entry clerk had not put my full address in the system, so it got returned. I rang up USCIS was put through to a tier 2 officer and they faxed what I needed over, it was my biometrics letter and I had the appointment the next day. I think I found out by looking at my case status. Had I not done that, I would never have known that the letter had been returned. So I would ring up USCIS as everyone has said and explain your situation with your overflowing mail box.

That exact same thing happened to me when my conditional Green Card was sent to me in 2015. Instead of putting my ZIP code +4, they put my ZIP code then -0000. The Post Office system was rightly confused, but luckily I caught it before they returned it to USCIS and the PO delivered it the next morning. I don't know why they couldn't just omit the +4 if they couldn't figure it out for themselves.

[JaseFace727 1]

Quick update to this, just in case it happens to someone else in the future:

 

We were lucky enough to snag an InfoPass appointment for this morning. Once there, the USCIS worker gave my wife the year-extension stamp in her passport. She told us that we can apply for a re-issuance of the NOA1 but that there's not much point, since the stamp would be sufficient for work and travel. She basically said the NOA1 letter is pointless and is just issued so that USCIS doesn't have to do the work of issuing a passport stamp to everyone, and that the passport stamp is better anyway.