Problems with USCIS Chicago Lockbox

[jtrh 27]

So last Thursday, I sent our AOS application via USPS Priority Mail to the Chicago Lockbox. The expected delivery date was Monday. My tracking shows that it has been sitting in a Chicago Post Office Distribution Center since Friday. Today I had a USPS employee do some digging to figure out what the hold-up was. Basically, he thinks two things could have happened, the first of which is likelier than the second, but no guarantees:

1. My package actually was delivered to the PO Box (other packages sent to Chicago PO Boxes that arrived to Chicago in the same truck as mine have been marked as successfully delivered) but the postal worker didn't manually scan it so it's showing its last known location

2. My package fell off the sorting machine and is lost for the foreseeable future. 

 

What should I do? I have no proof of it being delivered to USCIS but I also have no proof that it was NOT delivered to USCIS. If I wait around ~14 days or so to see if I get an NOA1, then I'll have basically lost a month of waiting time during a period when EAD/AP approvals are taking 4+ months. Is there a way to contact USCIS Chicago Office, explain the situation, and get verbal confirmation as to whether or not my package was received?

 

My partner and I are freaking out here because we're caught between a rock and a hard place. No idea what to do, yet we both feel the urgency because he is already bored out of his mind and wants to get working asap. 

 

Thanks for advice and/or commiseration, everyone!

[Going through 5,668]

I'm betting on #1, which happens more frequently than you may think.

Keep an eye out to see if the check been cashed.  That's a good way to find out if they've received it...

[Hypnos 6,576]

I would wait for a week, and if nothing happens I would consider sending a second packet.

[jtrh 27]

2 hours ago, Going through said:

I'm betting on #1, which happens more frequently than you may think.

Keep an eye out to see if the check been cashed.  That's a good way to find out if they've received it...

My fingers are crossed for #1 but this is adding a lot of stress to an already stressful process!

 

Do you or anyone else remember how soon they cash your check after it's been received? That'll be a good sign but I seem to recall for the K1 visa app, it was cashed around the same time as the NOA1 was sent. 

[mc962 55]

I think they cashed it within a day or two of receiving the packet (according to the post office) for me.

[K1visaHopeful 2,661]

My payment was accepted in 8 days.

I got the text/email on the 8th day too.

Hardcopies in hand within 14 days.

All calendar days.

[Lebanese23 303]

17 hours ago, jtrh said:

So last Thursday, I sent our AOS application via USPS Priority Mail to the Chicago Lockbox. The expected delivery date was Monday. My tracking shows that it has been sitting in a Chicago Post Office Distribution Center since Friday. Today I had a USPS employee do some digging to figure out what the hold-up was. Basically, he thinks two things could have happened, the first of which is likelier than the second, but no guarantees:

1. My package actually was delivered to the PO Box (other packages sent to Chicago PO Boxes that arrived to Chicago in the same truck as mine have been marked as successfully delivered) but the postal worker didn't manually scan it so it's showing its last known location

2. My package fell off the sorting machine and is lost for the foreseeable future. 

 

What should I do? I have no proof of it being delivered to USCIS but I also have no proof that it was NOT delivered to USCIS. If I wait around ~14 days or so to see if I get an NOA1, then I'll have basically lost a month of waiting time during a period when EAD/AP approvals are taking 4+ months. Is there a way to contact USCIS Chicago Office, explain the situation, and get verbal confirmation as to whether or not my package was received?

 

My partner and I are freaking out here because we're caught between a rock and a hard place. No idea what to do, yet we both feel the urgency because he is already bored out of his mind and wants to get working asap. 

 

Thanks for advice and/or commiseration, everyone!

don't worry Im sure it was delivered on Monday. and usually expect 3 Texts after 5 days. you should be getting something tonight or by tomorrow night. and your check will be cashed the following day. Look at my timeline below(averages 8-10 days)

 

11/29 package sent

11/30 package delivered

12/4 Texts received close to midnight

12/5 check cashed

12/8 NOA1s received in mail

 

Also remember it's december the most busiest time of the year for Post offices, so things will get delayed and USCIS workers are taking vacations too so everything will be slower to process.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Lebanese23

[D&D_NYC 58]

1 hour ago, Lebanese23 said:

don't worry Im sure it was delivered on Monday. and usually expect 3 Texts after 5 days. you should be getting something tonight or by tomorrow night. and your check will be cashed the following day. Look at my timeline below(averages 8-10 days)

 

11/29 package sent

11/30 package delivered

12/4 Texts received close to midnight

12/5 check cashed

12/8 NOA1s received in mail

 

Also remember it's december the most busiest time of the year for Post offices, so things will get delayed and USCIS workers are taking vacations too so everything will be slower to process.

I have a pretty similar timeline to this! 

 

12/1 Package sent

12/3 Package delivered

12/7 Credit card charged

12/11 Confirmation texts received (after midnight!)

 

Still waiting for the hard copy NOA1s in the mail, but I'm hoping they'll arrive by early next week. 

[geowrian 22,335]

#1 happens all the time. I do contract work through my company for some backend systems with USPS that integrate with package tracking. The scanning is a human process and it happens sometimes.

 

I concur with giving it a little time (week/weeks) to see if the payment is processed. If so, you're set. If not, it may be time to start looking at  a new packet, cancelling the payment (if possible), etc.

[Jenny17655 283]

yeah I would think the check being cashed is the best confirmation. 

I sent our packet 11/30

Got delivery confirmation from post office 12/3

text message confirmation from USCIS and check cashed 12/6

NOA hard copies 12/11

[Chocobo 196]

My package to the Chicago lockbox took about 10 days before I got the text (12 I think until I got the hard copy NOA).  Assuming it was supposed to be delivered Monday (and let's give them an extra day and say Tuesday), you could be looking for a text by end of next week.  

 

In the meantime, keep an eye on your bank account (if you sent a check) or your credit card (if you paid via credit card).  Like the pp said, if the check clears/card is charged, you're good to go!  

[jtrh 27]

Really appreciate everyone's responses here. Thought I'd leave an update in case it's useful to others:

 

I finally got a hold of the USPS. My package was lost. They have no idea where it's located. The last scan on it is from 10 days ago. Interestingly, the USPS representative told me that she is also investigating three other cases of packages sent to USCIS that have been lost, 2 of which were actually lost AFTER being marked as delivered to the PO Box. 🧐Mine was lost in the Park Forest office just outside Chicago without a trace... 

 

We are absolutely crushed that we've now lost over 2 previous weeks in the AOS process because of a shipping error of no fault of our own. We are now looking at paying $75++ in order to 1) intercept the previous package in case it turns up 2) cancel the check in the previous package just in case 3) take additional passport photos at CVS 4) reconstitute a new package 5) send it overnight with UPS or FedEx. 

 

All around a crappy experience, which kinda sucks since the AOS process itself is already crappy enough! Fingers crossed our overnight package arrives swiftly and safely.

Edited December 17, 2018 by jtrh

[C90 376]

I had the exact same thing happening when I sent my AOS papers in September. Apparently it happens A LOT that they send your package to the wrong location. Did they make a case for you?

They made a case for me, since it said delivered but then the status changed to out for delivery again, and within a day they found out that my package was going from center to center cause they mistakenly kept delivering it at the wrong post office. It took about 3 days before my case was solved and the package was delivered. I did call every day tho.

I hope something similar is happening to your package and its just at the wrong sorting center. Keep calling them every day and see if you can get the shipping costs back