Stamp or no stamp on Passport?

[Visitor User 235]

Hello. If the IO approves the Green Card after the interview is over. Do they stamp the passport as proof of Permanent Resident? I read that they only do it if the beneficiary has plans to travel? I also did not apply for Advance Parole. Will they still stamp it if I have no plans to travel?

[geowrian 22,335]

They generally stopped that practice years ago.

It is permitted, but I would not expect it to happen. Often they don't actually approve the I-485 until after the interview.

[Visitor User 235]

52 minutes ago, geowrian said:

They generally stopped that practice years ago.

It is permitted, but I would not expect it to happen. Often they don't actually approve the I-485 until after the interview.

Why did they stop it? Lot of people get approved on the spot though.

[geowrian 22,335]

22 minutes ago, Visitor User said:

Why did they stop it? Lot of people get approved on the spot though.

No idea why they stopped it...presumably because a final decision usually isn't made on the spot. They tend to run additional checks or processing after the interview.

While I'm confident it does happen, I'm not aware of any cases personally that were approved on the spot recently. Many were recommended for approval, but formal approval was usually at least a couple days afterwards.

My wife's interview was 5 minutes, in which the IO said she recommended us for approval after the first 3 minutes. The rest was us asking questions. The formal approval came a week later.

Edited January 5, 2019 by geowrian

[Visitor User 235]

2 hours ago, geowrian said:

No idea why they stopped it...presumably because a final decision usually isn't made on the spot. They tend to run additional checks or processing after the interview.

While I'm confident it does happen, I'm not aware of any cases personally that were approved on the spot recently. Many were recommended for approval, but formal approval was usually at least a couple days afterwards.

My wife's interview was 5 minutes, in which the IO said she recommended us for approval after the first 3 minutes. The rest was us asking questions. The formal approval came a week later.

I am seeing lot of approvals at the interview lately though.

[Ead87tx 85]

10 hours ago, geowrian said:

No idea why they stopped it...presumably because a final decision usually isn't made on the spot. They tend to run additional checks or processing after the interview.

While I'm confident it does happen, I'm not aware of any cases personally that were approved on the spot recently. Many were recommended for approval, but formal approval was usually at least a couple days afterwards.

My wife's interview was 5 minutes, in which the IO said she recommended us for approval after the first 3 minutes. The rest was us asking questions. The formal approval came a week later.

Sometimes they recommend it for approval and it takes over a week to get the approval and sometimes they say they have to review it and they can’t take a decision yet and within hours you get the approval.

Edited January 5, 2019 by seal72

[eckoin 211]

11 hours ago, Visitor User said:

Why did they stop it? Lot of people get approved on the spot though.

I was approved on the spot, and the online status changed to "card is being produced" within a couple of hours of the interview. Didn't get the stamp. 

 

I think they just don't bother because you'll get your card in the mail within a week if you're approved on the spot, and if you're not approved on the spot and there needs to be additional review of any sort, you don't qualify for a stamp at the end of the interview anyway. 

 

Edit: my AP application wasn't approved before the interview, and was closed the same day as I was approved, as the benefit was granted by other means. If you really need to travel within a week of being approved on the spot, I suppose you could ask for the stamp. But I'm guessing most people can wait until after they get the card in the mail. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by eckoin

[Visitor User 235]

3 hours ago, seal72 said:

Sometimes they recommend it for approval and it takes over a week to get the approval and sometimes they say they have to review it and they can’t take a decision yet and within hours you get the approval.

I see it getting approved within 5-10 minutes of walking out from the interview. IO can’t make the decision? It has to go through IO supervisor? 

Edited January 5, 2019 by Visitor User

[Visitor User 235]

2 hours ago, eckoin said:

I was approved on the spot, and the online status changed to "card is being produced" within a couple of hours of the interview. Didn't get the stamp. 

 

I think they just don't bother because you'll get your card in the mail within a week if you're approved on the spot, and if you're not approved on the spot and there needs to be additional review of any sort, you don't qualify for a stamp at the end of the interview anyway. 

 

Edit: my AP application wasn't approved before the interview, and was closed the same day as I was approved, as the benefit was granted by other means. If you really need to travel within a week of being approved on the spot, I suppose you could ask for the stamp. But I'm guessing most people can wait until after they get the card in the mail. 

Stamp means you are approved. Otherwise, you officially aren’t when you leave the interview. 

[geowrian 22,335]

Does anybody know somebody who got a stamp at the interview recently?

[eckoin 211]

4 hours ago, Visitor User said:

Stamp means you are approved. Otherwise, you officially aren’t when you leave the interview. 

Eh, agree to disagree. 

 

Here's the USCIS response the Hammond Law Group received when they inquired:

 

When an applicant’s adjustment of status application is approved, USCIS systems are updated to reflect his or her new status as a lawful resident. With that system update, the applicant is mailed an I-797 approval notice; the Permanent Resident Card usually follows within approximately three weeks. Upon notification of their adjustment of status approval, applicants must surrender the EAD as the authority under which the EAD was granted no longer applies to the alien’s status. USCIS will not direct field offices to provide an I-551 stamp at the conclusion of an adjustment interview. An ADIT stamp may be provided before the arrival of the Permanent Resident Card at the discretion of the field office. An applicant will also still be recognized as employment authorized in the e-verify and SAVE systems should an inquiry be made between the date that a Form I-485 is approved and when the Permanent Resident Card is received.

 

http://hammondlawgroup.com/healthcareblog/2015/11/06/how-do-you-prove-your-employment-authorization-after-your-i-485-interview-but-before-you-receive-your-green-card/

 

Take that as you will.

[Visitor User 235]

1 hour ago, eckoin said:

Eh, agree to disagree. 

 

Here's the USCIS response the Hammond Law Group received when they inquired:

 

When an applicant’s adjustment of status application is approved, USCIS systems are updated to reflect his or her new status as a lawful resident. With that system update, the applicant is mailed an I-797 approval notice; the Permanent Resident Card usually follows within approximately three weeks. Upon notification of their adjustment of status approval, applicants must surrender the EAD as the authority under which the EAD was granted no longer applies to the alien’s status. USCIS will not direct field offices to provide an I-551 stamp at the conclusion of an adjustment interview. An ADIT stamp may be provided before the arrival of the Permanent Resident Card at the discretion of the field office. An applicant will also still be recognized as employment authorized in the e-verify and SAVE systems should an inquiry be made between the date that a Form I-485 is approved and when the Permanent Resident Card is received.

 

http://hammondlawgroup.com/healthcareblog/2015/11/06/how-do-you-prove-your-employment-authorization-after-your-i-485-interview-but-before-you-receive-your-green-card/

 

Take that as you will.

What is ADIT stamp?

[eckoin 211]

12 hours ago, Visitor User said:

What is ADIT stamp?

Just another word for I-551. It stands for Alien Documentation Identification and Telecommunication. 

[Visitor User 235]

6 hours ago, eckoin said:

Just another word for I-551. It stands for Alien Documentation Identification and Telecommunication. 

That stamp means the beneficiary is approved?

[eckoin 211]

2 hours ago, Visitor User said:

That stamp means the beneficiary is approved?

The I-551 stamp means that the field office used their discretion to provide the stamp to the beneficiary who asked for it, and demonstrated that they need it and can't wait for the card in the mail.