I-751 typographical error, name change

[carmel34 2,934]

I'm sharing a recent experience with USCIS for others who may be feeling frustrated with the process to correct errors or any similar problem.  My husband's I-751 was filed more than a year ago, and when the I-797 was received a couple of weeks later, with the initial 18 month extension, his name on the I-797 was not spelled correctly.  It was a minor error, only one letter was wrong, so we figured he could correct it at the biometrics appointment, which happened in August of last year.  At biometrics, he corrected the spelling on the form and told the person processing his case.  They said they could not make the correction, which seemed strange.  It seemed logical to me that the biometrics staff would see the error on the I-797 and biometrics letter, because the green card, passport, I-751, and driver's license are all correct, so why would they not simply make the correction when doing biometrics? The first attempt to fix this error after biometrics was via the online USCIS typographical error feature, which he did and then we waited.  Nothing in reply.  Months went by.  The 24 month extension I-797 arrived and had the same name spelling error.  Another typographical error request was submitted online in late April of this year.  Again, no response.  In late May we sent a letter to the Missouri Service Center, to the address listed on the I-797, requesting the name spelling correction, and included photocopies of both I-797s, the biometrics appointment letter, and green card.  He also asked USCIS in the letter to link his I-751 case to his USCIS online account.  Because of the spelling error, the I-751 documents and status were not linked to his account, even though the A numbers and date of birth on the I-751 and original CR-1 case were the same.  All of this confirms the incompetence of USCIS, which seems to happen to many people.  Yesterday, the USCIS case status showed "name was updated" for the I-751 receipt number.  Finally something positive!  We're hoping to receive a new extension letter soon with the corrected name because we are going to Canada for vacation in two weeks and don't want to have problems returning to the US because of the error.  If the I-751 is not linked to his online USCIS account in the next few weeks, he will try to call and speak to a tier two officer.  In the meantime, we are hoping for a waiver of the ROC interview based on the new guidance and our very strong ROC package (more than 500 pages of quality evidence).  He will file for naturalization in August, at the 3-year mark of his entering the US as an LPR and living together as a married couple.  Lesson learned in our case:  sending USCIS a formal letter with documentation got a quick response and action while the online typographical error tool did nothing.  Good luck everyone with this long, frustrating process!

Edited June 3, 2022 by carmel34
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[Rocio0010 4,494]

Piece of (unsolicited) advice: hold off citizenship until his I-751 is approved.... Sometimes it delays the process.

[Misscloud 1,079]

29 minutes ago, Rocio0010 said:

Piece of (unsolicited) advice: hold off citizenship until his I-751 is approved.... Sometimes it delays the process.

is it really delay the process?

in my ( little) experience helping my friend filing n-400 ( marriage case, 3 years) last feb 2022 while her ROC been pending since april 2021 actually helped her got "combo" interview. she got approved and did same day oath ceremony in total 1 hour 

[Rocio0010 4,494]

3 minutes ago, Misscloud said:

is it really delay the process?

in my ( little) experience helping my friend filing n-400 ( marriage case, 3 years) last feb 2022 while her ROC been pending since april 2021 actually helped her got "combo" interview. she got approved and did same day oath ceremony in total 1 hour 

It has also been the case that they get to the N-400 interview and they can't do the combo because the I-751 package is not there.

Knowing USCIS and how disorganized they are, I would not do it. But to each their own. OPs case is already in the limbo because of a mistake that USCIS made, so there's that.

[carmel34 2,934]

3 hours ago, Rocio0010 said:

Piece of (unsolicited) advice: hold off citizenship until his I-751 is approved.... Sometimes it delays the process.

I agree.  This is exactly the reason for pushing USCIS to make the name correction now, which they finally did, but only after we sent a letter and supporting documents via Priority Post.  Receiving a 10-year green card with the name misspelled would just create more USCIS nightmares to this already crazy and long process, and could delay the N-400.  We are really hoping that the new I-751 guidance with the option for USCIS to waive an interview will help speed up the ROC process, even if we have to go in for an interview.  My husband is in no hurry to get citizenship anyway.

[BioNat 25]

4 hours ago, Rocio0010 said:

Piece of (unsolicited) advice: hold off citizenship until his I-751 is approved.... Sometimes it delays the process.

I-751 might delay the N-400, but not the other way around, and the total amount of time still ends up being less than if you would wait for the I-751 to be done before filling the N-400. So, no need to wait for one to be done, if your end goal is to minimize wait.

[Rocio0010 4,494]

28 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

I agree.  This is exactly the reason for pushing USCIS to make the name correction now, which they finally did, but only after we sent a letter and supporting documents via Priority Post.  Receiving a 10-year green card with the name misspelled would just create more USCIS nightmares to this already crazy and long process, and could delay the N-400.  We are really hoping that the new I-751 guidance with the option for USCIS to waive an interview will help speed up the ROC process, even if we have to go in for an interview.  My husband is in no hurry to get citizenship anyway.

It is unbelievable how much of a hassle correcting a name is!