Infopass appointment -- got email saying no appointment available

[k123 3]

Our i751 extension letter expired last year, and we followed steps to get infopass appointment and were able to get an infopass stamp last year before our travel in 2021.

Now the infopass stamp expires in november and we have traveling scheduled from october to december, our return is after our stamp expires. 

So we called USCIS to get infopass appointment beginning of September and were told to wait for 30 days as usual, now instead of callback we get an email saying:

 

We are contacting you about your pending request to be scheduled for an in-person appointment at a USCIS field office. Unfortunately, there are no available appointments with the field office that you need to visit. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience. 

 

Please note that we process all requests for appointments in the order in which they were received. We ask that you wait for the Contact Center to reach out rather than calling back to check on your request as it may result in longer wait times.  

 

As soon as an appointment becomes available, we will: 

•  Send you an email with the date and time if it is determined you are eligible for an appointment; OR  
• Contact you by phone or email to confirm that the appointment is still needed, and if so, schedule as appropriate. 

 

Not sure what do we do now, how can we get an appointment before our travel?

Has anyone else gotten this email before and what happened after it?

 

[Mike E 11,723]

It happens more and more. 
 

Try using EMMA online to express to an agent that you’ve travel coming up and need a stamp.  
 

Failing that try the CIS ombudsman 

Edited October 3, 2022 by Mike E

[k123 3]

On 10/3/2022 at 5:34 PM, Mike E said:

It happens more and more. 
 

Try using EMMA online to express to an agent that you’ve travel coming up and need a stamp.  
 

Failing that try the CIS ombudsman 

I tried using EMMA and got connected to live chat agent. I mentioned we have travel coming up and response was that she wrote the note on the existing ticket and said you still just have to wait for when  appointment is available. 

 

when asked how much longer, all i got was you are in queue. no mention of further timeframe or if it would be before my travel date. 

[Mike E 11,723]

12 minutes ago, k123 said:

I tried using EMMA and got connected to live chat agent. I mentioned we have travel coming up and response was that she wrote the note on the existing ticket and said you still just have to wait for when  appointment is available. 

 

when asked how much longer, all i got was you are in queue. no mention of further timeframe or if it would be before my travel date. 

It’s looking like I-131a then unless the ombudsman helps. 

[aznhouston 124]

There's nothing you can do but wait. 

[k123 3]

Oct 6 - called to expedite was told to wait for callback in 72 hrs. And received email same day saying no appointment available before my travel date. Email also mentioned to try and apply for i131a at embassy before coming back. Might not need this if airline allows to board on expired status.

i131a route seems risky since appointment availabilities at embassies are also hard to find.  

is it possible to get adit stamp appointment at different field office? 

[OldUser 4,820]

20 minutes ago, k123 said:

i131a route seems risky since appointment availabilities at embassies are also hard to find.  

is it possible to get adit stamp appointment at different field office? 

Good thinking! You should be able to get the I-551 stamp in a different field office.

[Mike E 11,723]

Another alternative is to get a visa to travel to Canada or Mexico for the return. Then enter the USA by land.  I’m going to guess that the backlog for a visa for Mexico is somewhat less than the backlog for an I-551 stamp or an I-131a.  I don’t know of any country has more consulates in the USA than Mexico. 
 

You could also try entering  Mexico from say Nogales, AZ and then U turn from Nogales, MX  back to Arizona on foot. Then ask CBP for an I-551 stamp.  I can’t say about other land border crossings but both times I’ve been to Nogales, MX in September 2022, Mexico immigration was not checking documents. They only X ray bags.