sweetestcherry

Persephone... the voice of logic.

This completely irrational scare ZOMG WE WILL ALL GET AIDS is stupid.

This for the win. The fearmongering evident in this thread is really transparent and disgusting.

Hi all,

I have a dumb question about the AR-11 Date of Entry into US- does this refer to the last date he entered the US? So for example, we went to Ireland in July for a vacation, and returned to the US on 8/4- is that his last date of entry? Or does this refer to when he "entered" aka entered on a visa, or received his greencard?

Sorry for the dumb question!

Also, can you complete the Sponsor form online, or is that only available in paper?

I'm sorry if this has been asked before but I did a quick forum search, and didn't see this specific topic.

My husband is about to renew his UK passport for the first time in the USA. For those who have done so before, where did you get your passport pictures taken? My husband printed out the specs required and took them to a local drug store, and they said their specs didn't comply with the UK ones, and therefore wouldn't do them.

Just though I'd throw it out there so see what other folks have done, or if we should just do it on our own.

Thank you!

Thanks again everybody! I really appreciate all of your support! My husband received his new greencard on Friday afternoon- he's still in shock!

Thanks all!

Another update folks:

"Current Status: Card production ordered.

On April 3, 2009, we ordered production of your new card. Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you. If we need something from you we will contact you. If you move before you receive the card, call customer service. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register."

YEA! Now while I am nearly crying and bouncing off the walls, my husband is somewhat skeptical still and says he will believe it when he has the card in his hands. But still.

About bloody time!!!

just got an update on Monday from a uscis officer who told me that Vermont just got done processing December 08 applications and will be moving on to January, so they are about 3 month late with processing.

done with December'08??? You mean December'07, right? VSC is beyond ridiculous...

They're not done all of December 2007 *grumbles*

HI I FILED MY I 751 03/13/08 I GOT TOUCH LAST WEEK TWICE 02/19/09 AND 02/22/09 BUT MY CASE STILL SHOW PENDING I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY APPROVAL OR RFE I WILL CONTACT MY CONGRESMAN I DON T KNOW HOW THANK U FOR YOUR RESPONSE

salam .

nothing new about Vermont . the average is 13 months . i think u will get approve soon

good luck.

Been waiting about 15 months at Vermont now. Was told VSC is moving ridiculously slow on these applications.

Well. After 12 months and one week after contacting my house representative. I get a letter, not rfe not an aproval. But biometrics. They want me to go and do my fingerprints again.

Does that mean I will be aproved after the fingerprints? So confusing. The office of my rep said my file was in someones desk a week ago.

My file was received by VSC on march 14 2008

Hello, A khoya

That is ridicules u have to get your finger print done from new. extra money and extra time.

why all that . why just approve u .

good luck akhoya .

That would be far too efficient for USCIS- approving people within the actual timeline?! Surely you jest!

Sorry- we've been waiting since December 2007- am now wondering if we'll get a request to redo biometrics as well (husband had his done in January 2008).

I am sorry you haven't heard anything yet. VSC seems to have come to a grinding halt. I don't recall seeing any approvals over the last 10 days or so, perhaps longer. I wonder if they have reassigned case workers to a different type of application. There are a number of January and February filers who should have heard something by now. Good luck with your follow up.

My husband had to make an Infopass appointment at the end of February to get his passport stamped, because his letter extending his greecard expired on 3/2/09. The person helping him stamped it for a year, and told him that a LOT of people have been coming in and complaining of problems with the I-751 application and VSC.

Thanks again everyone for your support!

So, an update...

I contacted my state senator's office approximately three weeks ago to do a senatorial inquiry into my husbands I-751 application. At this time, the case is still pending (ARG), which the office said is unusual- usually, they get a quicker turaround time. They said at this time, the case is with an adjudication officer, who should be making a decision, but when that decision comes is anyone's guess. At this point, I have been following up weekly, and they told me to try back in three weeks with them if I haven't heard anything, and they will put in another inquiry.

And so we wait...no updates on his online case profile on USCIS's website.

Congratulations!

Thanks Cherr1980 - Buckhead - we're neighbours! There seem to be a good number of VJ members in the Atlanta area - we should arrange for a get together some time.

Sweetestcherry - good luck. I hope you get a good response and good news very soon. You're more than past due. My greencard actually arrived today as well - ok, it arrived yesterday but was delivered to my neighbour's address. I received it today, thank heavens.

Thank you! I'm crossing my fingers- I figure I will give it about a week and then I will call the Senator's office a call to follow up.

Thanks again for sharing your experience- I would never have thought to try this route!

Sorry I didn't see this sooner!

Today we faxed off a request for an inquiry by Senator Arlen Specter. I called to confirm they received the form, and they confirmed that they did. Hopefully we hear GOOD news very shortly!

In the meantime, my husband has an InfoPass appointment to get his passport stamped next Thursday . Good times, eh? This is such a frustrating and ridiculously laborious process.

First off, welcome to JV keobq - this is a good group of people to be with on one's visa journey.

I sent my I-751 to TSC last February 28th and it was transferred to Vermont SC in March, 2008. I had biometrics in April, then my file wasn't touched until September, and then again on January 13th. Last Friday, when I had no further action and files all around me were getting approved (and I was feeling especially frustrated), I contacted my Senator's office - Johnny Isakson. He has a staff person who specializes in immigration files. They put through an inquiry on the status of my file and it seems to have shaken it loose from whatever desk it was on holding down papers.

I hope that helps answer your questions. Good luck on your own journey.

You might want to take a look at the VSC Status Update thread in this forum - it has columns showing the dates people submitted their applications to VSC, when they received their NOAs (if they did - we didn't), when they had Biometrics and when they were approved. You can add your information to the list and then keep track of the files of others who applied around the same time as you. Here is the link: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...&start=1410

Hi Kathryn,

Congratulations and thank you for sharing your story! I'm going to actually attempt to do the same thing. My husband and I filed with VSC in December 2007 and after making a request for an inquiry with Immigration, we still have yet to hear anything, and still have not been "touched" since March of 2008 (even now, over a month after a request for inquiry!).

Thanks so much!

Sara

-Recieved the NOA stating my wife's GC had been extended one year from date of reciept. (Jan 10, 2009)

I just wanted to mention that NOA1 extends conditional status for 1 year from the date on conditional green card, not from the date on the receipt.

That's what we were told at our office as well.

We were told at our local office that the date on the letter is just a date- so long as the case is still pending, the individual is still in status.

I know that doesn't offer much relief, but just thought I'd share that info.

Best of luck to you both!

Update:

So I called the Help Line on Monday evening, and the first operator I spoke with put in a service request on our case. She then transferred me to another operator who told me that our case is still pending, that the extension is one year from the date on the letter (which is dated 12/10/07) but that as long as his case is still pending, he's still in status, despite the date, and that the service request won't make any difference because it's only been a year (ONLY?! are you effing kidding me?!), and that this was normal. He did suggest that we visit our local service center though.

So, this morning we both took time unpaid to trek downtown to visit the local service center to get a passport stamp. The woman who helped us told us that the extension letter is the date on his greencard (which expired 3/2/08, but the letter extends it to 3/2/09), which conflicts with what we were told on the phone. I asked her if she could stamp his passport anyways, but to do so, he would have to surrender his greencard and his extension letter. And since his passport is due to expire in a few months, I didn't want to risk handing over the greencard and letter, so we let it be. She looked into our case, and told us that everything looked normal, it was held up on the background check, which is entirely normal. And then we left.

So, long story short- today was a waste of $20 train fare and 2 hours of unpaid work for both of us. We have been told so many different stories about which date is the actual extension date, and I don't know who to believe, and I told her that.

So at this point what can we do but continue to wait?

Just apply for citizenship.You must be eligible already.Why worry about this damn card?

!. I don't think he's eligible for Citizenship until he's been a resident for at least three years- that would be March 2009. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

2. We don't have the extra cash lying around right now to apply for it, unless absolutely necessary. We both work full time, I'm also a graduate student, money is extraordinarily tight, as it is for many people right now.

As an added note, I resent the fact that I have to do additional paperwork and pay additional fees for an additional application just to get basic service on a previous application. That's BS. And I realize that we're dealing with Immigration here, but I'm not just going to roll over and say, oh well, that's how it goes.

3. My husband is still not sure he wants Citizenship. Personally, I would prefer that he go for dual citizenship because it would make both our lives easier with regards to all of this bs, but it's a personal decision, and it's his decision.

there's no help line; however you'll get to talk to an operator if you choose the option "you don't know/have your receipt number" or "your case is out of the processing time frame"

Thanks!

Now I'm confused. Doesn't the letter extend the greencard a year from its expiration date? His greencard expired 3/2/08- doesn't it now expire 3/2/09, due to the letter? Or does his greencard expire a year from when the letter was issued to us (which would be December)? If it expires a date from the letter, then now I'm panicking because technically it's expired.

The AOS and EAD applications were approved in 2005/2006- however, they are still in his online profile on USCIS and it shows that both applications were last updated/touched 3/9/08. Does that make sense?

I really really REALLY hate this.

Yes, you're absolutely right sweetestcherry, I missed the fact he'd applied 90 days before the expiration of his provisional card - too much b*e*e*r at Christmas.

OK, it was the March 08 'touch' on the AOS and EAD applications that threw me - too much b*e*e*r after Christmas too!!

And yeah, it does suck.

Good luck with his lifting of conditions - under the circumstances I think it is too early to consider getting an I-551 yet; perhaps if he's not approved by mid-February then he should consider making an Infopass appointment.

So basically he is still "in status," and will remain so until 3/2/09?

I think I'm still going to schedule an InfoPass appt. They have a few avail. this Wednesday morning.

Sorry for the confusion! This stuff gives me an ulcer. I need a xanax, lol.

Hi sweetestcherry; the only reason I suggested waiting a bit longer to get the stamp is that I read that the local offices are reluctant to give out I-551 stamps unless there is a pressing reason as it means more work for them - I was reading a thread on another board recently where someone failed to get a stamp because their extension letter was not yet due to expire. It may be worth giving the helpline a call first, just to save a wasted journey.

Would that be a helpline on the letter? Or on the website? Sorry for the dumb question. I tried calling this #: 800) 375 – 5283 on the website and checked our status and it was unchanged; and then it said the customer service reps had no additional information.

Thanks so much for all of your help!

Now I'm confused. Doesn't the letter extend the greencard a year from its expiration date? His greencard expired 3/2/08- doesn't it now expire 3/2/09, due to the letter? Or does his greencard expire a year from when the letter was issued to us (which would be December)? If it expires a date from the letter, then now I'm panicking because technically it's expired.

The AOS and EAD applications were approved in 2005/2006- however, they are still in his online profile on USCIS and it shows that both applications were last updated/touched 3/9/08. Does that make sense?

I really really REALLY hate this.

Yes, you're absolutely right sweetestcherry, I missed the fact he'd applied 90 days before the expiration of his provisional card - too much b*e*e*r at Christmas.

OK, it was the March 08 'touch' on the AOS and EAD applications that threw me - too much b*e*e*r after Christmas too!! :(

And yeah, it does suck.

Good luck with his lifting of conditions - under the circumstances I think it is too early to consider getting an I-551 yet; perhaps if he's not approved by mid-February then he should consider making an Infopass appointment.

So basically he is still "in status," and will remain so until 3/2/09?

I think I'm still going to schedule an InfoPass appt. They have a few avail. this Wednesday morning.

Sorry for the confusion! This stuff gives me an ulcer. I need a xanax, lol.

It sounds like you will need to get another extention on the conditional card.

Thanks for your response. I understand that that may be a possibility, but when? Can I do that now? Or do I have to wait until a month before it expires? A week? The day of? And what about our case in the meantime? Should we make an appointment with Infopass now or do we have to wait until closer to the expiration date? Do I need to send a formal letter to USCIS to request why it's taking so long?

My letter of extension expires on Jan 23rd. I called the helpdesk last week and got a really helpful lady on. She suggested that I make an Infopass appointment and get an I-551 stamp in my passport and in the meanwhile she would raise a service request to try and find out why my case had not been touched since March 3rd. I don't know if the service request will make any difference but I have an Infopass appointment for the 7th of January to be on the safe side.

Your dates confuse me though - you say that your husband's application was received on December 26th 2007 and he had his Biometrics on January 23rd yet his extension letter doesn't expire till March. Are you sure about that? Extension letters normally cover a year from the date that USCIS receives your I-751 application (or CR-189 as they refer to it), whicvh would make it around the end of December, so it seems odd that your husband appears to have a 15 month extension. Also, you mention AOS and Employment applications being processed this year - how did he get a provisional Green Card before he successfully adjusted his status (AOS)?

Now I'm confused. Doesn't the letter extend the greencard a year from its expiration date? His greencard expired 3/2/08- doesn't it now expire 3/2/09, due to the letter? Or does his greencard expire a year from when the letter was issued to us (which would be December)? If it expires a date from the letter, then now I'm panicking because technically it's expired.

The AOS and EAD applications were approved in 2005/2006- however, they are still in his online profile on USCIS and it shows that both applications were last updated/touched 3/9/08. Does that make sense?

I really really REALLY hate this.

It sounds like you will need to get another extention on the conditional card.

Thanks for your response. I understand that that may be a possibility, but when? Can I do that now? Or do I have to wait until a month before it expires? A week? The day of? And what about our case in the meantime? Should we make an appointment with Infopass now or do we have to wait until closer to the expiration date? Do I need to send a formal letter to USCIS to request why it's taking so long?

Hi all,

So, it was a little over a year ago that my husband and I filed to remove the conditions on his greencard. On USCIS's website, it shows that Vermont officially received his application package on 12/26/07. He was fingerprinted on 1/23/08 (which is also the last date that this application was touched; other applications, including his adjustment of status and employment one were touched 3/9/08). At this time, we have heard nothing at all, as to the status of his case. His letter which extends his greencard is good through 3/2/09.

Since it's been over a year at this point, what is our next step? Do we continue to wait, until we approach a time closer to when his greencard will expire? Should I set up an Infopass appointment? I have not called them, because I've seen other posters who have and received no assistance.

Vermont's case processing timeline says that they are currently processing applications around 12/30/07- do I wait until they move on from that date?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!