KVE

8 hours ago, hkamal said:

I got my stamp at the Chicago office today. The immigration officer said the same thing about the CSC waiting time to me and gave me a 6 month stamp. Did they clip your Green Card? They clipped mine saying that you're only allowed to have one document to enter the country. And since the passport (with the new stamp) was going to serve as that, I couldn't have the green card as well.

 

Fingers crossed for CSC to catch up. Let's see.

6 months? That will be tight, I probably should wait til end of March closer to the date of my Green Card expiry + 1 year (as per the letter). Hopefully, I’ll get the N400 approved within 6 months of that.

I thought the 1 year letter extended things for a year from the date of the green card expiry, the guy at the border at Detroit told me mine expires 1 year from the letter on the date (which was 2 months prior to the green card expiring).

My kids have UK and US passports. Provide the UK passport when leaving the US at the check in desk. Provide the UK passport at the border in the UK. Provide US passport when leaving UK at the check in desk and same at the border in the USA.

Canada and USA is a bit more relaxed at the land/air border, I’m near the border so most of my flights to the UK are from Canada since its like half the price of my local US airport. The UK/US one is more stringent, always a pain when traveling as a family.

16 hours ago, NikeS said:

- List as many countries as you can and omit whatever doesn’t fit. 

- Start the 2nd trip date on the following day.

The purpose of your trip details is to ensure you satisfy the continuous/physical presence condition for filing the N-400. 

Make sure you file online no matter what. It’s gonna save you time, trust me. 

I might attach a letter as “additional evidence” detailing all the countries and the 2nd trip.

14 hours ago, ddtenor2 said:

When you are listing days out of the country, count only full days out of the U.S., do not count the first or last day of a trip since technically you are in the U.S. for part of those days.

The application automatically removes the leaving and returning dates from the number of days you were out. I visited Canada for 3 days and the application only says 1 day.

Working on the N400 and noticed there is a character limit on the countries visited and you can't put commas to separate them. If I can't list all the countries I went to on one trip then does this mean I have to paper file? I visited 8 countries on a 5 month trip.

I'm also getting the message "You cannot have overlapping date ranges in your travel history" because I came from a vacation on one day then flew out for a business trip the same day. So I was technically in the USA for about 5 hours.

1 hour ago, NikeS said:

Probably not, it will update today, however you can fill the form but NOT submit until you are in the 90-day window. Many keep updating their information and saving it over days/weeks until they are finally ready to submit. All info entered is saved for the 30 days so you’ll be alright. 

I tried logging in a couple of weeks ago, and wouldn’t let me go to the entry page as I wasn’t within the 90 day window. Is there a way to get past it?

18 hours ago, plasthandske said:

As a fellow Feb 17 filer, I went to eat my stamp at the Minneapolis/St. Paul office recently.  No hassle at all, friendly staff, and in general a great experience.  Felt weird to let the GC go but at least now I’m free to roam the globe until CSC decides to process my papers.  The guy only asked why I needed it - he accepted my reasoning that I won’t book a ticket abroad for leisure or work until I’m certain that I can return without any issues. 

 

He he said that they’re are interviewing more and more people now (due to the new administration than they previously did).

So a simple info pass and they stamp you? Sadly my closest USCIS office is a 2 hour drive away. Really don’t want to have to go once for the stamp then again for the interview. Luckily my work is flexible so I don’t have to take time off for this, but imagine people who have to take time off to get a simple stamp?

I’m going to apply for N400 in 2 weeks, which seems to have a shorter timeline than my original GC or ROC. Will be the end of a long journey!

5 hours ago, mindthegap said:

Unbelievable.

I had no issues claiming it back when my GC was valid. Haven't tried it with extension letter or stamp but will be doing so shortly and my current stamp expires before the end of 2018...

Yea, the customs officer was really rude and told me he needed proof. He wouldn’t accept that my spouse and kids are USCs and live in the USA. He suggested I get proof of my work contract from the USA. But I don’t have a specified contract period, it’s basically continuous until terminated. And even if I wanted something, I couldn’t get anything from HR as it was the weekend.

Next time I go to the UK I will probably be a US citizen so I won’t even show my UK passport.

Can you only fill out the application online 90 days before your permanent resident anniversary? I'm planning on applying on the 3 year marriage rule, and wanted to prepare everything so I could click submit on the date I was eligible. Didn't look like I could even fill out the form until my early filing date.

On 12/13/2017 at 10:17 AM, corvusheart said:

What's VAT? And you got stuck in UK and couldn't come back on extension letter!?

VAT is the UK sales tax. They let me leave the UK, but wouldn't let me claim VAT because they required you to be non-resident for the rest of the year. Since the letter expires in April, the person in the UK said it was insufficient proof to prove that I would be allowed to stay in the USA beyond April 2018.

You can reclaim sales tax paid on items in certain countries if you are a non-resident.

On 12/1/2017 at 5:56 PM, corvusheart said:

Yeah this is ridiculous. CSC was so fast with K-1. But so slow with ROC. They need to hire more people.

My K-1 took forever, they gave me a potential interview waiver and that lasted about many months before they processed. I had to speak to the local congressman a couple times to get things moving.

Really annoyed that I need to drive 2 hours to go get a stamp in my passport soon so I can prove my status. I was actually denied VAT back in the UK on my last trip because I only had 5 more months on my extension letter, the guy asked me to prove on a Sunday that I was planning to live in the USA beyond a year. Apparently, wife and kids don't count. Never going to try and get VAT back in the UK again, was a pain to wait in the 40 minute line just to get told I couldn't get it back.

I'm applying for a business visa to China, I hope they don't cause a fuss because of the green card extension letter. They require proof of residence in the USA to apply from the USA.

hi guys wanna ask this...what is ADIT?

salamat

Welcome Notice Was Mailed

On May 4, 2015, we registered your permanent resident status and mailed you a Welcome Notice for Receipt Number MSC149123xxxx. Please follow the instructions in the notice. Your new permanent resident card should arrive by July 3, 2015, after this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

It doesn't apply to you. It's just a generic message, your welcome letter won't mention it...

If your post office is nearby, you might be able to pop down with the tracking number and see if it can be picked up.

I have my card in my hands. All this work for this card... I wonder if I should go and get a new SSN card so it won't have that "Valid with DHS authorization" thing on it...

I guess it would be useful I wanted to go get a job, but since I run a business only the banks have asked to see my EAD card... And since 2 weeks ago I opened a Discover bank account and didn't ask me for my SSN card.

My card has arrived at the local post office, last night it says Monday delivery... But to my surprise it says today is the delivery day today. 5-6 hours til the post arrives. Hopefully I get my card... Worrying that last month USPS said I don't live at the address and returned one of my bank statements... I've lived her ever since I entered the USA.

I didn't receive a tracking number in my email either.... I had to log into USCIS and look at the update itself and it provided a tracking number.

My problem yesterday is that USPS says it was delivered in my mailbox... but it's not there.

Mine just says:

On April 30, 2015, we mailed your new card for Receipt Number MSCXXXXXXXX, to the address you gave us. If you do not receive your card by May 30, 2015, please go to www.uscis.gov/e-request to request that we send your new card to you. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

They mailed my card today, but the email doesn't provide a tracking number. How do you get one?

Thank you so much for the link!

So this means it is optional, or we have to do it before they send a card?

My question too... I would like to go to Canada for Mother's day weekend... I was approved on 23 April.

How long from ordering the new card does it get mailed? I want to go to Canada for mother's day weekend. I wonder if I'll get my card in time...

I just received my "Welcome letter", I had no idea you were supposed to carry the green card on you at all times. It even states "It's the law." on the letter...

I'm sorry to ask annoying questions! I tried searching your past posts in case they were already answered.

So you received your NPIW letter in November 2014, what month did you submit the SR and contact the representative in your area?

Oh its no problem at all.

Service Request (my first and only one) on March 20, 2015. Congressman was about a couple of days maybe a week before that?

Note that Cleveland was processing August 2014 cases when that processing times website updates in mid March, so I was able to get things moving.

The Congressman wrote a letter to me saying it would take 9-12 months, but I think his staff member actually called up someone in the Cleveland office checking if my application was there. I think the combination of the SR and the Congressman's office helped a lot.

The SR was closed by the Cleveland field officer when she called me on March 26, 2015 to say they would request my file. It was a nice surprise to receive that call.

When did you contact the congressman, long long before they got back to you and how long after did you get the approval ?

I contacted him about a week before the SR. I received a letter from him saying there was a delay but his staff said they would call Cleveland FO. 6 days after filing the SR I received a call saying I would get a decision within 60 days.

Wow, wow, wow. Congratulations!! Whoop, whoop!

I must admit I am shocked a July filer, did you do a expedite or something? Or was it that your case just got released from purgatory at NBC?

Any way go celebrate and enjoy your moment!

Not sure if you are, I would give the computers time to update! Normally takes around 11 days to get to you in the post, but I think it can take longer sometimes like Nlhernan although he was the exception, being an exceptional person of course!!

Both my congressman and SR must have done the trick. An officer from Cleveland called me and told me they would request it from NBC last month.

They are ordering my card. This is awesome.

How long does it take to get it after they send you the we are ordering your card email?

Am I a permanent resident yet? Or is it only when I recieve it?

It's been a month since I filed my SR, hopefully it should be in Cleveland by now. *fingers crossed* I hope they finish things off.

I hadn't really cared too much about the GC. But now this is ridiculous, I can't apply for student aid without it. And I can't get my free Global Entry. *sigh*

This process is just terrible. Also sucks is I can't take a year out with her when she has her sabbatical.