ark9187

@Diana94 I am not sure if the petitioner's place of stay has a bearing on whether the applicant is placed on AP or not. I applied for my parents back in 2015 and, after their interview, they were put on AP even though I was in the U.S. at the time. The fact that applicants are being put on AP in your area might have to do with the fact that it is a sensitive area, and the embassy officials may need to perform additional security checks before they issue the visa.

In case of my parents, the AP process began in September and visas were issued by the end of December (same year). Best of luck for your case! I hope you get the visa soon!

Folks, 

I have benefited immensely from the information shared on VJ, and wanted to share the details of my own case:

Scan date: 1/12/2017

Supervisor review: 3/10/2017

CC: 3/23/2017 (confirmed via phone and still waiting for official NVC email)

@Nouman sh

1. Takes around 6 weeks from day of entry.

2. No separate form I think, but you have to pay the GC fee online (used to be $165 and now is ~$220)

3. Submit your fee anytime before you travel. As long as you do it BEFORE you travel, the exact time of submission does not matter. They start processing GC only after you enter the U.S.

Thanks for the response! I was unsure if the Delaware USCIS field office will entertain our request for I-551 stamp since Maryland does not fall under their jurisdiction.

She did not get an I-551 stamp on her passport when she arrived in the U.S. in mid-February this year. So this is the first time that she'll be getting this stamp.

I had already paid her green card fee by the time she arrived, and we still haven't received her green card (status "optimized" on ELIS) or welcome letter. Now she needs to go back, hence the need for the stamp.

Hi Everyone,

My mother arrived in the U.S. some time back on an immigrant visa. Now I need to get an I-551 stamp for my mother whose green card status is "optimized" on ELIS but we are not sure when it will arrive. She needs to go back to my home country urgently to help prepare my little brother with his 10th grade exams (She will be coming back in June). I live in Maryland and the USCIS Baltimore field office can not offer an INFOPASS appointment before Mar 31. A field support office in Denver is offering an INFOPASS appointment for Mar 19. Can I go to the Delaware office to get the I-551 stamp even though I live in Maryland?

Thanks.