3rd

I called and the agent was able to tell me the interview is for November 6th and that it must have been an odd glitch that generated the same date as my biometrics appointment from a year ago! Thankfully, it's all easily solved. Just in case anyone else experiences this!

It's been a while, but I wake up this morning to an email that action has been taken on my case so I log in and see that my interview has been scheduled. I feel super happy and go to the documents tabs to see when it'll be before the physical letter arrives. Bear in mind this letter was sent September 26th, only yesterday. The letter itself not only has my old address on it (which I changed through the appropriate channels and had a physical letter sent to my new address confirming the change) but it has me scheduled for my interview in February of 2019. 2019! Unless I've got a time machine I don't know about I'm guessing that isn't going to happen. It seems this is a glitch but I'm not entirely sure what to do about it at this point in time. Is there a number I should call to get this straightened out? I go on holiday to see family in mid-October and I'd love not to have this weighing me down.

28 minutes ago, Leo7777 said:

I think you missed the entire point and logic of what I wrote.

 

THERE IS A CONTINUING NEED FOR THE CARD . . . UNTIL PASSPORT RECEIVED.

 

SHE CAN'T TRAVEL NOW . . . SHE COULD BEFORE. 

I definitely understood your post. The frustration on being in limbo is hard, but something necessary between moving from one legal presence to another. There’s not much that can be done other than to wait. You can’t use the Greencard any further, as it’s not a legal form of ID once you’re a citizen and, just like any citizen that has to wait for a passport, you can travel once you have proof. The good news is that when I got my son a US passport back in December 2017 it came in less than a week! It was unprecedented.

1 hour ago, Leo7777 said:

Wife went through Oath Ceremony yesterday.

Of course they took her 10 year Green Card, so now for first time in 9 years she cannot travel outside USA and return.

So at the very end of the process, she is in a worse situation travel wise than at any time before.

What a nice way to end that long venture and start a new life as USA citizen !!!

 

This morning we went to Post Office with completed application for her USA Passport.

But can't book any airline tickets until Passport in hand . . . unless we want to possibly pay $300 or so to change the dates later.

 

There are several items that I have not seen on  any website previously that are ready to trip us up in the Passport Application stage.

 

You must submit original Certificate of Naturalization and a copy.  But surprise surprise, the copy must be black and white.

OK, so read that on the application just as we were starting to fill it out last night . . . but I don't think I ever saw this requirement stated anywhere else on the entire Web.

Why was this irritating to me?  Because I made an extra stop after a tiring day to buy a new color ink cartridge.

 

Second, I don't think I have ever read anywhere on Web that in addition to showing a second form of ID, you must submit a copy of it, front and back.

This is stated on the application, but unlike the rules for copy of Certificate, there was no statement that it should be only black and white.

So I made color copy of front and back of her Driver's License.

The postal guy took on look at it and rudely said . . . it must be black and white.

I showed him the application instructions which do not state anything about black and white.

So then he was nice and made black and white copy on his machine.

 

Third, it is stated on official website that you can pay $60 extra to State Dept for expedited processing, but that doesn't include any faster mailing.

It further states you can pay an extra $16.48 for 1-2 day delivery, but it is unclear as to which delivery they are talking about.  i.e. Delivery to the processing office or delivery to person after passport ready.  In casual discussion about this at the Oath ceremony, everyone assured us that this $16.48 included fast mail both ways.

But not true and again, nowhere on the Web have I seen discussion of this.

The postal guy stated that the $16.48 only covered the mailing back to the person.

 

So I said, OK how about another fee for fast shipping to the passport office.

He said yes . . . $25.50 !!!

My wife gasped and said how can it be about $17 one way and $25.50 back for the same distance?

He just shrugged his shoulders . . . .

 

And I included this additional amount in the check to US Postal.

 

So to State Department  $110 + 60 + 16.48 = $186.48.

 

To US Postal  $35 processing + 15 for picture + 25.50 mailing = $75.50

 

Grand total = $261.98

 

Plus figure $400 - $900 dollars extra to buy plane ticket now (or when passport arrives) compared to buying same plane ticket 2-3 months in advance.

 

Or better yet . . . don't take 10 year Green Card away from people until USA Passport is in hand!!!!!

 

Then we could safely buy ticket in advance to get cheapest prices . . . plus avoiding the anxiety of not knowing when you might be able to visit with family, etc.

 

I think there is something to be said for corrupt countries where you can just pay bribes to get things done efficiently.

They don't allow you to keep your Greencard because you aren't eligible to travel under it anymore. You aren't a LPR but a citizen so there is no need for the card.

3 hours ago, starsky said:

My turn has come!  I received a notification at 5.30pm CST yesterday that my card is in production and approved. It was such a relief to see the notification come in. I received a text first, then an email about 30 minutes later. The old app shows the update but the new one just continues to show the case as received. As a reminder, I was one of those 7 filers (that we know about) who was at California and transferred to Nebraska in February. Over 75 days of silence until yesterday.

 

I hope we get a few more approvals for our group this week and the next! Good luck everybody. Of course, I will stick around and maintain our tracking table. 

Yay! This is wonderful to finally see you approved.

Woke up this morning to two emails from USCIS that they’d taken action on my case. I was transferred to NSC back in early February and not heard a peep since. I logged in and they had put my card into production and approved my case (in that order 🙄). 

I DID apply for N-400 back in December, so I hope this gives others some hope that the wait will be over soon.

14 hours ago, FrenchKat said:

Good Evening everyone,

its been a while but Iam back. It seems Vermont center hasn’t had nothing going on even though we were all first getting fingerprints appts 

@ Starsky, thank you soooooo much for keeping us updated on everyone status! I really appreciate it.  I have a question I am going to Japan at the end of April and got already 2 letters  of extension of my green card, first was for the one year and next for 6 extra months. To top it all, my passport as my maiden name on it, as it’s still valid till 2024. My husband is Japanese /American ( holds an American passport) my 2 kids are Americans, but I still hold a French passport. My question is by the time i come back to US which will be a struggle since Japanese customs are sooo difficult to deal with and all these paper works I will carrying , my green card extensions are almost expired by the time i come back , so what do I do? I can’t neber show my green card at the bank because it’s expired and when I bring 2 letters there are soooooo confuse! And when I bring my passport they need to see my marriage certificate ！

i don’t have a standard ID  

 

The airports are going to be much more familiar with GC extension letters than banks, so don't let that make you nervous. As long as you are within the period of validity then you won't have any issues as you're 100% legal. I've travelled with my extension letter a few times and had no issues coming back into the USA. I also have my British Passport in my maiden name. I just travel with my expired GC, my extension letter, my passport in my maiden name, and then I carry my marriage certificate. It takes a little longer to verify everything on both ends but it's perfectly legal and acceptable. Most people don't want to update a passport if there's plenty of time left (although I am so over having to take all these documents with me each time that I might just bite the bullet and update my passport). Have fun in Japan!

14 minutes ago, AMII said:

thank you so much, i got pre approved and my fear is the final approval and its just my name on it because my husband is not working for now.

You'll be fine. You're here legally with the documentation to prove it. If the final mortgage isn't approved then there are some huge legal issues associated with it. If you're truly concerned then you should be able to talk to your lender and they will put your mind at ease.

1 hour ago, AMII said:

congratulation, please what is happening to Vermont center, no one has received any update and i am in the process of purchaing a home, of which i doubt if i will be approve because i dont have my 10 years green card, its frustrating

Please don't worry about having to have your 10 year GC to be able to buy a house. We just got preapproved a few weeks ago and I just made sure to send a scan of my extension letter alongside my conditional GC. If you can't get approved for having the proof you're legal then you need to find yourself a new lender.

15 minutes ago, ELJ said:

Hi, 

 

I have two email from uscis this early morning. The email notification said "we have taken an action on my case."

So I checked the status on the website. 

One is Case transferred and the new office has jurisdiction. The second one is the new office received my case. 

I just hope the instruction is about an interview... Anyway, I will wait for the letter first.. 

At least I have updated information so it is good but at the same time I am a little nervous.

 

Anyone has the same notice like I received? 

 

---quoted---  

On February 06, 2019, your Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, Receipt Number WAC180*******, was transferred to another USCIS office. That office now has jurisdiction over your case. We sent you a notice that explains why we moved your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. 

--un-quoted--

I got the same two notifications this morning (before I went for my Bio appointment for Naturalisation). I'm hoping this means the end is in sight, but I don't mind waiting longer--it doesn't effect anything currently. Especially as t'sone day shy of a year since they received my package. Good luck all!

I did my rescheduled Bio appointment today. Much less painful than during AOS. I got there a half hour early and was in and out in about 10 minutes!

I also received an email saying my I-751 was moved to my local office, and that they received it this morning. Hoping for an approval for that so I can move for with Naturalisation. 

15 hours ago, Leo7777 said:

OK.

Not sure if they just toss everything immediately as soon as you miss a BIO.

They probably accept some excuses with appropriate forms, procedures, etc., within some time period.

But yes, I do understand the tension and worry about it . . . and would probably be in a panic if it happened to us.

 

Our worry now is that wife's interview may be scheduled for a time she will be back in her home country for a visit this summer, and AFTER she has already bought the non-refundable ticket which must be done fairly early to get best deals.

It had to be overnighted to arrive before the New Year where everything would be shutdown. I got my re-scheduled appointment so I'm not worrying any longer. I'm hoping to go on Monday for a walk-in to speed things up a little. 

Are you going to be at home? If so you should be able to reschedule her interview if she's out of the country and that situation arises.

2 hours ago, Leo7777 said:

Confusing story.  Why did you have the BIO appointment letter overnighted to you in UK?

What usefulness was that?

Your BIL could have opened the letter and told you any info in it.

And I think you already knew what letter said based on some USCIS website info, because you noted your BIL was waiting for it.

And you left out how you obtained a second BIO appointment.

Ah, maybe I should have explained better. It was overnighted to the address to be rescheduled, not to me. It had to be overnighted as the letter arrived so close to the date of the biometrics so I needed to be sure that it would arrive the next day otherwise that's $700+ down the drain. So the second Biometrics appointment was obtained because my BIL sent it to be rescheduled, not to me.

Been a crazy one over here since I last commented! We had to leave for our trip to England over Christmas and New Year and my Biometrics came through with a date of Jan 2nd 2019, but we wouldn't be back in the country until Jan 10th! Had a nightmare trying to get my BIL to wait on the letter (which over the Christmas period was so slow), and then had to have it overnighted so it would arrive in time. Considering how long it took for ROC Biometrics I was shocked at how quick this came around so it was very stressful to be out of the country and hear nothing from USCIS in that time. Then yesterday I got a new Biometrics letter with the reschedule for February 6th. I think I'm going to try for a walk-in earlier than this as that's a little further out than I thought it would be rescheduled for. It'll be in Oakland, CA. Anyone else been successful with a walk-in with this particular office?

On 12/9/2018 at 3:24 PM, Cross32 said:

Thanks for the information,

 

please  what did you submit, and how did you manage to submit your tax transcripts, Marriage certificates etc. 

 

sorry to border you, but have been thinking of how to get it done and I have no idea how. Thank you. 

 

good luck 🍀👍🏽 

I submitted pretty much everything I did with my ROC plus extra. So I gave a copy of my Green Card, marriage certificate, 3 years of tax transcripts, birth certificate of my son, affidavits from a friend and sister (extra), bank statements from AOS until now, credit card statements from AOS until now, car lease, car insurance from AOS until now, rental agreement, life insurance, health insurance from AOS until now, phone agreement from AOS until now, Power of Attorney, and Living Will. Considering it was all online I figured it was easier to add more than necessary than not enough and hope that it all pays off without RFE.

Applied online 12/9 for Naturalisation, and received the paper NOA1 today 12/14. Still waiting on my ROC approval which I filed back in February and have heard nothing about since. We leave for England on Tuesday and now I'm concerned that biometrics might come while we're gone...

Realised I didn't specify that I applied the day my 90 day window opened up too.

Today my window for applying to become a citizen opened up, so I hit the send button on my application (so much easier than paper). It's scary how time flies by! 

Received my 18 month extension letter today, dated 8/11. I'm a CSC filer.

I got my notice that I don’t have to come in for fingerprints either—for the hassle it is getting them done, keeping my money seems like the better option. Dated 5/5/18. 

2 hours ago, Sean and Kristina said:

Sooooo...CSC filers. Who else is mentally preparing to just file N-400 next year with a pending I-751? I've read several other people on different threads doing this and being successful. After all, isn't citizenship the goal for most people here?

It's what I'll be doing as soon as I'm eligible to apply. The processing time for the I-751 is ridiculous and at this point feels like such a waste of money when we probably won't even see the 10 year Green Card before applying for the N-400. I'd been debating whether I really wanted to become a citizen since starting the whole AOS process but not only would it be nice to feel more connected to my family, it'll be beyond refreshing to have a say when it comes to politics given this is the country I've chosen to call home.

3 hours ago, Unidentified said:

That's weird. Maybe they give everyone a cross since they don't have a separate line yet? I don't know. I hope they fix it because when the airport is set up properly for use with the kiosks it's awesome, saves so much time. Really sucks that you guys had to wait so long with a little one  

My husband didn't have a cross and neither did my son. Maybe I'm just super unlucky every time I travel! Haha.

2 hours ago, starsky said:

I found myself reading through the December 2017 filers thread this afternoon to see if any progress had been made on California biometrics appointments. One member posted this email that they got back after enquiring about the status of their application, I thought it was worth sharing here with others. Maybe we will get lucky and they won't re-take our biometrics?

 

I just did a quick tally of their California applicants and who have received biometrics letters, only 36% so far have confirmed, yet many are still active and patiently waiting like the rest of us here. Less than 18% of Vermont filers are without a biometrics appointment and in truth, that's probably 0% as some of those may be just inactive members.

 

As reported earlier in this thread, it remains the case that not a single January 2018 filer from California has received their biometrics appointment, although several did receive emails this week of their cases being touched (but no action).

 

It is frustrating but I hold on to the fact that this is not isolated incidents and it appears to be impacting California filers from at least the past 3-4 months.

 

On the plus side potentially not having to go and do biometrics again would be nice, but it raises so many questions. Like, if they can just re-use your old ones, then why not do that for every use case as long as it's not the first? And secondly, if they do re-use them, I find it tasteless that they keep your biometrics fee regardless. I know this is a small amount in the grand scheme of things, but it's the principle.

20 minutes ago, mikenjan said:

Just received an email from USCIS i think this mean we’ll have to wait for long for the biometric to come. Good luck to us!

I got an email like this a few weeks ago. I'd rather hear nothing unless they're working on it at this point!

4 hours ago, Unidentified said:

You probably said yes to one of the questions, had something to declare maybe. I get a cross if I've brought food otherwise I don't and it does speed things up. Since I didn't get a cross I got in a shorter line where I only got two questions (where have you been? how long?) and then I was on my way. Love the kiosks  

Never have anything to declare, all answers should see me zip through but nope. Every. Time. Plus in Oakland, CA there's literally one line whether you get a clear picture or a cross. I'm hoping they're just working out the kinks because the whole system is still new there. Took my family nearly 2 hours to get through in February and with a hungry 6 month old in a carrier it was a tough wait.

3 hours ago, Unidentified said:

When you use a kiosk?

Yup. Every time. Don't know if it's just bad luck or if other GC holders have the same experience. Also, those kiosks really don't speed anything up, or maybe that's just flying into Oakland, CA and other places have their stuff together.

Seeing VSC blaze ahead is astounding to me, but I'm not even so bothered anymore. By the time they even start looking at my case it'll most likely be time to apply for citizenship and I'm just going to file my N-400. It'll be nice not to have to get a black cross through my picture every time we get to border control at the airport coming back into the country. Haha!

Weirdly my driver's license doesn't expire until 2020, which I find very odd but I'll take it! One less thing to worry about right now.