essenjay

We got a "your card is being produced" email update yesterday (9/16)! (Coincidentally, the same day we had our ultrasound for our first soon-to-be kid! Great day!) We are early October filers at LIN. A couple of other notes especially in case they're helpful to any future anxious googlers like me:

- Aug. 28 we got a notice reading "On August 28, 2019, we updated your name for your Form I751, PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS ON RESIDENCE, Receipt Number LINXXXXXXXXXX. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address." We hadn't requested any changes and some internet searches suggested that this is a common status to receive (for some reason...computer glitch?...) a couple of weeks before approval.

- We also had to reschedule the biometrics appointment. We got the biometrics notice on June 21, literally hours before we left the country to visit family for a month, and the appointment was for July 5 (obviously when we would be gone). We raced to mail it back with the box checked to reschedule it and a handwritten note below that indicating the dates we'd be gone. (Of course we made copies for our records.) A couple of days before we returned, around July 19, the neighbor checking our mail let us know we'd received another letter and the date was August 19. So the rescheduling worked totally fine and it doesn't even seem like it delayed us more than a few weeks. This was in the Saint Paul office; husband was in and out in five minutes, said it was almost a letdown how fast and easy it was.

Will update the google spreadsheet, so happy this process is almost at an end and good luck to everyone else!

We are LIN early October filers and just opened our letter that came today! Unfortunately we have to do biometrics again - it's scheduled for July 5 but we are leaving the country this afternoon for a month, so we immediately sent off the request to reschedule. Bummer but at least the letter came before we left for the airport!!! Hope everyone else gets bio waived!

10 minutes ago, cynpen said:

Hi everybody! 

I wanted to share my experience traveling with the expired green card and the 18-month extension notice. I went to Argentina and came back in April, and every time I had to check in for a flight it took people around 40 minutes to figure out what to do with my documents (BTW, they just have to check you in with the green card and add 18 months to the expiration date on the green card, even if it is actually expired). I had the same problem at the DMV, where they put the wrong expiration name on the license by failing to add 18 months and then I had to go there again to fix it (which took around an hour too haha). I was told I could get the I 551 stamp on my passport to facilitate all this process. I am on the train back from the Chicago office for my info pass appointment to get the stamp. They told me it would not be convenient at all, because I cannot have both the stamp and the I797 at the same time, so they would have to cancel the letter for me to get the stamp, and that the stamp expires every six months so I would have to go renew it more often. Also, they said it would affect the expiration date on my license as well and that it would start expiring every six months (I wish they had told me all of this on the phone and saved me this commute lol). Anyway, just in case you were wondering if you needed to do the same, apparently getting the stamp is not the best option. I guess I'll have just have to arrive at the airport much earlier every time I travel from now on... 

 

 

Ugh what a frustrating experience! I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that. We traveled with the extension letter to Colombia in January and there were no problems or delays, going or coming (aside from the same one we always had with just green card, of not being able to complete online check-in). So I wonder if it depends on the specific people on duty at the airline/airport where you are flying... I don't know! (We were flying on Spirit out of the Twin Cities.) Anyway I hope that you have better luck next time, that is really frustrating and stressful!

48 minutes ago, SAJ66 said:

Some good news for Nebraska (LIN) folks...I received my biometrics letter today. Online sent states 5th October, actual letter dated 12/07 posted 11th Dec. Looks like they have finally started moving... 🙂 About 2 months behind.

Ahh wonderful thanks for the update. We're only a few days behind you so hopefully will get ours soon too!

10 hours ago, pcke2000 said:

that's super fast, you are so lucky!

@pcke2000 @Hik07 You're right that is wayyyy too fast! Should have said I was an early October filer >_< oops lol. Sorry for any panic or envy I've induced. Will edit to reflect (if I can figure out how).

31 minutes ago, Hik07 said:

After sending in notice of non delivery for I-797 online and speaking with rep. I received 18 month extension letter on Nov 19th I filed on Oct 2rd and went to LIN center. I have not received my biometric appointment letter yet. I went on line to file a non delivery notice for bio appt. but system would not let me do that because I already opened one for I-751which was resolved. Anybody from early Oct at LIN receive a biometric appt.letter?

@Hik07 we're also early November LIN filers and haven't received anything about biometrics, though we received our extension letter in the mail about a month ago. Nothing online either. I'm nervous about it going missing as well, but I think probably they're just slow. And I wonder if it has to do with local offices at all, and how busy they are.

3 hours ago, lemonatos said:

Updated my status as waiting for a "duplicate" NOA1 letter, after being told that the first one was mailed late October but never received. Added biometric stats for each service center, because the "approved" stat will stay at 0 for at least a year for almost everyone 😬I also removed a couple of NOA1 dates of applicants that entered the date they received the text. As alexpop mentioned, please only add the date your received the actual Notice of Action letter as the NOA1 date, not the text or email date!

Thanks for adding the biometrics stats stuff as well as all the other work! Like many others at LIN, stressed about the bio letter arriving at some random time during or with a date for during planned work/leisure travel so... This is reassuring! Good luck with getting the duplicate, hope it arrives safely!

Interesting to hear about all the different driver's license rules. We had a weird situation because of the expired green card/no driver's license situation, too, but it was a little different than these. We moved to Minnesota in August and applied for our new driver's licenses then, and it didn't seem to be a problem that my spouse's green card expired soon, fortunately! However the Minnesota DMV is extremely backed up, so here we are near the end of November, 3 months later, still waiting for our new licenses. With no license, my husband has been using his green card as his ID when buying alcohol, but it expired last month. The other day we were at a bar and got carded, and the bartender wouldn't accept it due to the expiration date. Fortunately we had a scan of the NOA letter on our phones, which we showed him, and my husband finally got his beer............ lol. Bureaucracy!!! It's not just USCIS that's slow, I guess!

Our NOA letter also came this morning! 18 month extension. For the record, we're with Nebraska, sent it off 10/3, arrived 10/4, check cashed and got text message notification around 10/10. Basically got the letter a day after the folks who filed a day or two before me, it seems like, from reviewing this forum. So hopefully this means that they are on a better schedule of taking basically 3 weeks to get these letters out! Hope the rest of y'all get your letters soon!

ETA: The "notice date" on the document is actually 10/20, so even though we got the text 10/10, I assume they didn't actually send this out until a little later.

15 minutes ago, simkeyur said:

I have an update, guys! I got my NOA today in the mail. I am in Dallas, so I guess it was faster for me, but you all shall receive one soon. Goodluck!

 

 

Removal of Conditions I-751

Mailed: 10/01/18 at Dallas Service Center.

Received: 10/02/18 at Dallas Service Center

Checks Cashed: 10/09/18 at Dallas Service Center

NOA Received: 10/24/18 with SRC######.

Woot woot! This is incredible news, congratulations! I was so sad when the mail carrier actually skipped my whole duplex today so I'm happy to hear someone got some good mail! (I also feel kind of glad I didn't file in September like I could have... It seems like maybe they got stuck in a little bit of limbo due to the transitions that seem to be going on at USCIS in terms of where things are getting processed?) Anyway congratulations!!

3 minutes ago, lolita88 said:

Thank you!! I just sent them the screenshot of the status and explained that we are all anxious to receive that letter and hopefully they will have a little bit of patience. It's a new job too, so it's a little bit of added stress.

Ahh great, I hope that works! It sounds like we are in the same boat, we waited until a few weeks before the expiration to file because we were so busy moving - for his new job! - and also didn't want to use our old address since then we'd have to change it anyway. Our NOA date was like two weeks ago so hopefully we'll get the letter soon.... You too.... Good luck!!

On 10/22/2018 at 11:23 PM, prok said:

You actually need to send the real color pictures, they don't accept photocopy of pictures, unfortunately it got to be the real pictures. Also, please make sure you don't send it earlier, wait for your 90 days before sending to avoid rejection and your package been sent back to you....best of luck

This doesn't make sense to me either. The "real" picture is a computer file since all the photos are digital these days, so why would it matter whether it's printed on fancy paper or regular printer paper? Not that USCIS always makes sense, but I'm completely confident that any photograph printed on any kind of paper will be acceptable as long as the images are clear...

18 hours ago, lolita88 said:

So, while we're waiting for the NOA letter, is there any way that we can show our employers that we are going through this process? Does the Infopass appointment help in any way? I don't know why they would take so long to send the receipt letter... I'm getting so anxious!

@lolita88 my husband (the GC holder) got an email from his work's HR about the upcoming GC expiration (later this week actually) and asking him to bring in more documents - he took in his unrestricted social security card and a printout from when we checked the status on the USCIS website using the receipt number texted to us, which says they're processing our case and we should receive the letter by Nov. 8 (or whatever the exact wording was). They were aware of the backup and said this was enough for now, just bring in the letter too once we receive it. Hope that's helpful! And hope we all receive our letters soon!

Ahh thanks so much @Hik07 for the key to the receipt numbers and the link! We are LIN so it looks like we're in Nebraska. And the link you shared also worked. It says:

October 9, 2018

Case Was Received
On October 09, 2018, we received your Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, Receipt Number LINXXXXXXXXXX, and sent you the receipt notice that describes how we will process your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you do not receive your receipt notice by November 08, 2018, please call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283.

And also a similar message saying that the fingerprint fee was received.

Hopefully we will get something in the mail soon, and you all too!

-S

44 minutes ago, rfi087 said:

We sent our package to Texas on the 1st, it was delivered on the 4th and we got the text notification earlier this evening. It says the same thing when we put the receipt number on the USCIS site. Ours was re-routed to Vermont it seems. Check still hasn't been cashed though.

Huh! Ours is different from both of yours - our check was cashed and we got the text with the receipt number, both today, but it didn't tell us to where it was rerouted, and when I enter the receipt number on the USCIS site, it says it doesn't recognize the receipt number. The text just says that the official receipt notice (form I-797) is to follow in the mail. (Of course now I'm semi-worried that something's wrong, but most likely it's just still being routed somewhere or sitting in a filing cabinet or desk pile or something...)

Hi all! Comforting to see others in the same situation. We mailed 10/3, it was received in Arizona 10/4, and check was finally cashed today (10/10) - hoping we get text/email soon!

Hate this waiting but better get used to it I guess!

-S

Hi! Based on my experience of applying for my husband's F-1 to permanent resident change, you should only get 4. They're for I-485, I-764, I-131, and I-130. (Not in that order.) I think it says on the receipts which one is which but when you are able to check it on the case tracker on the USCIS website, it should also tell you. The other forms are connected to those applications so you don't get a notice for them. Hope this is helpful and good luck!

Just to (I hope) make you feel even more reassured, we are actually in a somewhat similar situation! The details are different, but we met in my husband's country and moved back to the US (my country) together before getting married so that he could continue his PhD studies (he'd been on leave for some national service). Like you, we weren't sure at the time of our future plans in terms of visas/location/employment after he graduates, but we've decided since that applying for a GC before he graduates gives us the most options. Like you, I was worried that this would be misinterpreted as some kind of shady situation by the officials (I'm a worrier), but so far it's going okay, our status is at "interview ready to be scheduled." Of course we don't have the GC yet, but it seems like everything will be okay! Good luck^^

As an update for anyone looking for this info in the future, my husband went to his biometrics appointment today. He said it was just like airport security--he had to empty his pockets and send everything through a scanner but they didn't even mention his phone (which they obviously saw).

When we go back for our interview I'll take the day off and rent a car, and we'll probably leave our phones in the car because I like following rules...but if you're in a situation where you're relying on uber or public transport, it seems like it's not a big deal to take your phone in at the Detroit office on Jefferson! (He also said it was very fast, btw!)

Not sure about the Detroit office. I did my boimetrics in Grand Rapids. It's just a random unit in a plaza and there is no security check like metal scanner or anything. We just kept the phones in our pocket but never took them out tho. The security person at the front desk was basically just checking the paperwork and telling us where to sit and wait. He did not mention anything about cell phone.

Maybe it's a bit difference at the Detroit office since it's an actually immigration building and more official. Please let us know your experience so we can get prepared for our interview there next month. Good luck to you!

Will do, Eric! Look for an update next week^^

Thanks y'all! This makes us feel a lot better, especially hearing that Detroit doesn't seem like a super strict location.

Hi all,

My husband just got his notice to go to Detroit for his biometrics appointment week after next. We live in Ann Arbor and don't own a car, so he was planning to take Uber. The problem is, of course, the notice says no cell phones are allowed. I know the actual situation differs from office to office, so we were wondering if anyone has any insight into what the situation is on the ground at the Detroit office (it's in the USCIS building on Jefferson). Will it be okay if he just keeps it off and in his pocket? Or is there anywhere to store it? Are they flexible at all?

I've read the reviews of the Detroit office and saw that people going for their interviews were in fact allowed to take their phones in, but we're worried in case there's a separate entrance for biometrics or something... Would love to hear someone's actual experience!

Thanks!!