ElGuapo88

Passport arrived today.  Still amazed that it only took about 5 weeks without expedited service.  Now just waiting for my naturalization certificate to come back and I'm DONE with USCIS forever.  What a great feeling

I applied at a local courthouse with routine service in mid-August.  Check cashed on 8/24.  Just checked and application status is approved and it says I should receive my book on or around 9/25.  Way quicker than I anticipated.  Locator number starts with 51 

On 7/24/2021 at 11:36 AM, Can49 said:

Congratulations !!!!  Was your interview and ceremony on same day?  Thanks 

It was not.  The officer told me he was approving my case, but had to give it to a supervisor for final approval (I had prior arrests years ago).  A couple of hours after I left I received notifications that actions had been taken on my case.  Signed into MyUSCIS and saw my case was approved.  Oath ceremony was scheduled about 2 weeks after my interview

My journey is finally over.  Had my naturalization ceremony this morning.  Time was 7:15, got started at about 7:25 and was out of there by 7:40.  Good luck to everyone 

Received texts and emails last night that action was taken on my case.  Logged into MyUSCIS and see the oath ceremony scheduled form under the documents tab.  Ceremony will be 7/23.  I updated the sheet with my info

Had my interview this morning.  It went smoothly.  Officer was quite stern when speaking to me, but had lots of chit chat with my attorney which I think helped lighten the mood.  He approved my application, however, due to two previous arrests (DUI in 2007, charges dropped and driving with expired license > 6 months in 2013) he said he needed to have my file approved by a supervisor before he could schedule me for the oath ceremony.  He said it should be no more than 24 hours and "should" be no problem.  I just checked MyUSCIS account and it already shows this.  Hopefully this means it was already approved.  I will finally breathe a sigh of relief once I get the official letter for the oath ceremony.  Almost there!

My case was received end of September, 2020.  On 5/20 my interview was finally scheduled for July.  Biometrics reuse notice on 1/20/21.

Never received any texts/emails and nothing in the mail yet, but I logged into my.uscis and see my interview is finally scheduled for July.  Case received 9/28/2020, bio reuse notice posted 1/20/2021, 5/20/21 interview scheduled.  It shows the estimated time until case decision to be approx. 14 months

Case received 9/18/19.  Had absolutely no movement since then.  Last week on 5/6 I got text and email saying new card ordered, on 5/7 text and email saying form I-751 was approved, and 5/10 card was mailed.  As a side note, I filed for N-400 September of last year and still have no updates on that

Case received 9/18/19.  Had absolutely no movement since then.  Last week on 5/6 I got text and email saying new card ordered, on 5/7 text and email saying form I-751 was approved, and 5/10 card was mailed.  As a side note, I filed for N-400 September of last year and still have no updates on that

On 1/26/2021 at 11:55 AM, ElGuapo88 said:

Biometrics reuse notice under the documents tab in myuscis.  And the estimated completion date changed back to October (was previously October, then changed to July last month)

Checked my.uscis account for the first time in a while.  As mentioned in my post from January, originally the estimated case completion date was October, then it changed to July, then back to October.  Now it's back to July.  I've seen quite a few people that have had movement 1-2 months after the biometric reuse notices were posted so hopefully this means they're moving along again.  Still nothing on my I-751 since September 2019 though, so at this point I'm hoping for a combo in the next few months

Biometrics reuse notice under the documents tab in myuscis.  And the estimated completion date changed back to October (was previously October, then changed to July last month)

I have a pending I-751 since September 2019 and applied for N-400 September of this year.  My local office is also Oakland and other than the receipt notice there has been no movement at all.  USICS processing times are listed as 8.5 - 12.5 months in Oakland, and my estimated case completion time on my.uscis.gov shows 10 months.  I don't expect to hear anything for a few months

2 hours ago, Ashley Scott said:

Has anyone with YSC been approved yet?  Seems to be no movement whatsoever in this service center. 

YSC here, received on 9/23/2019, biometrics completed in January but it's been on "Case Was Received" since 9/23.  Waiting on my attorney to get my N-400 ready to file next week before fees increase.

21 hours ago, ImmigrantDan said:

I visited info pass today and they would refuse to stamp my 551 due to background check not avalible finger prints taken on nov 19 2019

 

My local state fl wont issue me an id or driver licence without it

 

What can i do ?

When I first applied for my I-485 I was told by my attorney that I would have to wait until I received the employment authorization card in order to renew my driver's license.  However, after doing some research I found the DMV's acceptable documents form and that said that the I-797 form (notice of action) for the pending I-485 was enough.  I went in with all those documents, along with a printout of the DMV's page that stated these rules expecting some questions, but the DMV worker went ahead and processed the license without asking me any questions.  

I was under the impression that the extension letter served the same purpose as the stamp.  If you have some time to spare and you can find a DMV office that's open, you might want to give it a try.

The link I saved to the DMV doc no longer works, so I'm not sure if anything has changed since then (I did this in 2017).

This is old, but on page 5 you'll see "I-797 for I-751" : https://www.immigrationlawmiami.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1600525/2020/05/Acceptable-documents-for-noncitizens-to-obtain-a-driver-s-license.pdf

From DMV's website, shows I-797, however, it only mentions refugee status which is odd: https://www.flhsmv.gov/driver-licenses-id-cards/what-to-bring/immigrant/

And I can't seem to find my original post on this topic, but a search brings up someone else's comment where they copied and pasted what I wrote:

For anyone reading this who is in Florida - contrary to what the DMV website says, you CAN get a drivers license before receiving your EAD.  Even my attorney told me the same thing.  However, I did some research and found the DMV's "Acceptable Documents Table" and on page 13 under the section titled "I-797 for I-130 Pending" it states that a pending application is enough to get a license valid for 1 year.  I went to the DMV with this page printed out as well as all the required documents.  My wife came with me and brought her passport since it says they require evidence of petitioner's status.  I was expecting the DMV worker to have no idea about this rule, however, he barely looked at the page I printed out and proceeded to ask for all the required documents without question.  I have an expired Florida license, but I don't think that makes any difference.  They do not give you an actual license right then and there.  Instead, they print a slip out that serves as a temporary driving permit which can be used immediately, and is valid for 60 days.  You would need some kind of picture ID along with this in case you get pulled over since the permit does not have a picture on it.  If you enter your license number on the DMV's license check website, it shows as a valid license.  It also says  "Thank you for your recent driver license application. We are currently verifying your legal presence. Please allow 60 days from your application date before contacting us."  The DMV worker told me that if I didn't receive the license by day 50, I should come back to the DMV.  He scanned all the supporting documents so I'm assuming that someone has to manually verify the information before issuing a license.  I hope this helps someone else, as not even my attorney knew about this rule.

I filed in September, package was received on 9/18 and I just got my biometrics appointment on Friday 1/10 (Potomac service center)

I filed in September, package was received on 9/18 and I just got my biometrics appointment on Friday 1/10

I had a DUI on record (charges were dropped, but I don't think that matters from an immigration standpoint).  The DUI occurred 10 years before receiving my GC.  I have been sent to secondary each of the 5 times I have come back into the country since receiving my GC.  They will most likely have the same experience, but should have no issues being admitted.  A DUI is not considered a crime of moral turpitude.  However, if the arrests happened after they received their GC, it may be a different issue.  

@Chewbacca - I also asked about the redress number and the CBP agent told me it probably wouldn't make a difference.  

I am a Venezuelan citizen with a conditional GC received October of 2017.  Since then I've been out of the country 5 times (Turks & Caicos x2, Cayman Islands, Europe, and Mexico) and every single time I return I go through secondary.  It depends on how many people are waiting - I've been in a crowded room where it took over an hour and I've also been in an empty room where I was let out in 10 minutes.  I was never asked any questions, they just call my name and return my documents and I'm free to go.  My situation is a bit different though as I have two arrests prior to receiving my green card.  One was for a DUI (charges were dropped) and the other was for driving with an expired license over 6 months.  Because of this, along with the fact that Venezuela was on the travel ban (only for government officials and their immediate families, neither of which apply to me) I kind of expected the trip to secondary inspection.  However, after being sent to secondary after every return it got a bit frustrating.  I asked 3 different CBP officers and they all told me the same thing - it's because of my prior arrests.  The first officer only sees a red flag with no other information, so they refer you to secondary where the officers there look into your record.  You would think that their system would let the first officer know that the arrests were years ago and that I had since exited and returned to the country already having cleared secondary, but that's not the case.  

I have TSA Precheck but haven't applied for Global Entry yet.  Not all arrests exclude you from being approved, and since the only charge I was found guilty of is driving with an expired license I figure I might have a chance.  But I'm just going to wait until I'm a citizen to apply since I think it may be easier to be approved at that point.  It's frustrating, but at this point it's just something I expect.  My wife goes to get the luggage and the car while I sit in secondary, and usually I'm out by the time she's done.

You are not a citizen, so I doubt you will be directed to the citizen line. Whenever you scan your passport or combo card at the kiosk it will print out a paper and they will tell you where to go based on that.  When I return from an overseas trip with my citizen wife (I have a green card), I always have an X on my paper and my wife doesn't, but she always comes in my line with me.  We speak to the CBP officer together, and I always get sent to secondary inspection afterwards while my wife does not.  You are not a tourist either, but I don't think you should go to the citizen line.

Definitely book using the exact name that's on your passport.  I'm male so my experience is different, but having a copy of your marriage license with you is probably a good idea.  I'm from south america where it's common to have both maternal and paternal last names.  My passport has John Doe Smith on it (where Doe is my dad's last name and Smith is my mom's last name).  My green card only has John Doe on it.  I've re-entered the country 4 times since receiving my conditional GC last year and haven't had any issues at all.  Since the customs form is a US document, I would put what's on your green card and not your foreign passport.  If you are traveling with your spouse, just have him fill it out.  That's what I've done since only one is required per family.

@viajero - I'm also from Venezuela so I know what a pain it is to get a new passport.  I renewed mine two years ago and the whole process took a little more than a year.  In any case - like others have stated above, your green card will allow you to enter the USA, but you won't be able to get on an airplane without a valid, unexpired passport

It "should not be".  However, sometimes it is.  There are a lot of issues in immigration which aren't black and white.  I agree that there may be other reasons that cause problems for people coming back in, but in the end it's just a matter of risk vs. reward.  Unless you are a citizen, nothing is guaranteed.  With the current political climate, everything immigration related is under a magnifying glass.  My lawyer might be overly conservative, but his job is to look out for my best interests.  Even if there was only 1 out of 1,000,000 chance that I'd have an issue, that's reason enough for me not to take the risk so I'm glad he advised me the way he did.  If you're so sure that you won't have problems, I'm not sure why you're on here asking for stories to give you "comfort and confidence", and so dismissive of my comment and advice.  Best of luck in your travels.

Same situation - overstay over 180 days, married to US citizen.  During the AOS my attorney said he wouldn't even apply for AP since he said it's too risky.  Many people have had no issues coming back in, but there are also people that have had problems.  I personally don't think it's worth the risk.  If it were up to me, I would just wait until you receive your green card unless you absolutely must travel.