AbrilJoy

Congrats Ratedad!  You did it !!! Good job!!!!!!!!!

A RAY OF HOPE for all of us whose GC has expired. I just got back from the California Field Office and I'm happy to report that I got an I-551 stamp in my passport for 3 months (starting today). And NO, they didn't have my application  in the system and my check hasn't been cashed yet.
 
Most of you following this thread probably have heard my story multiple times. But for those that don't know, I will explain my situation and then explain how I resolved it.
 
- Application filed (arrived) at CSC on Apr 10th.
- Quit my old job on April 20.
- GC expired on April 26.
- Initial plan was to start my new job on May 7th. I was so sure that I would have my NOA by then. How silly of me!
- New employer needs unexpired work authorization document as part of I-9 verification. I kept pushing my start date (3 times) every week by one week.
- Needless to say, my check hasn't been cashed yet. And my future employer was clearly beginning to get antsy. 
 
So what did I do?
- Requested an appointment (online) with the SF field office. I had to wait for an officer to call me (this is how it works at California field offices). I told them my sad story and convinced him to grant me an appointment. I also convinced him to key in a dummy receipt # in his system in order for him to set up an appointment. This is the only way he can schedule one.
- Went to the field office this morning with the following documents:
    - Appointment receipt
    - Printed form showing FedEx receipt and signature (at CSC)
    - Expired green card
    - Copy of the I-751 documents filed
    - Copy of check that was mailed with the documents
    - Offer letter from future employer. It's a good offer. So I made sure to highlight it and show why I can't afford to lose it.
    - Another letter I got the legal/HR team from my future employer to write which highlights the urgency of my immediate work commencment.
    - Proof of students loans and other documents to show why this job is vital to my financial health.
- Told the agent my sad situation (all true, BTW) and pleaded her to make an exception and give me a stamp in the passport.
 
The agent was empathetic and compassionate. She discussed my case at length with her supervisor and kindly offered a 3 month stamp. I was ecstatic to hear that. I really lucked out with this wonderful woman who took the time to understand my situation and verify that everything I claimed is true and then make the right decision (to make an exception and grant me the stamp since this is a delay on the CSC end that we shouldn't have to suffer for).
 
Spoke to my future employer - all set. I start on Monday. I was a nervous wreck this past couple of weeks. I can finally breathe a sign of relief! Hope my experience helps others. Good luck, guys!
 

Hello everybody,
I called again today as soon as 8.00 AM hit here in California, the representative connected me right away with a Tier 2 officer without blinking twice. Got a call back after 35 minutes of pacing back and forth and the officer told me something completely different from what I was told yesterday by the annoyed representative. I wish they just agreed on their replies instead of giving a different answer to every one of us.
Like yesterday my application was NOT in the system, but differently from many answers you guys got he asked me for the tracking number of my package and checked (I suppose USPS website???), confirming (AH!) that my packaged was received on April 10th, although there's no sign of my application anywhere. He then asked me for my email address (which I repeated 15 thousand times to make sure there were no mistakes, I felt so dumb) and said he would email CSC to prompt them to expedite the case. He told me to make sure to check my email daily and that I would receive an email from CSC in the next 5 business days. 
After this I mentioned him that my GC is about to expire in 3 days and asked him if this would be a problem (as in: "oh, you submitted a late application"). Guess what, completely different answer than the one given to me yesterday by the "nice" representative: "as long as you have your receipt and tracking number you are good to go, hold on to that one tightly, because I can see it was received", these were his words.
So people, hold on tight on your USPS receipts especially if your green cards are about to expire! I don't know if I feel better right now, just confused about all these different answers, but I suppose a Tier 2 officer "reply" is better than an angry/annoyed representative's? I am here crossing my fingers and trying to calm down my anxiety. And instead of repeatedly checking my bank account, now, I will keep my eyes on my email. I hope they will actually send one.
I read from someone's the "45 days delay" answer and "should have applied 90 days earlier".
E.X.C.U.S.E. M.E.??? When I received the letter from USCIS in February saying that I had a 90 days window prior to the expiration of my GC to apply, I wasn't told "by the way, try to apply as soon as the window open because we have a delay". If they had notified it to me I would have changed my plans and done it!!!  
What kind of answer is that? Are they trained to freak people out on purpose???

Im sure csc is bout to start process soon as VSC started. This is good sign. It's almost there guys

Check cashed today after almost a month after reaching VSC.  Seems like VSC check handler came back from vacation.
First time to look forward to check getting cashed  
 
Please do post if anyone was successful in renewing Driver License without NOA1 letter !!

YAY !!  Congrats, I'm hoping mine is cashed today after verbally receiving my case number yesterday    Looks like they found the April pile  

Well, maybe a pattern or a clue of what we are knitting.  Saying that with the wait we have we can create a blanket from the East to West Coast, I'll start this end   

Guys I honestly wouldn't worry that much...if your package was definitely received then they'll move the process along in time.
 
There are plently of people here in the same boat (my package was received April 10th, still nothing). We're all on Green Cards already - what are they going to do? If there's a mistake or something on the application, or RFE, worrying at this point won't help anyway.
 
Everyone needs to chill a little. I was slightly worried about the time taken before seeing this thread, but now knowing it's taking a while for everyone, there's no problem.

Oh yes there is....Timmy's is all over the airport.  Inside terminals and gates and outside.  You won't be going outside however, they'll keep you safe inside.  As for that salmon, you might find some smoked in the duty free shop.  

Well, if you have an hour on your way to your home country, than it should be ok
 
But if it's on your way back...... Since you'll be going through both, Canadian & US Customs, you'd need to hurry up.
 
A  good thing is - you don't pick up your luggage in Canada, like you'd have to, if going through US Customs in the US.  So it does save a lot of time. ..
 
But most likely it won't be enough time to buy  Canadian Maple Syrup at the airport  But other than that you should be fine... just hurry up!!!
 
Good luck!!!!

I have several times. Nothing to worry about.  Canadian Immigration officers know the drill and are very welcoming.  Have your letter, expired GC and passport ready and your good to go. 
 
ps Canadian Airlines??  I think you mean Air Canada.  Air Canada acquired Canadian Airlines long ago.  
 
pss Are you sure you want to go there?  Ontario is still in a deep freeze ....not sure about the rest of it.....dress warmly and have a lot of fun.  I'm headed there in 2.5 weeks....yeah! 
 
 
 

I did, in Sept. 2017. With Air Canada/Lufthansa. Not a problem, at all. And yes, Canadian Customs,  is well aware what a "combo" of NOA-1 + expires green card stands for - so no worries  
 
The only thing - you might need a eTA (electronic Travel Authorization). Depends on your country of origin .Here is a link  - you can check and see. And if you need one, it costs $7 and  takes 3 minutes to apply and you will have your eTA approval via e-mail. Valid for 5 years,     
 
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta.html?utm_source=slash-eta_ave&utm_medium=short-url-en&utm_campaign=eta
 
Good luck and have a safe trip!!!

Your evidences looks solid. It's not 100% but most waiver filers seem to have been approved.
And you were clever & at least a little bit fortunate to be able to switch to waiver before I-751 was approved.
 
 
Have you looked at this thread?
 
 

I too couldn't find many people talking about filing late, especially as late as we were.... here is our story in case someone sees this thread and is in a similar situation:
 
K1 issued Dec 2003
Marriage Feb 2004 in states
Filed for 2 year greencard  + work permit directly afterwards and received those in the next year sometime.
 
Oct 2016 filed i751 for removal of conditions with apology letters from myself and my husband for late filing. We had a ####### ton of evidence of bonafide marriage because we had a kid, house, 2 cars, joint bank accounts, health insurance etc.. 12 years of marriage gives you a lot of evidence. During these 12 years we were never asked about my husband's status, at the bank for accounts, for car loans, for our mortgage, for his job and never at the DMV when he renewed his license every 4 years. We even lost the original greencard and JUST had a picture of the front (not front and back) to send in with our evidence.
 
Got a lawyer, who wrote us a cover letter and an explanation letter for only one side of greencard. Figured we might need the lawyer if we were rejected and my husband put into removal proceedings.
 
Spent 1.5 years sick to our stomachs that our failure to file the i751 on time was going to cause a big mess. Approved on April 5, 2018 - no RFE or interview
 
 

Hi everyone
 
We filed our I 751 very late and although I did find posts online pertaining to late filing, I didn't find many recent ones and not many instances where the OP updated how things turned out. I thought I'd add our experience and hopefully it might be of some help.
 
We were supposed to file our I 751 in March 2016, but we ended up filing it in February 2017, almost a year later (and right after they increased the fee :P).
 
Documents we sent in were
IRS letter addressed to both of us
2 sworn affidavits
Joint bank account statements
Tax documents showing we filed jointly
Family pictures
Daughter's birth certificate
Proof of  2nd pregnancy (sent in later, around November 2017)
Hospital documents to support our reasons for late filing
We attached a cover letter explaining our late filing, put our documents in a folder with each evidence separated by a colored, numbered tab,and put in a numbered index stating what the file contained.

 
We received our NOA Feb 24, 2017, had our biometrics on March 23, 2017, but based on our address our appointment was in New York, and we were in Virginia around that time. I called up USCIS customer care and the agent was really helpful, asked me to walk in at the office in Virginia any time before the appointment date. We went the next day as our appointment was only a week away. Although they refused to accept walk ins as they were extremely busy, the guy there asked us to try again another day. We went the next day 20 minutes before the office opened up, waited and were the second people in line and they accommodated us. We had to go back again a month later (April 21, 2017) as apparently my fingerprints weren't clearly recorded, and we did the same thing, walked in early in the morning.
 
We didn't receive anything after that, but in November we found out we were going to have another baby and sent in confirmation of the pregnancy as further proof of our relationship.
 
It was a torturous and stressful wait, and we were highly stressed out mostly because of the dozen lawyers and posts online that stated that a year late I 751 is grounds for immediate denial.
We consulted two lawyers before we filed and explained our situation to both. One of them was upfront and said your reasons are very routine reasons, nothing that is reasonable enough for a year delay, and in my opinion I don't think you have a good chance without a lawyer. The second one barely heard us out, just heard the basics, used the new presidency to intimidate us saying you will be removed from the country, separated from your children and kept asking how much we could pay. Started off quoting $8000 and his next quote was $4000. He actually made me want to do this on my own. I'm not giving out advice that people who file late don't need or shouldn't get a lawyer. It was a personal decision/risk that we decided to take.
 
We signed up for the USCIS account, the DHS one, as well as the Case Status account but we only had the update ‘We have received your case’ with February 24th 2017 as the date (On the NOA it said February 17th 2017). FYI we noticed the Case Status account updated much later than the other account.
 
March 6th, 2018 we received an email saying that they had taken action on our case, action being ‘We have corrected your name on your case.’ No idea what they meant by that, I checked the photocopies of the documents we sent in and we didn't make any mistakes with my name.
 
Next update was March 7th stating ‘We have sent your case to your local office.’ I read on a few posts that they did this before an interview, we were pretty much prepared to give one considering how late we filed, so we were basically just waiting for the interview notice.
We were extremely surprised and immensely relieved when on March 9th we received the update that they had approved our case.
We received the approval letter a couple days later in the mail and in that they put down approval date as February 28, 2018.
We didn't receive any further updates and on March 27, 2018, we received an email stating ‘We are still reviewing your case and there are no updates at this time.’
Although this worried us, we assumed they were just late in updating the status and it was probably an error.
March 28, 2018 status changed to ‘We are producing your card.’ (On the case status account it updated to ‘We have started working on your case’ with March 25th, 2018 as the date which is bizarre as the other account shows that our case was approved on March 9th)
 
April 3, 2018 Status changed to ‘We have mailed your card.’ with the date of action as April 2nd, 2018.
We are signed up for Informed Delivery on USPS and were able to get the tracking number from there. For those who aren't signed up for Informed Delivery, you can either call USCIS or chat with a live representative through Emma (the virtual assistant on the USCIS website) and ask them for the tracking number.
April 5, 2018 we received the green card
 
The DHS account is much more reliable and updates faster than the Case Status one. I would recommend following that.
Again, my post in no way offers any legal advice or recommendations. I simply want to share my experience as a late filer.

Hi,
So I wrote a nice letter and re-send the package.
Today in the mail, I received a NOA saying the checked was cashed and that the conditional resident status was extended for 1 year.
Concerning the fact that the package had to be re-sent, does that mean they accepted the package even if it was send 1 day late and returned once?
Thanks for your help

Fire your attorney.
 
If you have filed an I-751, your status is automatically extended until approval, or, in the case of denial, a final order of removal by a judge.
 
When the initial one year extension expires, your status does NOT expire - only the proof of it, which is the purpose of the stamp, and there is no requirement to obtain a stamp. It is sensible to, but there is no requirement to do so.
 
Doesn't matter if you have a 10yr card, 2yr card, I-797C extension letter, or an I-551 stamp - they are all proof of status and not the status itself.

I forgot to add - I filed a police report and I was just told to include it with my ROC application since I only have a copy of the front side of my (lost) green card.

Here is a small table that shows how I-751 has slowed down to a crawl in 2017 under our new administration in the White House.  All data was obtained from the USCIS via the link below.
https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-studies/immigration-forms-data/data-set-all-uscis-application-and-petition-form-types.  Truly eye opening to see that the approval rates are way down and that the pending applications are increasing at such a large rate.  Right now there are close to 200,000 of us just sitting here waiting.  Hoping for a miracle in 2018 so that the pace of approval increases and the pending application numbers go down.
 

Just finished talking to an info pass officer. A waste of time as predicted, the officer told me what I already knew, my two applications are at NBC, and being merged two one big application, just have to wait for the citizenship interview. It is like talking to a so called tier 2 officer in person. Oh well, I took advantage of few options we have. I did my part, just need to keep waiting for my 400 interview. At least the officer was friendly.

I honestly don't think you have a thin amount of evidences. You have some pretty strong ones. With IRS tax transcripts, you do not need to include your W2s. And you have joint bank statements that shows both of your names and have your lease as well. It's all a matter of how you present your evidences that shows that you both were together the past two years. Not having both names on the car title is I think understandable. My wife and I neither have one under both of us but we do have a joint auto policy authorizing each other to drive both cars. 
If I had the evidences that you have I would present them this way:
 
A. Proofs of Joint Residence:
-Joint lease (first address)
-Joint lease or notarized rental agreement (second address)
-Joint lease or notarized rental agreement (third address)
-Joint Utility Bills (first address)
-Joint Utility Bills (second address)
-Joint Utility Bills (third address)
-both driver's licenses showing same address of residence
 
B. Joint Finances and Liabilities:
-IRS Tax Transcript  (2015 and 2016)
-scans of couple's debit cards showing same account
-Joint Bank Account Statements (from date of marriage till latest before ROC filing; every statement would be best)
-Joint Auto Insurance Policy (attaching proof of premium payments such as receipts would be good as well)
-Screenshot of Verizon Phone Bill showing family plan with spouse (this can serve as supplementary evidence)
 
C. Other Evidences of Continuous Marriage
-Pictures! (It's good that you have a lot. Timeline your pictures from date of marriage till latest one. It would be best to only include pictures during special events and with friends & family such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Anniversaries etc. Specify dates and what the occasions are.)
-Two Sworn Affidavits (this is only a supplemental evidence as well. no need to get notarized as long as affixed is their original signature and includes the statement "I swear under the penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true to the best of my knowledge." And of course include the affidavit information required by USCIS.
-Out Of Town Trips Together (So do include that hotel receipt you have and attach pictures of you together with identifiable landmarks of the place you went to; this should be proof enough)
 
I think these should be enough to show that your marriage is real, on going, and you both are taking care of each other.
Just present them in an organized manner that shows your evidences span the two years you have been together so far.
 
Other evidences you can also add if you want that are inexpensive but would also help and not just for ROC sake but to help you both as a couple:
-Gather greeting cards sent to both of you
-Get Home Renters Insurance, dental insurance, and/or vision insurance (inexpensive and you can have both of your names on the policy)
-Life Insurance (My wife and I didn't get this one yet but are looking into this ourselves)
-Magazine Subscription (for only $12 a month, they can mail monthly an edition with both your names on the mailing address)
 
Anyway, I hope everything goes well. Wish you and your spouse the best! God Bless!
 
 
 
 
 

I know you are a new couple, but it NEVER hurts to have Wills and Advanced Directives.  You are showing past and present "togetherness" with your list of evidence.  Wills and Advanced Directives show that you are planning to take care of each other in the future as well.
 
It's fine to have only one of you on the car title as long as both names are listed as "covered driver's" on your insurance.  And the idea of getting renter's insurance is a good one!
 
I think your list is OK.  Don't sweat the medical insurance stuff.  Lots of people have separate policies due to employer rules.
 
Sukie in NY

The OP has already been granted permanent residency, and they are not applying for any sort of privilege.
They are merely obtaining (or trying to at any rate) proof of their status, as is their right and responsibility as a lawful permanent resident, and as written in immigration law.
 
Do not forget that they have also paid for this service....and the whole reason these bloody stamps are needed is because USCIS can't keep to their own timescales in the first place.

Hello folks. I'm a November 2016 filer as well. 
 
I had 751 application as a Divorcee. 
 
I tried getting an Infopass as my one year extension had expired. It was a pain to get an appointment till I used the distill webpage change tracker and got one super last mijute to go in today Saturday 12/16/16
 
My online status didn't show anything since my receipt was confirmed. 
 
I went in to get a 551 stamped and the officer told me I was already approved on 12/11 and my green card was being shipped out soon. 
 
If you guys are in NYC I think it's worth showing up as I did see a few people show up without appointments. 
 
Good luck to everyone and let me know if I can answer any questions.  

Im glad you find my comments helpful!  But just so you know I am not an attny nor do I work for USCIS.  Its good that you spoke to local attnys as you can discuss with them specifics about your case whereas the forums just contain generic info.
 
Anyway, both attnys were correct. Affidavits are considered 'weak' evidence. They can help but you should never have them be the strong point of your case. So yes, a statement from the ex spouse can help you. How much help depends on whats written and your packet overall. It is also true that it does open the door so to speak for USCIS to contact said spouse. This is true for anyone who writes an affidavit. So if theres no statement submitted by you from the ex spouse they can not call/ask them to come in for questioning. If there is an affidavit they can contact the person. However its rare that you hear about them contacting the ex. Also Ive seen cases where the affidavit hurts the petitioner because of conflicting info or answers. 
 
You have to weigh how much help their statement will be and what it adds to your overall packet vs how much harm they can possibly do to you if questioned. Personally I feel if you have a strong enough packet (which it seems like you do based on what youve posted so far) then its not worth the risk of opening them up to being questioned. Ive seen a lot of good situations turn bad fast so Im hesitant to encourage an ex spouses affidavit. However every situation is unique. There are plenty of people who continue to have good relationships after a divorce (and plenty of people that dont). So its up to you to make the decision. Maybe right now things are good between you guys but divorce is emotional. It can bring out the ugly in people. What if you start dating after the divorce? Before she does? She may not be so happy anymore when you are posting pictures of you and some cute young thing on social media.