Chinyou01

21 minutes ago, NikLR said:

Keep in mind that your status is not in jeopardy at this time, just your evidence of said status. 

Thank you. And yes I will update my timeline when I get home. Also yes I will be eligible for the 5 year citizenship this year but I thought that it couldn’t be approved without the ROC being approved

3 hours ago, Amadia said:

You may be LOLing now but this is no joking matter. 

@missileman is completely correct....the extension letter states that the extension granted is for 18mths from the expiration date of the Form i551-Permanent Resident Card. 

 

Yeah, I already figured that. Which is why I’m trying to get a new stamp. I don’t get why they would send me an 18 month extension letter in July of 2018 if at that time 18 months past the expiration date on my card had already come and gone. 

1 hour ago, xillini said:

I feel you. It is unfair, but reality is not that simple, and that there is no perfect system. 

 

Similar to US CBP border inspection, where citizens from low-income countries are often questioned more than those from developed countries, it is just like that type of thing, where taking a risk in modern and civilized society is often discouraged for fear of embarrassment and internal social pressures. USCIS is very conservative agency, where no body really takes the chance out of all federal agency. (When newly-elected representative Alicia Ocasio-Cortez comments to abolish ICE during election, I thought at least at the face-value, it is worth considering to abolish USCIS, which will cause a lot of havoc, but on the mean time, it is now too malfunctioning that maybe it could be best for everyone to start fresh from the ashes)

 

Whether you filed for divorce or she filed it doesn't impact too much on determining "good faith" as long as it is no-fault divorce.  Apparently, it will be huge red flag if a USC files divorced based on an immigrant's fault (which may include infertility: I know it sounds funny, but if there is no kids due to immigrants' fault, USCIS will lean toward rejecting I 751 after divorce albeit it depends on each individual case). So yeah all you can do is to be honest at the interview and hope for the best. 

 

Best luck again

Thanks for your advice. Thankfully the divorce was filed as a “no-fault” divorce. It was just a simple dissolution of marriage. I do worry that she might have tried to retaliate against me and send in something to them, but I’ve read that angry ex-spouse letter don’t hold much weight. Hopefully everything gets settled soon. They responded to my address change, but the other inquiry is still pending.

Update (but not really). I called this afternoon and asked for them to make an appointment so I can get another stamp and they told me to call back in June as they are no longer making appointments this month. 

4 hours ago, xillini said:

Lately USCIS discovers some marriage fraud from Jamaicans in this and last years. I am only sharing three cases, but there are more than these 3 cases. 

Case 1

Case 2

Case 3

Only USCIS knows your case, but I feel that given circumstances, you might be on hold due to your nationality. USCIS will never officially acknowledge this for fear of many legal issues, but something to think about and potentially talk with experienced immigration lawyer how to proceed. 

 

In this regards, talking to ombudsemen or senator won't really help you much, but just wait (in realistic points of views). It is worth contacting these two, but still it will take long time. I would suggest to talk to them just so you have documentation trails that you contacted today, and after two years from now, if it is still on hold, you can make reasonable request for your merits. 

It takes long time, and no one will really be able to give you the reason why your I 751 is on hold. It doesn't mean your marriage is fraud, but because you are from Jamaica, from which some marriage fraud is detected, you are at disadvantage.  Especially it is significant red flag with Divorce waiver, and your ISO and his/her supervisor are afraid to approve your case until it gets quite done and scrutinized. It is something unfortunate, but nothing really much can be done. It is like everyone saying "it is better to be safe than sorry" type of thing. 

 

Best luck. 

That is awful and I could totally understand why they are being careful and saving their own jobs instead of just approving it and moving along. I see however that that is just two cases of Jamaican marriage fraud, and it seems like those people divorced only after getting full citizenship. I figured the fact that I divorced before my ROC was completed might give me a little bit of an advantage. Although both me and my ex wife are to blame for the downfall of our marriage, I am confident that I have enough evidence to prove it was entered in good faith. Another thing is, she is the one that filed for divorce...not me. Unfortunately it seems like I’m caught in the cross-fire of what other people have done. The only thing I can do is be honest in my interview and hope for the best. I just wish they would at least hurry up and schedule my interview.

13 minutes ago, usmsbow said:

I'm sorry you have to go through this. My wife filed for ROC nearly a year after you, and was approved about 6 months ago. I can't imagine waiting 3 years! 

 

Have you contacted the USCIS omsbudsman? They're another resource. I found them to be more useful/helpful than my congresswoman's office when we had some "challenges" with USCIS. Given how long this has taken, I am confident they'd be willing to get involved. 

It has definitely been a long time coming...forgive my ignorance but what is the USCIS ombudsman??

1 minute ago, missileman said:

No reason to feel dumb....it is a legitimate question.....I'm just telling what I personally would do.......maybe the new extension letter extends the stamp......but that isn't what it says........Please let us know the result of your appointment....

I will..thank you 

1 minute ago, missileman said:

I'm not an expert, but I would personally get a new stamp......eliminates any ambiguity.   Of course, you still have LPR status......

Well...now I actually feel pretty dumb! Thank you for pointing out the obvious!! Lol

5 minutes ago, missileman said:

My wife's extension letter says it extends ".....expiration date on your I-551, Permanent Resident Card"..........that's pretty explicit.

Yes, mine says the exact same thing. But like I said that, for me, came and went in May of 2018. So why would they send me an extension letter in June 2018 extending it to 18 months? Also, the way one of the officers explained it to me is that the I-551 stamp serves as your temporary green card and it says that on my passport? I don’t know. I think I’m just gonna call again and ask for an appointment. I think what you guys are saying is correct, but it’s hard to tell when I’ve gotten two different answers from 3 different officers.

So should I just get another stamp then? Are you telling me all of this confusion on is self-inflicted because this whole time I should’ve just gotten a second stamp! LOL

25 minutes ago, Ash. said:

@missileman

I don't know if you can, but could you give more clarification?

It's implied that the 18 month extension extends the physical green card by 18 months from the green cards expiration date, but it does NOT extend a I-551 stamp another 18 months at the stamps expiration date?

So in this case the OP received the 18 month extension like everyone else, but they were already one stamp in because their ROC started in Nov 2016. Their received their I-551 stamp in Nov 2017, and that stamp expired Nov 2018. They've just been using the green card extension letter since then.

Immigration officers told the OP's work that their extension expires next month (18 months after first I-551 stamp was received) since their I-551 was already a 12 month extension on the physical green card, the 18 month extension only added 6 months to it.

I want to say the immigration officers are right and that the 18 month extension just added 6 months to the extension stamp, but there aren't many people on VJ that I've seen that have been using the extension paper over using the stamps in their passport.

Hi, the reason for the confusion is because I have gotten 3 conflicting answers from 3 different officers. Two of which said that it extends the stamp and one who said it’s just giving me 6 extra months. The reason it’s confusing to me is because it says on the letter that it is extending the I-551 by 18 months. Well if I go off of my actual physical green card....18 months came and went on May 2018 lol

Just now, Georgia16 said:

The letter is pretty clear it's your work that can't figure it out so Stamp in the passport is probably a good idea for work. 

Just try and call again for an info pass appointment for that. 

 

Also, your case was put in line for interview June 2018 and you are at Dallas which is one of the most backlogged field offices so that explains why it takes forever to get an interview there but hopefully your turn comes up very soon.

I figured the letter was pretty clear too, but apparently not to other people. I even tried to get a 2nd job recently and they wouldn't even attempt to listen to me. They said they can't go by the letter and need to speak to an immigration officer lol. My stamp expired in November of 2018 so I have to go by the 18 month extension letter. Since my job has already spoken to an officer who told them incorrectly that it expires next month that is what they're going off of. 

Wow, I didn't know we had one of the most backlogged offices. So what are they gonna do, just keep sending extension letters? This is madness. Thank you for your response. 

So it'll be 3 years since I've filed to remove conditions in November. I'm really getting frustrated and I don't know what to do. Not to mention I'm now antsy because I filed a divorce waiver as well. I have nothing to hide but the crickets coming from USCIS' end is making me think twice. Here is my timeline.

November 2016- Filed

November 2017- Got I-551 Stamp

November 2017- Filed for divorce

January 2018- Divorce finalized

March 2018- RFE. This is when I sent a detailed letter explaining the circumstances around the divorce and requesting that my petition be changed to a divorce waiver.

June 2018- Received extension letter that states 18 months.

June 2018- Received letter that case has been moved to NBC to schedule interview (which was expected)

January 2019- Filed inquiry about case outside of normal processing times

January 2019- Received a vague response in the mail that basically said "we don't know/can't tell you anything about your case"

May 2019- Called customer service and told them the extension letter I had was causing confusion with my job and I might actually LOSE my job over it. The letter isn't clear about whether the extension is 18 months from the stamp or not. My job is at an airport so they spoke to an immigration officer AT THE AIRPORT, who said "well actually it's just extending the stamp from 12 months to 18 months so it's just adding 6 months on". He told them my extension is only valid until literally next month. Customer service lady tells me no it extended it 18 full months and that would be May 2020. Customer service supervisor apologized profusely and put a bunch of notes in my file stating what was going on and put in another inquiry about my case being outside of processing times. I *would* make an info pass appointment except I'm in Texas and neither of the field offices here are allowing people to make appointments online. You have to call and have an actual officer make the appointment for you. I actually tried to do this before I called and spoke to the supervisor. I was told an officer was going to give me a call back. Waited 4 days and nothing so that's when I called the 2nd time and got the supervisor. 

I'm really at a loss here and I don't know what to do. I wish they would just schedule my interview already OR at least send me another extension letter that's clearer than the last one. This is actually the 2nd time it has interfered with my job. Since I work at the airport, I am required to renew my badge that gives me security clearance onto the ramp/airplane. So it is important that I have continuous, CLEAR documentation for my work status. I am a long time lurker here yet I rarely post. I'm really hoping someone here has gone through something similar or can bounce any ideas off of me. I know I should probably consult a lawyer, or should have a long time ago, but money is extremely tight. So now that you've made it to the end of this extremely long post....have any ideas? Thanks.

****EDIT**** 

Like I said, I'm a long time lurker here so I know inevitably someone is going to ask how long I was married before divorce. We got married in Feb 2014 so that would technically make it nearly 4 years married but we actually separated in Feb of 2017. This was all explained in the lengthy letter I wrote to them when I got my divorce decree. My marriage was very real and I am not concerned about any interview I have to have with them because I have nothing to hide. The fact that they are taking a million years to even schedule me for my interview is whats frustrating.

6 hours ago, JohnInTX said:

Today I received an email from USCIS following my inquiry (60 days had passed since transfer to NBC).

Answer doesn't say much other than to be patient for at least another 120 days.

 

Answer quote:

Thank you for contacting USCIS concerning the above-referenced application. Below is a summary of what we have found and how the issue has been resolved or additional actions required.

What We Have Done
USCIS has reviewed your Service Request.  According to USCIS records, your application is still pending at the your Field Office.  At this time, we anticipate you should receive a decision or other notice from USCIS within 120 days of this notice.  Please be advised that posted processing times are goals based on Field Office averages.  These goals are subject to change and can vary from office to office.  We apologize for any inconvenience caused by delays in processing. 

 

So, as I have seen people that filed later than me and already got approved, should I consider to be unlucky to live in an area where there is a high influx of illegal aliens that absorb the manpower of my field office?

 

Continue to be patient.... paper GC still valid for 5 more months 

 

John

So what happens if my stamp expires before I get approved for ROC? This is a mess. My stamp expires in November. I haven’t even reached 60 days yet to inquire and I’m sure the Dallas office is way more overloaded than yours. This is awful. 

58 minutes ago, JohnInTX said:

In the January 2017 group people were approved without interview after being transferred to the NBC. Unknown what their letter stated though.

Wow I wonder how long after it was transferred they got the approval

3 hours ago, JohnInTX said:

My wife is naturalized but that is meanwhile 33 years ago.

Counter is now on 58 days, so next week I can start an inquiry. 

The officer that I talked to in December when I received the paper Green Card said things were all okay and all I had to do was stay out of trouble..

 

@Chinyou01 what is your local office? Mine is Harlingen.

@lissatt89 you should also have received I guess like everyone else a status change end of February (mine was 26th) stating received at local office. That would mean they start working on your case again. I had the same bio in December 2016 and nothing till February 26th.

 

John

My local office is in dallas. I didn’t receive the “receievd at local office” message until the beginning of June. Then a few days later it changed to “a new office had jurisdiction over your case”. And I got the letter a day after that. They sent me a RFE in March and I responded at the end of April. Since the “new jurisdiction” thing nothing has changed. My letter is the same as yours, stating that they did a preliminary review of my case and it has been sent to NBC to schedule an interview

23 hours ago, tylago said:

and both of you didn't file N-400? another speculation: Your spouses are naturalized citizens instead of native born?

Yes my spouse was naturalized but that was also long ago when she was a child. Could that be the issue? And she’s from a whole different country. I keep trying to find other similar cases but I haven’t found any. I don’t know why they would send it to NBC. Do they do the interview there?

4 hours ago, tylago said:

is that a coincident both of you are from Texas?

I was wondering that too. With all of the other immigration stuff going on here I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re backed up. Online it tells me that a new office has jurisdiction. My letter said the same thing as johns. That it was transferred to NBC to schedule an interview. Idk what’s going on. 

2 hours ago, JohnInTX said:

Yes indeed, they transferred to the NBC after my RFE answer was received.

Maybe the evidence was not convincing enough and is that the reason they transferred it.

Others have been transferred too to the NBC but not everyone has had the letter stating to schedule an interview.

Don't know if this is a normal process.

 

I didn't file for the N400 yet as I thought I first had to have the GC. So was kind of in the assumption that renewal if GC after 2 years and than 3 more for N400.

Read in this forum I could have done it sooner. So far haven't filed yet too.

 

John

My letter also says it as transferred to schedule an interview

13 hours ago, JohnInTX said:

The received by local office is most likely a wrong statement, it comes down more or less that at the center where you filed you case was taken out of a dusty storage and they started working on your case again.

My local office notice was Feb 26 2018

March 29 2018 RFE, April 9 2018 Answer to RFE received and May 1st transferred to NBC.

No action since than...

 

John

Oh no...I hope I don’t have an interview. I’m an October 2016 filer. When am I able to inquire about it being past normal processing times?

Hi all, just another quick update. 

I just received a letter in the mail which was a notice of transfer. They transferred my case to the NBC. Does anyone have any experience with this? I haven’t applied for anything other than ROC. 

2 hours ago, fred123 said:

It could mean that you are in line for an interview. I think they may send them to the local office after rfe to schedule and interview if they are not satisfied. I could be wrong though. As for sending you someones else's case, ive never heard of that! Doesn't surprise me though. Good luck, this will all be over for you soon x

Hi, after frantically looking this up on other forums it seems like a lot of people have gotten the “sent to your local office” message, yet when they made an infopass and talked to someone the person they spoke to said it was a glitch and that their case was still at CSC. Out of all the pages of people who got this message, nobody got an interview so I’m crossing my fingers that mine is also a part of this glitch. When I search my case # with EAC the date changes to 03/30 that it was sent to my local office, but with WAC it says 06/14. Who knows what they’re doing over there....I’m just ready for this to be over with.

Hi guys, I'm new here so please forgive me if I'm asking any questions that have already been answered.

I filed on 10/29/2016,

received RFE on 05/10/2018,

CSC received my response to RFE on 05/30/2018

06/14/18 It updated to "we received your form I-751 at your local office"

Anyone from this thread deal with this or know what it means? This is so frustrating. I've looked through other websites and forums on here and have seen people who filed before AND after me who have already been approved. 

Also, as an added note. When they sent the RFE I also received a letter addressed to my wife from USCIS that was requesting evidence from her ON SOMEONE ELSE'S CASE. Seriously, a whole different receipt number and name. Is this a common issue? Should I call and inquire about it or do you think they'll see in their system that her name is on two cases?