ACCC

5 hours ago, Linna&NZ said:

Ladies and gentlemen I just called USCIS since my extention letter expires in a month as they said to my previous calls. First time I called they said call 1 month before the letter expires, today I did call and they told me to call again when their offices are open, I asked what if they dont the spokesmen said * Once your letter expires dont leave the house* and I asked what if I am working? His response was * quit the job the day your letter expires and dont leave the house*  

 I am in shock because now what do I do? And not just me but many more like me? What does this mean for our statuses in future? Is this going to affect us all? 

That is shocking.. my extension letter expires in a few days and when I called the day USCIS offices closed due to COVID-19 the agency on the line told me I will not be penalized given the circumstance and that she took notes of our call given my concern. She said I just have to be on standby once offices reopen and call to get the earlier infopass appointment for a stamp.

33 minutes ago, Linna&NZ said:

We called a month ago and they said if we don't get anything from them by the time our 18 months extension letter expires, they will schedule an appointment week before expiration date for passport stamp if the passport is still valid, but we will apply for N 400 soon. Call them just in case

Thanks for the input! I just started my N-400 application but it likely won’t get processed in time before my letter “expires”. Will definitely give them a call and check.

Hey everyone, my I-797 notice of action letter which extends the validity of my green card for 18 months from valid date is less than a month away from expiring. Anyone else here on the same boat? Should I call USCIS to check on the I-751 status?

13 minutes ago, borntofly said:

In theory, this should be sufficient. But keep in mind that you may be asked to produce the I-797 (or I-551) not only upon arrival in the US, but also abroad (e.g., when checking in for a flight to the US, as soon as they notice the expiration date of your GC). The major disadvantage of the I-551 is that is has to be renewed every 6 months, while your I-797 is probably valid for 18 months.

Thank you! I already have the i-797 letter, yes it is valid 18 months so I should be good in that area. And hopefully they don’t take the original and I just have to keep showing it. Also so far I only have this one international trip possibly coming up, I’ve been mainly avoiding any outside US trip because of this whole waiting game 😕

1 hour ago, borntofly said:

Same as Zkot4ov posted, they clipped my GC and returned it to me. I had no choice because I had to travel and the I-797 letter took too long (6 weeks) to arrive.

Gotcha. So as long as I have the I-797 letter along with my expired green card and a valid passport (still my country’s), I don’t necessarily need to also get an I-551 stamp, right?

31 minutes ago, borntofly said:

I travel to Europe often, every other time upon return to ORD I get escorted to a room full of non-US people where I have to wait for ~10-30min while they perform additional checks. Sometimes they call me up to ask additional questions, sometimes just return the documents and say that everything is fine. I get the I-551 stamp in my passport renewed every 6 months just in case I get any troubles while abroad (some foreign airline agents trust passport stamps more than USCIS letters).

I see. I’m a bit hesitant to ask for an i-551 stamp just because I heard some centers get your expired green card in return, and I’d rather keep it along with the i-797 letter. Did you get to keep your green card after getting the stamp?

1 hour ago, pishteh said:

traveled couple times. no issues at all.

I-797 is not just a extension letter. it's an official document. all immigration employees are familiar with it. the only issue you might have, in some airports, like LAX, you can't get the line for permanent residents for passport check/stamp since the machines can not read the letter and they just assume you have expired green card. you have to stand in Visa holder lines which is a pain. looong waiting sometimes. other than waiting, no other issues

Thanks! Will keep that in mind :) 

2 hours ago, Piscian22 said:

Traveled at least 3-4 times with I 797. Never ran into any issue whatsoever. It was quick and almost same as with Green Card. You can travel without any worries

Thanks! Good to know  

Anybody here who has traveled and used the I-797 letter along with an expired green card? Did you guys run into any issues? I'm offered to go on a business trip to Taiwan from US and I'm a bit worried to run into trouble with paperwork.

Thanks in advance!

I just received a biometrics appointment letter after a year of waiting and unfortunately need to reschedule  Of all the days I've been in the area, it's the week we'll be in a different city.

Anyone else on the same boat as me? It seems the only way to ask for reschedule is thru mailing back the original letter and checking that box (keeping a photocopy of the letter). I'm just worried this will further delay the processing when it already is.