I-751

Hi,

I had filed my I-751, jointly with my US citizen spouse on October 17th, 2007. (I had received my 2yr conditional Green Card on October 28th, 2005.)

USCIS Texas Service Center in Mesquite, TX, received my package on October 19th, 2007 and the checks were cashed within a couple of days of that.

Received the NOA in mid-November stating that my Green Card had been extended for another year, and that I would be receiving a ASC (Biometrics) Appointment letter soon.

I waited patiently, but finally called the USCIS hotline on Jan 15th inquiring about the appointment. The lady on the phone was very nice and said that she was "surprised" as to why I hadn't got the appointment notice yet. She said she would go ahead and put in another request on my behalf and I should be hearing from them soon. On Jan 30th, got a letter referring to my conversation and asked me to call back in 45 days, if I don't hear from them.

Called them back on April 3rd; and they repeated what they told me on Jan 15th - "We will put in another request, if you don't hear back from us within 45 days, call us back!!!" I finally got a letter back from them Friday (May 2nd) referring to my conversation with them.

Checking on the forum, it seems weird why I haven't got the appointment yet. Is my case a one off. Everyone else seems to be getting their Biometrics Appointment within 1-3 months.

I have a clean background, no speeding tickets, no arrests, etc.

Also, I am unable to track the status of my case online. Every time I put in the WAC080**** number from the NOA, on the USCIS website, I get this error - "Validation Error(s)
You must correct the following error(s) before proceeding:
Case Status Retrieval Failed
This Receipt Number cannot be found at this time in this automated system. Please check your case receipt number to see if it is correct. If you have questions or concerns about your case status, please contact the National Customer Service Center."

Please advice!!!

ian-mstm

Is there any particular reason why you think you'll have an interview? Most I-751's are approved without one.

FYI: I-751's are among the lowest priority applications, since your status as a PR does *not* change during the process. You still have authorization to live/work in the US and travel outside the US.

When you are eligible to file for naturalization, go ahead and file. You don't need an approved I-751 to file an N-400.

Ian

I-751

I'm not saying that I will get an interview. But I thought Biometrics (Finger-printing, Signature and Photo) were a required part of the I-751 process. And most other people have received an Appointment letter within 1-3 months of filing for their I-751.

ian-mstm

I guess I'm going to need stronger glasses! I saw "appointment" and thought "interview". My bad!

Your case # should be on the back of your cancelled check (if you can get hold of that from your bank, or perhaps a copy). But yes, the biometrics appointment letter usually shows up within a few months.

Still, I don't think it's anything to worry about unduly.

Ian

I-751

Guess, I should have added, I tried that as well, but it didn't work either!

Noorah101

I can't think of anything for you to try except an Infopass appointment to go in person and see if they know anything. Perhaps the appointment letter got lost in the mail?

Rene

Rete

Rene hit it on the heard. An infopass appointment is the only way you are going to find out anything about your missing bio appointment. It has nothing to do with your character or lack thereof. Appointments are normally generated with two or three months of receipt of application. Yours might have been lost in the mail, not unheard of.

I-751

Thanks you guys. I just set up an InfoPass appointment for this Friday.

I was wondering if I should take my spouse along with me? Would it help if I did?

Thanks once again

Noorah101

It's not necessary for the USC spouse to be there. The only reason I'd say is if your English isn't good enough to get your point across to them, but sounds like yours is.

Good luck, keep us posted!!

Rene

I-751

Thanks guys. I called the National Phone line.. and they transferred me to "2nd Level Support"... The guy on the other end was very polite and admitted that its weird that I haven't received my Biometrics appointment yet. He was even more surprised when I told him that I had requested the appointment to be set up twice already! He said that it looks like they are "dragging their feet" and sent out an email with all my info. He assured me that I should get an Appointment Notice within 10-14 business days. I'll keep yall posted on it.

He also gave me the receipt number, for me to track my case online. Status currently says: "Current Status: Case received and pending."

One thing, I did forget to ask was, how much does this delay my decision by? The CSC is approving/looking at cases from Oct 2007 now. But without my Biometrics, how far back do I get pushed? Do I start over at the back of the line, or do they look at my case once the Biometric results are in?

Thanks

Noorah101

Just for future reference, it's usually not a good idea to call the 800 number unless you're able to speak to someone higher up than the person who answered your call. Sounds like maybe you did that, hopefully they are correct and you'll get an appointment. If not, go in person and see what's up.

Also, the online processing dates are not highly reliable, so take what you read with a grain of salt. I would say they will look at your case again when the biometrics are completed, but overall everyone's I-751 approvals are so varied, it probably doesn't make a big dent in your waiting time.

Rene

I-751

Good news & bad news!

Good news - I received my Biometrics Appointment letter, dated 5/19, scheduled for 6/7 at the San Antonio, TX center in the mail yesterday. I talked to 2nd level support and they said, they usually expect the results back within 2 weeks and given that the California Service Center is already looking at applications from November 2007, I should expect an answer and hopefully my 10 yr Green Card within 30-45days.

Now the bad/weird news - I got an email from USCIS, referencing my conversation with them (dt. 5/20). Had all the correct info about my case etc. And this is what it said:

"The status of this service request is:

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the above listed petition. USCIS records indicate that your I-751 petition was denied and the notice was mailed to the adress of record on April 28, 2008."

Now, I haven't had a Biometrics appointment yet, and never received a notice from them stating the denial. I know they can deny you if you don't show up for the biometrics appointment, but I've had 3 biometrics requests put into the system. And finally got the notice yesterday.

Also, I called up again today and talked to Officer Casale in 2nd level support, and he was baffled by the email. He could trace it on his system. But he was as surprised as I was. He recommended that I go to the San Antonio field office and talk to someone over there.

I was wondering if anyone else has faced a similar issue. Or received weird emails from USCIS.

Thanks

TracyTN

Does the email have your case number on it, or a different one?

USCIS is somewhat notorious for screwy emails, unfortunately! But if the officer you spoke to could see it, then I would take his advice and make an Infopass appt in San Antonio to follow up.

I-751

It has my

"Receipt #:
-- WAC-08-*****"

But this is the original receipt number that I got along with a letter stating that they had received my I-751 Petition. This is not the number that I use to track my case online. That number (related to the CR189) is different.

Yea, but the officer was confused too... So I guess InfoPass is my only option?

Has anyone seen a screwy email like that?

TracyTN

I'm sorry - I don't know what a CR189 is (not to the removing conditions phase yet for hubby!).

The only number I ever used to track my cases online was the WAC #. It's not uncommon for some folks to have the same issue you reported when trying to put in your WAC case number in the online tracking system.

The only thing I'm fuzzy on in your story is the dates. You received your green card on Oct. 28, 2005 - but what is the actual 'valid to' date on it?