lgrandch

Hi all,

I started my AOS journey in NY, filling for
AOS/AP/EAD. I received AP and EAD.
I moved to San Francisco in October 2003.
I did the AR11 paperwork and requested
the transfer of my AOS application from
NY to SF (I sent 2 letters, one to NY and one
to the SF district office). Now here is the
problem: I need to renew my AP/EAD.

HOW DO I FIND OUT WHETHER MY
APPLICATION IS NOW SITTING IN SF ?

I inquired by mail (2 months ago) but got no
answer. Is it time for a trip to the SF Office ?
Any help will be greatly appreciated (Caro, I
hope you read this post).

Loic.

Caro

Hi Loic,

You are very lucky, because I am browing on the NG today. Haven't done that in 2 weeks or so.

So, where you file is, is anyone's guess! You moved in October 2003, so your file should be there by now if it has made it to San Francisco. If not, then it won't be fun. The only fast and foolproof way (as long as the computers of the INS are not mistaking) I am aware of to check where you file is is to go there in person and wait the 3-5 hours to ask one of the officers if your file is there. They punch in your A# and tell you what the status of your file is. This is what I would do. If you need to renew your EAD, I would take the I-765 and supporting documents and see if they give it to you on the spot, since you are there already. The rule used to be that you could apply in person if your EAD was expiring in less than 30 days. If you don't have the photographs or are missing stuff for the EAD, I would personnally not wait for these, but I would go to the INS ASAP to make sure that my file has not landed somewhere else (like in my case LA) or that it is not still in NY. Because if this is the case, you might get screwed EADwise, as I was told that you can only renew it in SF if the office has your file there.

Go to the office EARLY (sixish I would say. I live in the East Bay, and it takes me about 45 minutes door to door, so I never made it super early, but I would arrive around 6:30am). There are only few tickets to make an inquiry, and the numbers on the display move really slowly for that category (it is not linear, so it won't move for 30mins and then they do 3 or something like that). So make sure you take a good book and be patient... Generally (but that was 1 year ago, Thank God!), I would be out of the building by 9:30-10:30am. I would make a copy of the paper they give you to fill out along with your ticket showing the date [there is a copy machine that is in the snack bar], and I would keep this copy with the rest of my INS paperwork, as some kind of proof that you visited the office on that day.

One of 2 things happen:
1) The file is in the office, you are ready to roll!
2) The file is not the in office (still in NY or in some other weird office), then you've got problems. I hope that you used trackable mail to mail in your change of address and transfer request. You can ask the officer to request your file (I did this and it worked well) and see what he can do for you EADwise. Then, I would contact my congressperson to "monitor" the transfer and make sure the transfer request has been placed, etc. Maybe if your employer writes you a letter saying they really need you working at your desk, you might be able to get a temporary EAD with a letter from your congressperson or something so that you can keep working.

And remember, whatever happens, humans tend to forget fast

Good luck!
Caroline

PS: Are you French? It is from your name... Where are you in the Bay Area? Peninsula, SF or East Bay or somewhere else?

lgrandch

Hi Caro,

thanks a lot for your extensive answer. You
confirmed what I was afraid of; I guess I'll
have to go through a trip to the SF Office.
Thanks again for your great advice.

Loic.

PS: I am indeed french and I live in the East Bay
at the border between Oakland and Berkeley.