Elizabeth Reid Steer

What is the best day and time to go to the INS office at 300 North Los Angeles
Street? I need to go and get another 1 year Permanent Residency extension stamped in
my passport since the 1 year extension granted when I filed my I-751 has just
expired. The most convenient day for me would be Wednesday of next week (July 11),
but if another day would be better I can rearrange my plans.

Cheers, Elizabeth
__________________________________________________ ________________
Elizabeth Reid Steere
[email protected] http://www.aluluei.com

Sylvia Ottemoeller

Elizabeth Reid Steere wrote:

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I have heard Thursdays are bad because INS has shorter hours of serving the public
that day. By the way, you should get there very early. I know of one person who
arrived at 5:15
a.m., and was turned away about 7:30 a.m., because only a certain number of people (I
think it was 100) in her category are served every day (she was getting her first
passport stamp after an employment-based I-485 had been approved).

Paul Redman

I went there last week. Some comments on my experience:

- I was told to go very early. As I *had* to get stamped that day due to a vacation I
went the prior night at 11pm and camped out all night.
- About 2.30am the queue went wild - hundreds of people joined.
- At 5am the queue was so long you could not see the end - I am sure people at the
end were turned away. Several people tried pushing in but the security guards are
very on top of this.
- the doors opened at 6am.
- You must queue yourself. Several people lined up overnight to reserve a space for
their relative/friends - the guards would not allow this to happen and basically
removed the 'reservee' from the line.
- It is not as bad as it used to be (it seems). Whereas before you went in, got a
number and waited for it to be called this is no longer true. Instead you go in,
get your I485 approval noticed marked as 'Refer to room XXXX' and are sent to
another line on the other side of the building. I think this makes the 6am line
move much quicker than before.
- The other line had about 400 people in it when we got there. The doors for this
line opened at 7am and it moved extremely quickly - you basically went through
metal detectors and then disbursed to one of several hundred rooms - we were the
first to get to our room even though we were 400th or so in line.
- You may be able to get straight into the 7am line if you have an
appointment.....however beware, I saw people turned away because they supposedly
needed to be referred by the 6am line.

Notes: 1 Camping overnight was not so bad. By 11pm about 30 people were in front of
us. You line up around the building (note the door is on the side of the building not
the front), and are under cover and in a well-lit area. About 1 block up from the INS
building is a police station open 24 hours with clean restrooms. Apart from the
occassional begger you feel pretty safe. We took lawn chairs, food, drink etc for
overnight but most importantly we took a friend who could look after all this stuff
while we were in the office - You *cannot* take any of this stuff in with you. We
also printed about 30 pages of jokes from the internet to pass the time - this was a
great strategy and kept us amused..... 2 I was extremely pissed to be referred to the
other line after reading from so many people I would just get a number and be done.
However the INS people told me this was a brand new procedure. The security guard in
the room I was referred to was a great friendly person. Even the INS officer was
friendly - this was the best experience I have had with INS. There were no questions,
just give me the form, get another finger print and 'stamp'. 3 *Maybe most important*
- Westminster INS office relocated to Santa Ana last week and Santa Ana office opened
on 7/3. This may be the better place to go (if you can find it) because nobody knows
about it....and they do do passport stamping.

Paul R

Elizabeth Reid Steere wrote:
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Elizabeth Reid Steer

Wow, Paul! Thanks for sharing your experience! Here's a report on mine:

Drove from to Los Angeles on Tuesday night and stayed with lovely friend, who made me
a packed lunch and dropped me off at the INS at
7:30 AM Wednesday. Only one line, snaking around the building and doubling back to
the entry door, although certain people did not line up but went to the entry and
showed bits of paper to the guards. Some of these people were waved in; others were
not (latter expostulated loudly). Stood in line, slowly shuffling forward. Man
immediately ahead of me attempted to make friends, using conversational gambit that
he was glad to meet a native English speaker (I am from Australia) as last time he
was here he was surrounded by "f***ing Mexicans who no speeka de Engleesh".
Attempted to be icily repressive, but hampered by own reluctance to use expletives.
Man finally shut up after half an hour. Shuffle shuffle shuffle forward. Loud
megaphone announcements informed us that absolutely no guns, knives, mace, cameras,
food or drink would be permitted inside at risk of confiscation, expulsion and/or
arrest. Tossed sandwiches, fruit and water bottle in trash; hid bag of peanuts at
bottom of bag. Got to entry door at 10:07 AM. Entered, put bag on conveyor belt
through X-Ray machine, was pulled out of line while INS officer searched my bag,
evidently made suspicious by presence of cell phone, MP3 player and Palm. Asked re
each item: "Is this a camera?" Either did not see or did not care about peanuts,
and waved me on. Kind Hispanic family who had been behind me in line let me reclaim
my place -- relieved to feel they did not think I was friends with Angry Racist
Man. Got to window at 10:33 AM and given ticket number B266. Number on board said
B232, so I felt hopeful despite warning of 4 hour 15 minute wait time printed on
ticket. After 30 minutes became alarmed when board still showed B232. After 60
minutes and still no sign of B233, began to feel desperate. Also hungry, but too
intimidated by roving armed guards to eat peanuts. After 45 minutes, B233 ticked
over on board. Read entire book "Bridget Jones' Diary", which explains decreased
use of pronouns and prepositions in this email. My number finally came up at 1:45.
Went to window 17, to be confronted with the most bitter, angry and depressed INS
officer I have ever encountered. Answered every question, no matter how innocuous
(eg. "Can I travel overseas on the new passport stamp?"), in loud angry voice
prefaced by deep sigh, and never once looked up and made eye-contact. Made entirely
uncalled-for and unflattering remark about my passport photo. Definitely someone in
need of a career change. Left building at 2:05, and had indifferent Japanese food
and gallon of water at Los Angeles Mall food court.

I'm so glad that is over! I hope that they process my I-751 soon.

Elizabeth
__________________________________________________ ________________
Elizabeth Reid Steere
[email protected] http://www.aluluei.com

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[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > What is the best day and time to go to the INS office at 300 North[/usenetquote2]
Los
[usenetquote2]> > Angeles Street? I need to go and get another 1 year Permanent Residency extension[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > stamped in my passport since the 1 year[/usenetquote2]
extension
[usenetquote2]> > granted when I filed my I-751 has just expired. The most[/usenetquote2]
convenient
[usenetquote2]> > day for me would be Wednesday of next week (July 11), but if[/usenetquote2]
another
[usenetquote2]> > day would be better I can rearrange my plans.[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > Cheers, Elizabeth[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > __________________________________________________ ________________[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > Elizabeth Reid Steere[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > [email protected] http://www.aluluei.com[/usenetquote2]

Sylvia Ottemoeller

Elizabeth Reid Steere wrote:

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Thank you so much for writing this, Elizabeth! I know that Japanese restaurant. Had
jury duty near there once.