EAD at San Antonio
May 1st 2003, 11:15 pm
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
EAD at San Antonio
Just thought I'd post a quick report on my EAD experience at San Antonio
today.
I'll skip the bit about getting up at 5am to get there, except to note
that when you're awake at this time, the world seems very weird...
San Antonio's INS office is easy to find - just off the I-35 - but a pain
to get to. This is pretty typical of San Antonio as a whole, though,
where, I've determined, it is impossible for a road to be built straight
or a junction's lanes to correspond. (Fourwinds Drive, where the INS
office is located, is a fine example of both of these, incidentally). The
sign on the junction on which the office is located has a sign saying
"Immigration and Naturlization Service." Someone needs to sort out their
spelling.
There's a Diamond Shamrock behind the INS office if you need snackies
and/or caffeine. There's also a tiny building on the opposite side of the
junction selling "Passport and Immigration Photos". It has flashing
lights on top of it that blink all day, and is very cheesy.
There's a huge LED display board at the turn-off where the office is
situated, one of those scrolling advertisement thingies. Astonishingly,
it appears to give the phone number which the office is so loath to have
on their webpage, which is (210) 650-9030. I haven't had reason to
actually call this yet, obviously, but someone with more need than I
might want to try it.
They started letting us into the building at 7.35am, which was rather
nice of them. EADs are handled in the room directly to the left of the
entrance. If you have an EAD appointment and the door is open, you don't
need to queue up at the room's door after the room has been opened (you
have to go through security first, of course) - just go straight through
to the far end and put your EAD letter into the tray.
Processing is relatively painless - we were by no means the first there
but we got done in an hour and a half or so. They have a US flag hung on
the window to show where you need to look for them to get the ideal angle
for an ADIT...
They automatically give you directions to the fingerprinting place, which
is just around the corner, and tell you to go there. They even give you a
map and verbal directions. It's actually within walking distance, to be
honest. The fingerprinting place is a pretty soulless site right in the
middle of a small strip mall, but the people there are pretty friendly
and efficient. I don't think we were there more than 20-30 minutes.
That's about it, I think.
--
Targaff
today.
I'll skip the bit about getting up at 5am to get there, except to note
that when you're awake at this time, the world seems very weird...
San Antonio's INS office is easy to find - just off the I-35 - but a pain
to get to. This is pretty typical of San Antonio as a whole, though,
where, I've determined, it is impossible for a road to be built straight
or a junction's lanes to correspond. (Fourwinds Drive, where the INS
office is located, is a fine example of both of these, incidentally). The
sign on the junction on which the office is located has a sign saying
"Immigration and Naturlization Service." Someone needs to sort out their
spelling.
There's a Diamond Shamrock behind the INS office if you need snackies
and/or caffeine. There's also a tiny building on the opposite side of the
junction selling "Passport and Immigration Photos". It has flashing
lights on top of it that blink all day, and is very cheesy.
There's a huge LED display board at the turn-off where the office is
situated, one of those scrolling advertisement thingies. Astonishingly,
it appears to give the phone number which the office is so loath to have
on their webpage, which is (210) 650-9030. I haven't had reason to
actually call this yet, obviously, but someone with more need than I
might want to try it.
They started letting us into the building at 7.35am, which was rather
nice of them. EADs are handled in the room directly to the left of the
entrance. If you have an EAD appointment and the door is open, you don't
need to queue up at the room's door after the room has been opened (you
have to go through security first, of course) - just go straight through
to the far end and put your EAD letter into the tray.
Processing is relatively painless - we were by no means the first there
but we got done in an hour and a half or so. They have a US flag hung on
the window to show where you need to look for them to get the ideal angle
for an ADIT...
They automatically give you directions to the fingerprinting place, which
is just around the corner, and tell you to go there. They even give you a
map and verbal directions. It's actually within walking distance, to be
honest. The fingerprinting place is a pretty soulless site right in the
middle of a small strip mall, but the people there are pretty friendly
and efficient. I don't think we were there more than 20-30 minutes.
That's about it, I think.
--
Targaff
May 2nd 2003, 11:55 am
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Hondo Tx
Posts: 264
Hi Targaff
Thank you so much for posting your EAD experience, as I too will be using that office.
The phone number will sure come in handy thank you, may I ask how long it took you to get the EAD appointment, as we will be sending in our AOS paper work at the end of May.
Once again thank you, all the best Kit
Thank you so much for posting your EAD experience, as I too will be using that office.
The phone number will sure come in handy thank you, may I ask how long it took you to get the EAD appointment, as we will be sending in our AOS paper work at the end of May.
Once again thank you, all the best Kit
May 2nd 2003, 2:27 pm
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Targaff,
Thanks for the report. Where do you live?
I will agree about Fourwinds, getting in and out of there can be sorta
confusing, but at least you never lose sight of the building.
There are quite a few streets in San Antonio, that are not only straight,
but serve as great cross-town alternates to the freeways. On weekends, we
nearly never get on the expressways, cause we don't have to. Traffic in SA
is still nowhere near the hassle of say, Houston, or (ugh) Austin. I have
been here for most of 25 years now.
We went to that fingerprinting place on a Saturday (!) after it opened a few
years ago, I thought the off-site service centers were the greatest advance
in the history of INS.
The cheesy photo place is American enterprise at its most basic. Someone
makes a house payment and feeds kids off that place. What surprises me is
that no one has opened a taco stand next to it :-)
Mike
--
http://www.txdirect.net/users/mike38/faq_index.htm
http://www.txdirect.net/users/mike38/k1faq.htm
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
"Targaff" wrote
> Just thought I'd post a quick report on my EAD experience at San Antonio
> today.
> I'll skip the bit about getting up at 5am to get there, except to note
> that when you're awake at this time, the world seems very weird...
> San Antonio's INS office is easy to find - just off the I-35 - but a pain
> to get to. This is pretty typical of San Antonio as a whole, though,
> where, I've determined, it is impossible for a road to be built straight
> or a junction's lanes to correspond. (Fourwinds Drive, where the INS
> office is located, is a fine example of both of these, incidentally
> There's a Diamond Shamrock behind the INS office if you need snackies
> and/or caffeine. There's also a tiny building on the opposite side of the
> junction selling "Passport and Immigration Photos". It has flashing
> lights on top of it that blink all day, and is very cheesy.
> They automatically give you directions to the fingerprinting place, which
> is just around the corner, and tell you to go there. They even give you a
> map and verbal directions. It's actually within walking distance, to be
> honest. The fingerprinting place is a pretty soulless site right in the
> middle of a small strip mall, but the people there are pretty friendly
> and efficient. I don't think we were there more than 20-30 minutes.
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Thanks for the report. Where do you live?
I will agree about Fourwinds, getting in and out of there can be sorta
confusing, but at least you never lose sight of the building.
There are quite a few streets in San Antonio, that are not only straight,
but serve as great cross-town alternates to the freeways. On weekends, we
nearly never get on the expressways, cause we don't have to. Traffic in SA
is still nowhere near the hassle of say, Houston, or (ugh) Austin. I have
been here for most of 25 years now.
We went to that fingerprinting place on a Saturday (!) after it opened a few
years ago, I thought the off-site service centers were the greatest advance
in the history of INS.
The cheesy photo place is American enterprise at its most basic. Someone
makes a house payment and feeds kids off that place. What surprises me is
that no one has opened a taco stand next to it :-)
Mike
--
http://www.txdirect.net/users/mike38/faq_index.htm
http://www.txdirect.net/users/mike38/k1faq.htm
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
"Targaff" wrote
> Just thought I'd post a quick report on my EAD experience at San Antonio
> today.
> I'll skip the bit about getting up at 5am to get there, except to note
> that when you're awake at this time, the world seems very weird...
> San Antonio's INS office is easy to find - just off the I-35 - but a pain
> to get to. This is pretty typical of San Antonio as a whole, though,
> where, I've determined, it is impossible for a road to be built straight
> or a junction's lanes to correspond. (Fourwinds Drive, where the INS
> office is located, is a fine example of both of these, incidentally
> There's a Diamond Shamrock behind the INS office if you need snackies
> and/or caffeine. There's also a tiny building on the opposite side of the
> junction selling "Passport and Immigration Photos". It has flashing
> lights on top of it that blink all day, and is very cheesy.
> They automatically give you directions to the fingerprinting place, which
> is just around the corner, and tell you to go there. They even give you a
> map and verbal directions. It's actually within walking distance, to be
> honest. The fingerprinting place is a pretty soulless site right in the
> middle of a small strip mall, but the people there are pretty friendly
> and efficient. I don't think we were there more than 20-30 minutes.
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
May 2nd 2003, 2:29 pm
#4
Just Joined
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 8
We also applied for AOS and EAD at San Antonio. We applied in mid-February, and still haven't gotten so much as a receipt.
Drew.
Drew.
Last edited by DrewS; May 2nd 2003 at 2:37 pm.
May 2nd 2003, 3:38 pm
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
kitty-uk wrote in news:762161.1051876527
@britishexpats.com:
> may I ask how long it took you to get the EAD appointment, as we will be
> sending in our AOS paper work at the end of May.
I posted a brief timeline earlier in the month, I think, but we submitted
the paperwork on March 22nd and received an EAD appointment letter dated
April 17th on April 19th, for an appointment May 1st. This seems
extraordinarily quick, however - see other posts regarding SA.
--
Targaff
@britishexpats.com:
> may I ask how long it took you to get the EAD appointment, as we will be
> sending in our AOS paper work at the end of May.
I posted a brief timeline earlier in the month, I think, but we submitted
the paperwork on March 22nd and received an EAD appointment letter dated
April 17th on April 19th, for an appointment May 1st. This seems
extraordinarily quick, however - see other posts regarding SA.
--
Targaff
May 2nd 2003, 3:43 pm
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
"mike_jones" wrote in
news
[email protected]:
> Thanks for the report. Where do you live?
I'm in Austin. You're right about the traffic here, but I only really use
public transport anyhow so I don't really experience it. Wish people would
drive better here, though... I'm sick of tailgaters. I've even seen people
drive off of the freeway over a divider to get onto the access road in
order to avoid a traffic jam.
> Traffic in SA is still nowhere near the hassle of say, Houston, or
> (ugh) Austin. I have been here for most of 25 years now.
I wonder if maybe you can answer a question for me? Have you any idea why
Windsor Park Mall is so... dead? We walked around it before heading back,
didn't stay there more than 10 minutes because it was soulless, and half
the shop sites were empty. The best thing there was the ice cream vendor...
--
Targaff
news
[email protected]: > Thanks for the report. Where do you live?
I'm in Austin. You're right about the traffic here, but I only really use
public transport anyhow so I don't really experience it. Wish people would
drive better here, though... I'm sick of tailgaters. I've even seen people
drive off of the freeway over a divider to get onto the access road in
order to avoid a traffic jam.
> Traffic in SA is still nowhere near the hassle of say, Houston, or
> (ugh) Austin. I have been here for most of 25 years now.
I wonder if maybe you can answer a question for me? Have you any idea why
Windsor Park Mall is so... dead? We walked around it before heading back,
didn't stay there more than 10 minutes because it was soulless, and half
the shop sites were empty. The best thing there was the ice cream vendor...
--
Targaff
May 2nd 2003, 3:45 pm
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
DrewS wrote in news:762330.1051885754
@britishexpats.com:
> We also applied for AOS and EAD at San Antonio. We applied in
> mid-February, and still haven't gotten so much as a receipt.
Were you K1 or K3? I'm surprised, to be honest, San Antonio seems pretty
good by all accounts. Maybe you could give them a call? Also if you can,
see if the money you sent was cashed...
Good luck!
--
Targaff
@britishexpats.com:
> We also applied for AOS and EAD at San Antonio. We applied in
> mid-February, and still haven't gotten so much as a receipt.
Were you K1 or K3? I'm surprised, to be honest, San Antonio seems pretty
good by all accounts. Maybe you could give them a call? Also if you can,
see if the money you sent was cashed...
Good luck!
--
Targaff
May 2nd 2003, 7:45 pm
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Windsor Park Mall is old (25 years?), some local neighborhoods nearby have
experienced downturns resulting in some personal crime at the mall, the city
has exploded to the north and west, and the vendors have moved to other
malls. Some of these vendors only have one or two stores, and they want to
be where sales are better.
North Star Mall is a good one, at Loop 410 and San Pedro (about 6 miles east
of INS) and if you get downtown, the River Center Mall is okay too. I really
like downtown San Antonio, its cool.
Actually, the best shopping centers we have now are the open ones, not the
malls, but over time, I have found individual stores around town that sell
the things I want at good quality and fair price and not *everything* made
in China, either. But that comes from living here a long time.
Mike
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
"Targaff" wrote
>Have you any idea why
> Windsor Park Mall is so... dead? We walked around it before heading back,
> didn't stay there more than 10 minutes because it was soulless, and half
> the shop sites were empty. The best thing there was the ice cream
vendor...
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
experienced downturns resulting in some personal crime at the mall, the city
has exploded to the north and west, and the vendors have moved to other
malls. Some of these vendors only have one or two stores, and they want to
be where sales are better.
North Star Mall is a good one, at Loop 410 and San Pedro (about 6 miles east
of INS) and if you get downtown, the River Center Mall is okay too. I really
like downtown San Antonio, its cool.
Actually, the best shopping centers we have now are the open ones, not the
malls, but over time, I have found individual stores around town that sell
the things I want at good quality and fair price and not *everything* made
in China, either. But that comes from living here a long time.
Mike
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
"Targaff" wrote
>Have you any idea why
> Windsor Park Mall is so... dead? We walked around it before heading back,
> didn't stay there more than 10 minutes because it was soulless, and half
> the shop sites were empty. The best thing there was the ice cream
vendor...
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
