binghamj

My timeline so far -

July 2002 - Submitted N-400
October 2002 - Called for fingerprinting
June 2003 - Called for interview
August 2003 - Went for interview

When I went to the San Jose BCIS office, I was interviewed and passed. However, the officer informed me my "fingerprints had not arrived." He said they might arrive in 1-3 months in which case they will ask me to proceed to an Oath-taking ceremony. He said if I didn't hear from them in 3 months, I should write to them.

I am worried that -

- They may have lost my fingerprints (is this a concern, given that I was fingerprinted electronically?)

- My fingerprints will go "stale" before they get to them (isn't there a time limit after which this happens?)

- The officer did not realize that it had been quite some time since I was fingerprinted (or would he know looking at his papers? It didn't occur to me to ask him this at the time)

I am wondering if I need to be proactive on this in any way. And if yes, how? Would appreciate any words of advice and/or experience.

jaytee

Go back to the Application Support Center or wherever your prints were taken and tell them that the office did not receive them. They will check their records of them going out and they can be re-taken.

binghamj

Thanks jaytee, I will do that. Appreciate your advice.

I should go back to the same ASC where I was fingerprinted, I guess - Do I need to make an appointment (you mention calling them in your timeline) with the ASC?

jaytee

I don't believe so. For something like this, you just show up and tell them what your interviewing officer told you and let them figure out what to do.

I made countless calls to the Vermont Service Center for another problem -- my file was stuck there and the District Office interviewing officer had said that they needed it and couldn't get it, even after several official requests. The problem was that the Vermont Service Center's system ignored each request because they were not being submitted properly by the District Office. So, what they had is a failure to communicate or a miscommunication between parts of the BCIS. A VSC rep finally noticed on her monitor that it said each request was ignored. Apparently, NO ONE notices what is going on with this problem, until they see it and someone realizes what is happening. The supervisor took care of sending out the file personally that same day, but it should have been at the District Office BEFORE the interview in August 2002.

binghamj

An update. I called the FBI fingerprint hotline (304-625-5590) this morning. They were super-polite and told me that my fingerprints had been looked at and sent back to INS in California in Oct 2002 itself. So clearly, the fingerprints are lost somewhere between the San Jose ASC and the San Jose BCIS District Office.

I then called BCIS national customer service center (800-375-5283) and spoke with a disinterested woman who told me (a) no, there was no number for me to call for the San Jose ASC and (b) no, walk-ins were not entertained at the San Jose ASC. So what should I do? She says "Write to the ASC."

Meanwhile, a friend who just happened to go her interview today in the same BCIS district office was actually nice enough to ask her interviewer about my situation. His response - "The guy who interviewed your friend [i.e. yours truly] has no idea what he's talking about. Fingerprints are all electronic now. They can't be lost. But before you ask, sorry no, I cannot intervene in another case officer's matter. Maybe your friend should ask for an appointment with his case officer again."

Aaaaaaargh! My case officer told me to wait until December (when my prints would go stale, wouldn't they) before writing to the BCIS. So I am thinking of not making an appointment with him just yet. Though I would like to know if in fact the district office can get to my report electronically without any action needed by the ASC.

I guess I will drive by the San Jose ASC and see for myself if they'll talk to me without an appointment letter. And if they don't, I'll write them a letter describing my situation. Then I'll sit tight. What else can I do? Should I be doing anything else?

Thanks again jaytee. Your posts in other threads have been very informative to me. I especially appreciate the fact that you are done with the process, yet help folks like me.

jaytee

I wrote letters at least 6 times. I wrote more than 2 formal, proofread letters to the District Office interviewing officer. I wrote several to the Vermont Service Center and the Texas Service Center. I sent official forms that I got in the lobby of the District Office to the service centers. Guess what? I never got a response to even a status request. The internet status check was garbage. It never said anything except that the receipt number cannot be found. The automated phone status request never said anything except that there is no update. Everything had to be done by waiting on the phone. I am so freaking glad I don't have to deal with the BCIS anymore!

So, you can write if you want, but that seems to be a waste of time and effort with the BCIS. I don't know how far away your Application Support Center is, but they tend to be local. You should go there and just explain the problem you are having with the fingerprints. What are they going to do? Arrest you for doing a walk-in?? At my ASC at the international airport there were no more than a couple of people at any one time and they would ask lots of questions about what they need to do for their case and what are the requirements for citizenship and even about their niece or nephew's case.

binghamj

MY ASC is about 20 miles away. I will go down there and try to have a conversation with someone. Thanks for all the help & wish me luck.

Sylvia Ottemoeller

"binghamj" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

    > My timeline so far -

    > July 2002 - Submitted N-400
    > October 2002 - Called for fingerprinting
    > June 2003 - Called for interview
    > August 2003 - Went for interview

    > When I went to the San Jose BCIS office, I was interviewed and passed.
    > However, the officer informed me my "fingerprints had not arrived." He
    > said they might arrive in 1-3 months in which case they will ask me to
    > proceed to an Oath-taking ceremony. He said if I didn't hear from them
    > in 3 months, I should write to them.

    > I am worried that -

    > - They may have lost my fingerprints (is this a concern, given that I
    > was fingerprinted electronically?)

It's probably not a concern.

    > - My fingerprints will go "stale" before they get to them (isn't there a
    > time limit after which this happens?)

Yes. The fingerprint check expires 15 months after the report is issued.

    > - The officer did not realize that it had been quite some time since I
    > was fingerprinted (or would he know looking at his papers? It didn't
    > occur to me to ask him this at the time)

    > I am wondering if I need to be proactive on this in any way. And if yes,
    > how? Would appreciate any words of advice and/or experience.

This is my suggestion: Call your Congressperson. Telephone (not email or
mail) the local office of the Member of the House of Representatives for
your residence. Ask to speak with a staff member in charge of immigration
inquiries. Ask that a Privacy Release Notice be faxed to you. Fill it out
and sign it, and fax it back to the person you talked to, with a one-page
letter addressed to that person from yourself, summarizing your problem, and
perhaps one or two official notices that show where you are in the process,
like a copy of your interview notice and a copy of your fingerprint notice.
Call the office to make sure the fax was received, and then call again in a
day or two to ask whether the inquiry has been made yet.

I would do this before going back to the BCIS ASC.

binghamj

Sylvia,

Thanks for the advice. You don't think it's too early to go to my congressperson yet? I mean, might they just respond with "wait out the three months?"

Sylvia Ottemoeller

"binghamj" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

    > Thanks for the advice. You don't think it's too early to go to my
    > congressperson yet? I mean, might they just respond with "wait out the
    > three months?"

No, I don't think it's too early. If the Congressperson's office staff
person is sophisticated enough, he or she will realize that waiting 3 months
will take you beyond the 15 month validity of the original fingerprint
check.

binghamj

Makes perfect sense - thanks Sylvia, I will certainly do this as well.