Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

Hi All--

Haven't posted in a while, but I've come to rant and rave as usual. UGH!!! Sure wish I had some good news to share :(

I've been reading through some of the posts regarding troubles with replacement cards and unfortunately my family isn't alone in their woes. My husband received his gc March 2004, but it listed his gender as "female". So he scheduled an info pass appointment at the local office to inquire about it.

The officer there had him complete an I-90 app on the spot and took his card and the application. He was told he'd receive the card in a year and all they gave him was a stamp in his passport. He was totally taken off guard by them taking his card and didn't think to make a copy before going to the appointment. The officer made a mistake and only stamped his passport for one month so he went back to get another stamp. He asked about the NOA and was told he wouldn't get one...would just get his card a year later.

A month later I told him I checked the website and it showed he should've received a NOA so he went back to the office to find out why he didn't get one. Again the officer told him he wouldn't get one....just the card a year later.......

Fast forward to March 2006....no greencard. So again he goes back to find out where the h*ll it is. Now of course they tell him they have no record of him every filing for a replacement card. WTF????? So now he has no card to prove his case and the officer has no idea what he's talking about. So now they give him another I-90 app and tell him to mail it to the office on the paper (forget which one now). Last week we receive a letter asking for more information (aka the original greencard) to prove that it was USCIS' error and thus eliminating the fees. ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! We don't have the damn card!! So again today my husband goes to the local office to find out what's going on. They can't find his card, have no idea where it is and have basically washed their hands of the whole situation. They told him it's probably in this service center's office somewhere, but they just can't find it. So now the only thing we can do is write them a letter explaining the matter, which I'm pretty sure will warrant us a denial letter.

I'm so upset because we really don't have $260 to spend on their error!!! We've been having trouble with them since my husband stepped foot on U.S. soil (10 months to get our change of address correct, 1 year waiting for letter re:additional needed documentation for EAD....which never came and got his application denied, now this stupid greencard issue). Why is it that all of their mistakes turn into money lost for us? Is this the price you pay for doing things legally?? I'm truly at my wits end because now my husband's job is at stake because they keep hassling him for his greencard and not the stamp in the passport. Ugh!!!

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Na'imah

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

Ohhhh Na'imah! I had no idea you were going through so much hassle! I don't have any suggestions, but do a search or PM Steffie...she's got the same problems, big time.

HUGS,
Rene

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

http://feingold.senate.gov/contact.html

http://kohl.senate.gov/svcs_asst_immigration.html

Choose one of the above, document, and go demanding some action.

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

I feel your pain. I have just parted with the 260 dollars as the GC being lost in the post is apparently my fault. Also posted here before about my 800 mile round trip to file I 90 in person that I was told (wrongly) in writing that I had to do. I'm sure this must be character building... Best wishes and hope it all comes together soon.

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

Probably be cheaper and quicker for him to just have the operation.

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

Seek the help of your congressman. You seem to recap and articulate the incidents so well that a letter in a news paper or a call to the congressman's office might be of help.

Most americans don't have to deal with BCIS on a day-to-day basis that they have limited knowledge of BCIS. I doubt if one can make a dent but our democarcy has to kick back in action to make BCIS more accountable and resolve problems, such as yours, in a timely manner.

God Bless

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

Like the others I am so sorry to hear about all this incompetence you've had to deal with. I imagine it's extremely stressful, since you're doing what they're instructing and then having to deal with the fallout when they "forget" what they've instructed!

I did want to comment on this last bit of your post, though. I did some Googling and discovered that an employer CANNOT specify which documents they will accept from the I-9 employment verification list. If the employee can present any of the documents listed on the I-9 form, then that must be accepted, assuming it's not expired. This FAQ sheet addresses this on Question 10.
authorization

You don't say if the I-551 stamp he got (the second one, not the one-month stamp) is about to expire. If it ISN'T, then I believe his employer HAS to accept the I-551 stamp if your husband doesn't have his corrected green card yet. I suppose a lot hinges on when that I-551 stamp expires.

In the meantime, get your senators/representatives on the phone to get their assistance in this matter. This is absolutely ridiculous. If you haven't already, write down as many details -- dates, times, names of people you've talked to, or even what they looked like -- to document the rollercoaster you've been on. At the very least your husband's passport will show two stamps instead of one, given only a short time apart, with one of them being valid for only a month. That alone will help prove the incompetence of the people you've been dealing with.

Wish I had more advice to give. Please know you're welcome to rant here any time. :) I think, given the circumstances, you deserve it!

~ Jenney

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

But even if the stamp does expire, his status and work authorization do not expire. Perhaps they can show the employer something off the USCIS website which says the status does not expire when the stamp does.

Rene

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

That's true. I guess I was thinking that if the employer seems to think that they need to see the actual green card for someone to be legally authorized to work, they will probably have a problem accepting an expired stamp as well. But if the stamp is NOT expired, that might help at least a little bit. Hope that makes sense!

~ Jenney

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

You would think that in this era of high technology that somehow, someway, information entered into the USCIS computer banks would be available nationwide if not worldwide to their many offices and centers. I think sometimes they must still be using a 1978 vintage computing management system. OR, some of their employees are so unskilled and/or insensitive "you know whats" to put good people through "hell" to legally get into this country that it is a national embarrassment to it's born citizens.

I wish the best for you. Maybe you should tell us the USCIS office location to which all your problems have gone unresolved.

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

Sorry for being away so long. I appreciate all the information and support for my rant :) In response to Tocoma, it's the Milwaukee Sub Office that we've been having all the troubles with :(

We're still waiting to hear a reply in regards to my husband's greencard. My husband decided to send a letter back to USCIS explaining our situation and await their response first...although I thought we should contact our congressmen's office at the same time. I'm considering sending the letter anyway before USCIS makes a decision which I'm pretty sure will not be in our favor.

Steffi have you had any luck with your greencard recently? I haven't had time to check the recent posts yet.

Na'imah

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

Hi Na'imah,

Sorry to hear you've heard nothing yet. :( I know you are in touch with Patty Khadija, try calling her to get the congress person liaison she spoke with regarding Abdo's EAD. As I recall, she said they were very helpful.

And just to keep you updated, Steffi hasn't received her replacement green card yet, either. :(

Best Wishes,
Rene

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

Hey Rene,

Good idea. I'll give Patty a call tonight. I have the letter written up and ready to send to the congressmen's office. Btw, thanks fatbrit for the links. I met a woman from Senator Khol's office at a meeting for immigrant issues (I'm a social worker) so I'm thinking of giving her a call. Hopefully we can get this resolved w/out having to pay $260 because I'm not at all happy about that prospect.

Na'imah

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

Is he is a LPR or CPR? If a CPR you are, if not should have already, filed for the removal of his conditions, with or without the card. He is a PR just one without proof.

Re: Replacement greencard woes (seems to be a pattern)
 

Rete wrote:
    >>Hey Rene,
    >>Good idea. I'll give Patty a call tonight. I have the letter written
    >>up and ready to send to the congressmen's office. Btw, thanks fatbrit
    >>for the links. I met a woman from Senator Khol's office at a meeting
    >>for immigrant issues (I'm a social worker) so I'm thinking of giving
    >>her a call. Hopefully we can get this resolved w/out having to pay
    >>$260 because I'm not at all happy about that prospect.
    >>Na'imah
    >
    >
    > Is he is a LPR or CPR? If a CPR you are, if not should have already,
    > filed for the removal of his conditions, with or without the card. He
    > is a PR just one without proof.
    >

I think the lesson here is to always save a copy of everything.
We had to return my wife's card. I wrote a letter to the officer that
interviewed us since it was his mistake that the name on the card wasn't
changed. I got a very nice reply from the District Director. She
included a new I-90 and a memo of the correct address. In her letter she
clearly states that it was an administrative error and we did not have
to pay the fee.
Now we wait and see how long it takes to get the corrected card. Due to
this thread I am a bit worried, but we do have copies of everything. I
also sent the I-90 and card Priority Mail with delivery confirmation.
The suggestion to contact a representative is also a very good one. The
OP might also write to the Ombudsman.