Confusing conversation with USCIS re:NSC

[Illinois77 0]

The appointment system for Infopass says if you are following up on a pending application, you should have a service request confirmation if coming for an interview. It does not make sense for those of us stuck at NSC.

Nobody asked for it when I went to Infopass. Go ahead and schedule without the service request, it will be fine!

I have an opportunity to do some freelance work, and cannot follow up because right now, I have less than a month of valid time on my extension. I wonder if USCIS can provide restitution for opportunities foregone because of their incompetence. I also need to travel in the next few months. Oh! But wait! We should get used to it, according to some VJ folks

if you can, wait until right before your exp. date and schedule the infopass. They will stamp you for at least 60 days in Chicago. Yes, it's a pain in the xxx but no, they cannot prevent you from travelling and you will not lose your status as cond.perm.resident. The stamp, the expired extension letter, and the expired Greencard will allow you to travel.

Take a deep breath :-) It stinks but it really does not interrupt anything we do in terms of work and travel. It's just some extra work we have to do in terms of travelling to the infopass office, managing our extension stamps etc. Yes, I wish they would do the legwork for me but that's not going to happen so we have to take it as it is, unfortunately.

Good luck!

[iansig40 1]

The appointment system for Infopass says if you are following up on a pending application, you should have a service request confirmation if coming for an interview. It does not make sense for those of us stuck at NSC.

Nobody asked for it when I went to Infopass. Go ahead and schedule without the service request, it will be fine!

I have an opportunity to do some freelance work, and cannot follow up because right now, I have less than a month of valid time on my extension. I wonder if USCIS can provide restitution for opportunities foregone because of their incompetence. I also need to travel in the next few months. Oh! But wait! We should get used to it, according to some VJ folks

if you can, wait until right before your exp. date and schedule the infopass. They will stamp you for at least 60 days in Chicago. Yes, it's a pain in the xxx but no, they cannot prevent you from travelling and you will not lose your status as cond.perm.resident. The stamp, the expired extension letter, and the expired Greencard will allow you to travel.

Take a deep breath :-) It stinks but it really does not interrupt anything we do in terms of work and travel. It's just some extra work we have to do in terms of travelling to the infopass office, managing our extension stamps etc. Yes, I wish they would do the legwork for me but that's not going to happen so we have to take it as it is, unfortunately.

Good luck!

I'm wondering how would they react sending just a portion from the application fee instead of the whole amount ?

Or maybe sending the money only when the application is processed ? I know it will be rejected right away but how about us ,what do we get for the money we paid ?

Why do I have to do the extra work and go and waist time ,take time off from work just to comply with their inefficiency ? There is no justice here !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Illinois77 0]

like I said, it's a major inconvenience for us, but we do not lose status, nothing will "happen" to us - so there is nothing we can do but wait our turn. We want something from them and not the other way around.

I get upset, too, but to say you cannot do your work or you cannot travel is simply incorrect. It's not THAT bad guys.. just annoying

[iansig40 1]

like I said, it's a major inconvenience for us, but we do not lose status, nothing will "happen" to us - so there is nothing we can do but wait our turn. We want something from them and not the other way around.

I get upset, too, but to say you cannot do your work or you cannot travel is simply incorrect. It's not THAT bad guys.. just annoying

We live in a society where nothing comes for free and every service that you get you supposed to pay for it but then again ...to see it that I have to beg for something that I paid then ,I'm sorry to say it but I think is quite bad .

This is my opinion and I will stop here as I see that some of you guys are quite OK with this ####### served by USCIS

After waiting over one year for something they claim it will take 8 months and then 10 months and then again 12 months I THINK IS PRETTY BAD

[Illinois 0]

The appointment system for Infopass says if you are following up on a pending application, you should have a service request confirmation if coming for an interview. It does not make sense for those of us stuck at NSC.

Nobody asked for it when I went to Infopass. Go ahead and schedule without the service request, it will be fine!

That is good to know. I will surely do this. I called up my congressman's office. According to his immigration liason, they were told Chicago would not stamp the passport for such cases. She wants me to put off the Chicago appointment until they get a response. I let her know that some folks on my immigration message board have successfully received a stamp. I am now questioning how informed the Congressman's office is I think I will take my chances with Chicago....

if you can, wait until right before your exp. date and schedule the infopass. They will stamp you for at least 60 days in Chicago. Yes, it's a pain in the xxx but no, they cannot prevent you from travelling and you will not lose your status as cond.perm.resident. The stamp, the expired extension letter, and the expired Greencard will allow you to travel.

We are about 2.5 hrs away from Chicago. I'll wait until the very last day possible. It sucks having to go there on a weekday, specially in this extra cold weather. We get enough of that where we are already

Take a deep breath :-) It stinks but it really does not interrupt anything we do in terms of work and travel. It's just some extra work we have to do in terms of travelling to the infopass office, managing our extension stamps etc. Yes, I wish they would do the legwork for me but that's not going to happen so we have to take it as it is, unfortunately.

Good luck!

On principle, it just bugs me. Jumping the line is just not cricket!

Thanks for the wishes!

[MDZJ 0]

So getting that stamp requires a valid passport, right? I just found out my passport is about to expire, too. So I can get a stamp in there. Wait till the passport expires. Get a new copy. Then get another appointment to get another stamp... Wait, applying for N400 will save me all these trouble, right? Except I don't want to become a citizen and pay NSC almost $700. Yes, people, we still have to file through NSC. VJ listed relieve the spouse from the I-864 responsibility as the most logical reason to apply for citizenship. LOL. No thanks, I want to be a mooch. Sometimes I wonder how much the people get paid working at NSC. Maybe the most logical reason for me to become a citizen will be so that I can apply for a job at NSC...

The appointment system for Infopass says if you are following up on a pending application, you should have a service request confirmation if coming for an interview. It does not make sense for those of us stuck at NSC.

Nobody asked for it when I went to Infopass. Go ahead and schedule without the service request, it will be fine!

That is good to know. I will surely do this. I called up my congressman's office. According to his immigration liason, they were told Chicago would not stamp the passport for such cases. She wants me to put off the Chicago appointment until they get a response. I let her know that some folks on my immigration message board have successfully received a stamp. I am now questioning how informed the Congressman's office is I think I will take my chances with Chicago....

if you can, wait until right before your exp. date and schedule the infopass. They will stamp you for at least 60 days in Chicago. Yes, it's a pain in the xxx but no, they cannot prevent you from travelling and you will not lose your status as cond.perm.resident. The stamp, the expired extension letter, and the expired Greencard will allow you to travel.

We are about 2.5 hrs away from Chicago. I'll wait until the very last day possible. It sucks having to go there on a weekday, specially in this extra cold weather. We get enough of that where we are already

Take a deep breath :-) It stinks but it really does not interrupt anything we do in terms of work and travel. It's just some extra work we have to do in terms of travelling to the infopass office, managing our extension stamps etc. Yes, I wish they would do the legwork for me but that's not going to happen so we have to take it as it is, unfortunately.

Good luck!

On principle, it just bugs me. Jumping the line is just not cricket!

Thanks for the wishes!

[iansig40 1]

So getting that stamp requires a valid passport, right? I just found out my passport is about to expire, too. So I can get a stamp in there. Wait till the passport expires. Get a new copy. Then get another appointment to get another stamp... Wait, applying for N400 will save me all these trouble, right? Except I don't want to become a citizen and pay NSC almost $700. Yes, people, we still have to file through NSC. VJ listed relieve the spouse from the I-864 responsibility as the most logical reason to apply for citizenship. LOL. No thanks, I want to be a mooch. Sometimes I wonder how much the people get paid working at NSC. Maybe the most logical reason for me to become a citizen will be so that I can apply for a job at NSC...

The appointment system for Infopass says if you are following up on a pending application, you should have a service request confirmation if coming for an interview. It does not make sense for those of us stuck at NSC.

Nobody asked for it when I went to Infopass. Go ahead and schedule without the service request, it will be fine!

That is good to know. I will surely do this. I called up my congressman's office. According to his immigration liason, they were told Chicago would not stamp the passport for such cases. She wants me to put off the Chicago appointment until they get a response. I let her know that some folks on my immigration message board have successfully received a stamp. I am now questioning how informed the Congressman's office is I think I will take my chances with Chicago....

if you can, wait until right before your exp. date and schedule the infopass. They will stamp you for at least 60 days in Chicago. Yes, it's a pain in the xxx but no, they cannot prevent you from travelling and you will not lose your status as cond.perm.resident. The stamp, the expired extension letter, and the expired Greencard will allow you to travel.

We are about 2.5 hrs away from Chicago. I'll wait until the very last day possible. It sucks having to go there on a weekday, specially in this extra cold weather. We get enough of that where we are already

Take a deep breath :-) It stinks but it really does not interrupt anything we do in terms of work and travel. It's just some extra work we have to do in terms of travelling to the infopass office, managing our extension stamps etc. Yes, I wish they would do the legwork for me but that's not going to happen so we have to take it as it is, unfortunately.

Good luck!

On principle, it just bugs me. Jumping the line is just not cricket!

Thanks for the wishes!

I'm in the same situation like you ,just sent an application to renew my passport and then who knows what's going to take to get the stupid stamp on the new passport .

So ,for those people that claim,we are just fine in the position we are right now I would say ...THINK AGAIN !

YES, citizenship will probably give you the option to take a job with USCIS and do the same job as they do right now .Basically NONE, a bunch of A******S

[Illinois77 0]

That is good to know. I will surely do this. I called up my congressman's office. According to his immigration liason, they were told Chicago would not stamp the passport for such cases. She wants me to put off the Chicago appointment until they get a response. I let her know that some folks on my immigration message board have successfully received a stamp. I am now questioning how informed the Congressman's office is I think I will take my chances with Chicago....

We are about 2.5 hrs away from Chicago. I'll wait until the very last day possible. It sucks having to go there on a weekday, specially in this extra cold weather. We get enough of that where we are already

On principle, it just bugs me. Jumping the line is just not cricket!

Thanks for the wishes!

Just wanted to clarify that I did not yet receive a stamp. I went to Infopass about 90 days out from my expiration date and they informed me they only stamp for 60 days. I will have to come back right around the expiration date to get the stamp, which is in mid-April for me. ugh, 2.5 hours is a long drive. If you plan on travelling, bring your flight booking reservation with you to the appointment, even more reason to give you a stamp!

Also, read throug the "is the USCIS lying?" thread here in this forum, I think sandeep posted a memo that is actually posted on www.uscis.gov under press releases. It is about how with an expired extension letter the local uscis office should provide a 12 month stamp to the applicant. I am planning on taking that to Infopass next time.

[Illinois77 0]

We live in a society where nothing comes for free and every service that you get you supposed to pay for it but then again ...to see it that I have to beg for something that I paid then ,I'm sorry to say it but I think is quite bad .

This is my opinion and I will stop here as I see that some of you guys are quite OK with this ####### served by USCIS

After waiting over one year for something they claim it will take 8 months and then 10 months and then again 12 months I THINK IS PRETTY BAD

Since you quoted me, no, I am not ok with this but I'll save myself the stomach ulcer of getting SO upset over it. It's not worth it. So far, yes it is taking forever, but we have not yet had to pay more and we are not out of status. So really, nothing different than it was the first 2 years I was here with a "valid" conditional Greencard.

[Illinois 0]

Well, my esteemed Congressman's office got back in response to my request for assistance - guess what? NSC is processing dates are July 2006, and therefore our case is not out of timeline. Duh!

I was also advised to go to Chicago office to get a stamp. This from the same office who told me a few days ago that I should wait for them to put in a request, because their office had been told Chicago does not stamp passports. At that time, I told the liason that they had the wrong information, because Chicago does give a stamp.

The only good thing was that they got back to me in 3 days. I sent back a tongue-in-cheek note, thanking them for giving me information I provided in the first place

Off to Chicago in two weeks!

[iansig40 1]

like I said, it's a major inconvenience for us, but we do not lose status, nothing will "happen" to us - so there is nothing we can do but wait our turn. We want something from them and not the other way around.

I get upset, too, but to say you cannot do your work or you cannot travel is simply incorrect. It's not THAT bad guys.. just annoying

I get to read some of your comments here and some are just crazy

How can you not see this whole mess being terrible wrong ??????

Expired status ,having to go every two months for a stupid extension stamp in the passport ,lose time for work ,lots of agravation ,stress and more .....still you don't see the situation to be THAT bad

That's just insane !!!!!!

I'm sorry but you must be living in a different world

[James 2]

Well, my esteemed Congressman's office got back in response to my request for assistance - guess what? NSC is processing dates are July 2006, and therefore our case is not out of timeline. Duh!

I was also advised to go to Chicago office to get a stamp. This from the same office who told me a few days ago that I should wait for them to put in a request, because their office had been told Chicago does not stamp passports. At that time, I told the liason that they had the wrong information, because Chicago does give a stamp.

The only good thing was that they got back to me in 3 days. I sent back a tongue-in-cheek note, thanking them for giving me information I provided in the first place

Off to Chicago in two weeks!

Congresscritters are not much help, obviously. Other than speculation about one case in which someone got an approval from TSC not long after making an inquiry through his (Texas) Senator's office (the person likely was due to be approved soon anyway based on his timeline), I don't know of such inquiries every doing any good or even revealing much in the way of helpful information.

The only way to get tough with CIS is through the courts. The thing is, assuming you have been waiting more than a year and are willing to proceed pro se instead of hiring an attorney, are you willing to cough up the $350 filing fee just to file the complaint in your local federal district court?

[Cassie 8]

like I said, it's a major inconvenience for us, but we do not lose status, nothing will "happen" to us - so there is nothing we can do but wait our turn. We want something from them and not the other way around.

I get upset, too, but to say you cannot do your work or you cannot travel is simply incorrect. It's not THAT bad guys.. just annoying

I get to read some of your comments here and some are just crazy

How can you not see this whole mess being terrible wrong ??????

Expired status ,having to go every two months for a stupid extension stamp in the passport ,lose time for work ,lots of agravation ,stress and more .....still you don't see the situation to be THAT bad

That's just insane !!!!!!

I'm sorry but you must be living in a different world

Aye, and I must be her next door neighbor.

Iansig, the process sucks, it's unwieldly and archaic. But no amount of !!!!!!!!!!!!!! and swearing on a message board is going to change it. You sound like a very motivated person -- why not channel your energy into an organization that is lobbying for changes to the system? There are a couple of VJ'ers doing that as we speak (rebeccajo comes to my mind immediately).

Just because people don't scream and shout with righteous indignation like you do, doesn't mean they don't care. It just means they choose to deal with things differently.....and IT"S OK.