Getting your NOA1 if you have never recieved it in the mail

[RobertM 0]

So a while back I wrote about never recieving our NOA1. I knew the check had been cashed and the package had been recieved. I could not get our reciept number off the back of the check beacuse the image was of poor quality and there were several stamps on top of each other.

About three weeks into our wait for the NOA1, I looked up on the USCIS website how to contact them. I found a helpful PDF giving general guidelines on how to contact them, and more importantly when to contact them. It said they would not answer any questions or involve themselves unless more than 30 days had passed since the petition was submitted. Fine. I waited until 30 days had passed (actually a little more, I contacted them May 20. They recieved our petition April 15th).

Eventually I spoke with a man who told me that it could take as long as 90 days to recieve our NOA1, blah, blah, blah. But he would look up in the computer to see if our petition had been logged in yet and if we had a reciept number. Much to his surprise (at least it sounded that way on the phone ) our case had been logged and he gave me our case number. Great. I registered online and found our case, happiness.

The fellow told me I should recieve our NOA1 in no more than 30 days. I don't think either one of us believed that. And to call if we did not recieve it. OK.

So come along last Friday (June 20) I called again (having, of course, not recieved the NOA1). I finally was able to talk to a woman, who asked her long series of questions that had nothing to do with why I was calling, but they must ask you them, in that order, blah, blah, blah. So finally she asks why I am calling. I tell her I have not recieved my NOA1. She asks me how I knew our case number. I tell her the story of talking to the guy. She says well you have everything you need since you have your reciept number and the NOA1 just says blah, blah, blah.

I tell her, yes, I understand all of that, and yes I have looked up our case online and all that is great. But my fiancee's parents are going for a Visa in September, and I would like them to have a copy of the NOA1 to show why they have reason to travel to the US, etc (no idea if this will actually help them, but I would like to do all I can to help their case).

And then she tells me since I know our case number she cannot send me a new NOA1. If I did not know our case number, she could.

So since I was proactive in wanting to know about our case, I doomed ourselves to never getting a NOA1?

Great. That's just brilliant isn't it? I know there may be a billion reasons why they think this is a good policy (having to do with fraud I assume), but really? I can't recieve a new NOA1 beacuse I know our reciept number. So if I had made this call without knowing our reciept number, they could just tell me our reciept number and say, "Opps, you know it now, no NOA1 for you!"

(ok , I know I have dipped into hyperbole, but really? Come on....)

So she told me I could make an appointment with Infopass to try to convince the local office to give me some sort of proof of having submitted the petition. Like a man slamming his head into the wall, knowing it will never yield, I go to the Infopass website and make me an appointment. My excitement is palpable. Can't you tell?

To be continued come July 2nd.......

[Aubrey 10]

That's nuts. I'm sooooo in love with our government bureaucracy! Best of luck with the infopass appointment.

[Ovaltine Jenkins 5]

We also didn´t get the NOA1 at first. After 90 days of waiting you can call them and do a service request. Then they check it, print it out and send it to you. We received NOA1 soon after we placed the request (After like 111 from sending the petition )

Oh and the fact that you know your number doesn´t affect that. That´s BS

[SimoAndYvette 0]

Hi!

The exact same thing happened to us....

When I called, I did NOT speak with the customer service crew that answers.....they only have and see as much information as we do!! I always explain what the situation is, and ask to speak with an "Agent" or "Officer". Once they come on....they are a WEALTH of information; in addition, you can right then request a new NOA1. They send a "inter-office email" to the department that handles these requests; this department then has 30 days to process the request, and they usually wait until day 29 .....then they send the copy of the NOA1 to you. Verify with this person, that the address is correct that they sent it to......they will have that information also.

It took us 45 days to get our duplicate NOA1.......

Take care and best of luck!

Yvette

So a while back I wrote about never recieving our NOA1. I knew the check had been cashed and the package had been recieved. I could not get our reciept number off the back of the check beacuse the image was of poor quality and there were several stamps on top of each other.

About three weeks into our wait for the NOA1, I looked up on the USCIS website how to contact them. I found a helpful PDF giving general guidelines on how to contact them, and more importantly when to contact them. It said they would not answer any questions or involve themselves unless more than 30 days had passed since the petition was submitted. Fine. I waited until 30 days had passed (actually a little more, I contacted them May 20. They recieved our petition April 15th).

Eventually I spoke with a man who told me that it could take as long as 90 days to recieve our NOA1, blah, blah, blah. But he would look up in the computer to see if our petition had been logged in yet and if we had a reciept number. Much to his surprise (at least it sounded that way on the phone ) our case had been logged and he gave me our case number. Great. I registered online and found our case, happiness.

The fellow told me I should recieve our NOA1 in no more than 30 days. I don't think either one of us believed that. And to call if we did not recieve it. OK.

So come along last Friday (June 20) I called again (having, of course, not recieved the NOA1). I finally was able to talk to a woman, who asked her long series of questions that had nothing to do with why I was calling, but they must ask you them, in that order, blah, blah, blah. So finally she asks why I am calling. I tell her I have not recieved my NOA1. She asks me how I knew our case number. I tell her the story of talking to the guy. She says well you have everything you need since you have your reciept number and the NOA1 just says blah, blah, blah.

I tell her, yes, I understand all of that, and yes I have looked up our case online and all that is great. But my fiancee's parents are going for a Visa in September, and I would like them to have a copy of the NOA1 to show why they have reason to travel to the US, etc (no idea if this will actually help them, but I would like to do all I can to help their case).

And then she tells me since I know our case number she cannot send me a new NOA1. If I did not know our case number, she could.

So since I was proactive in wanting to know about our case, I doomed ourselves to never getting a NOA1?

Great. That's just brilliant isn't it? I know there may be a billion reasons why they think this is a good policy (having to do with fraud I assume), but really? I can't recieve a new NOA1 beacuse I know our reciept number. So if I had made this call without knowing our reciept number, they could just tell me our reciept number and say, "Opps, you know it now, no NOA1 for you!"

(ok , I know I have dipped into hyperbole, but really? Come on....)

So she told me I could make an appointment with Infopass to try to convince the local office to give me some sort of proof of having submitted the petition. Like a man slamming his head into the wall, knowing it will never yield, I go to the Infopass website and make me an appointment. My excitement is palpable. Can't you tell?

To be continued come July 2nd.......

[RobertM 0]

Thanks for the encouragement. It didn't make much sense that they could not send me another one. I'll try again tomorrow.

Off topic, SimoAndYvette, where in Colorado are you from? I'm in Denver.

[boohbah 0]

I was lucky to get someone to request a copy for me. But, he was really into asking the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY & HOWS! He granted my wish after about 10-15 minutes of questioning. Look at my timeline. ^^

[KarenCee 3]

You know, the only one that's really needed is the NOA2 - this is your approval notice and is needed when you do AOS. The NOA1 is merely confirmation that your application has been received. Unless you just need it for sentimental reasons...if you know your case number why do you have to have the NOA1 in your hand?

[daboyz 36]

I also did not get the NOA1 for my I-130, although I did get one for the I-129F. My attorney got both NOAs, so I have the number. I called them as well, and pretty much got the same answer, "as long as you can see it online, why do you need it?" I pretty much just left it at that.

[boohbah 0]

If you're into having hard copies of everything for your records, I think it's worth having the NOA1. I'm one of those people that if I don't have something, that something is what so & so wants! Bad luck I suppose! I am kinda ####### about paperwork & I think that is how I managed to convince the guy to let me get a hard copy. I now remember telling him that's why I needed the paper. I think I just told him that I'd appreciate one for my records & blah blah.

Oh & having that paper is nice, for times when I went through passport control.

Edited June 24, 2008 by boohbah

[RobertM 0]

No doubt I don't need it. But as I said in my original post, I want it for the small chance it bolster the family of fiancee chances of getting their visas. Plus there may be a chance she can come back here before we gets the visa, and I have read that having proof of applying for legal immigration can be helpful at the point of entry.

Anyway, off I go to try again.....

[Ovaltine Jenkins 5]

You know, the only one that's really needed is the NOA2 - this is your approval notice and is needed when you do AOS. The NOA1 is merely confirmation that your application has been received. Unless you just need it for sentimental reasons...if you know your case number why do you have to have the NOA1 in your hand?

There´s no point telling people they don´t need NOA1 especially when they already expressed that they kind of do need it. Also if something goes wrong with the petition and the person needs to write a letter to USCIS they require a copy of NOA1 with it. So there

[RobertM 0]

So just completed my second call, and I was told they would not re-issue the NOA1. I asked to speak to an Officer and was informed that they would not transfer me to an Officer. They told me they do not re-issue NOA1 for I-129F if the case number is already known. I told them they had re-issued several in the past, and they said they would not re-issue it to me.

So I guess I am back to my Infopass appointment on July 2nd.....

[KarenCee 3]

You know, the only one that's really needed is the NOA2 - this is your approval notice and is needed when you do AOS. The NOA1 is merely confirmation that your application has been received. Unless you just need it for sentimental reasons...if you know your case number why do you have to have the NOA1 in your hand?

There´s no point telling people they don´t need NOA1 especially when they already expressed that they kind of do need it. Also if something goes wrong with the petition and the person needs to write a letter to USCIS they require a copy of NOA1 with it. So there

Maybe I was misunderstood. I'm not saying one shouldn't *want* the thing, just that technically it isn't needed. If one should need to write a letter to the USCIS and there is no NOA1, don't you think having the case number available would be sufficient?

There. With all due respect.

[Ovaltine Jenkins 5]

The OP said he was gonna need it so there back at ya

[boohbah 0]

lol @ the ""

Edited June 24, 2008 by boohbah