Green card lost in mail?

[mhagengruber 0]

Hi,

First, I apologize for not having a timeline. I've rarely been to this site but have found it useful.

Anyway, my wife filed her I-751 at the end of May. She had her biometrics appointment and then at the end of July received the e-mail and then the letter stating that her I-751 had been approved. In the letter, it said the green card should arrive within 60 days.

Well, here we are. 60 days later and no green card. I called my senator's office, and they looked into the matter. Senator's office calls me back today and says that the USCIS says they mailed the green card on July 31 (but that's the same day that they mailed the approval letter stating that they would print up a card). Now, I'm told that our only option is to file for a replacement card, which will end up costing more than $300.

Frankly, I don't believe that they ever sent the card. When I check our case status online, the second-to-last "bubble" on the timeline is marked and says "post-decision activity," but the last bubble that says "document production ordered" hasn't been checked. I don't think USCIS ever sent the card but are claiming that they did.

Anyone ever experience anything like this?

P.S. My wife is currently visiting family back home overseas and comes home next week. All she has to get into the country is a letter stating that her residency is extended for one year while they process her application.

[David-and-Mae 15]

I'd say make an infopass as soon as your wife comes back.

[Peggy 1]

Mine has been lost in the mail also. They mailed mine on April 26th and still havent received it. My son's was mailed on May 6th and he has not received his either.

I have contacted our Congressman but they are telling me I have to pay $290.00 per card because they were lost in the mail. Like that is our fault. Maybe if they updated their systems when people change there address we would have our cards.

This really p's me off. Why should we have to pay for these cards again when its either the post offices fault of USCIS fault for sending them to the wrong address.

They told me that they have not been returned back by the post office and the post office is telling me that they never delivered them to any address. So someone is lying, but that dont surprise me any.

Makes me hate this place even more than I already do.

[mhagengruber 0]

UPDATE: I logged into the CRIS system and looked at the file for her two-year green card, back in 2007. On that timeline, the "document production ordered" bubble is filled in, and we have that green card to prove it. So their own system is correct on one case file and incorrect on the other?

I get the feeling that the USCIS people told my senator's staffer what she wanted to hear to make her go away. They lied when they said that they sent the card, because THEIR OWN SYSTEM doesn't back them up on this. I'm pretty ticked off too, and I'm gonna fight them to the end of the earth if I have to on this.

[Otto 83]

The CRIS system is not the end-all, be-all of the process - it is notoriously inaccurate.

I'd like to think that you've called USCIS about this prior to contacting your senator's office too.

[mhagengruber 0]

I called USCIS two days ago (day 58) and they said that they couldn't help me until day 60. So I called my senator's office to see what they could do. I also called USCIS today (day 60), and they took my info and said that they would respond within 45 days.

The senate staffer called the USCIS congressional liasion in California, and he told her that the USCIS web site is out of their control and that they can't attest to its accuracy. She asked the guy to fax proof they had that they mailed the green card, and he said that he couldn't fax anything, as the proof was "just in our system."

The best I can do, I'm told, is to file an I-90 and not send in payment. I can include a letter explaining why, and maybe they'll approve it. Meanwhile, my wife is a week away from flying back to the states with only a letter granting her another year of residency. I wonder if that will help her in Ukraine. This is freaking ridiculous.

You'd think that with something as important as a green card, the USCIS could send it certified or some other way to ensure that it's delivered. I'd even pay the extra buck for that. After all, they doubled the fees a while back to "provide better customer service."

[Anh map 2,098]

An Infopass appointment is a great way to speak to someone face to face about a USCIS problem.

At that meeting you should bring proof of address change in the USCIS system to back up your assertion that the change was submitted and accepted.

The responsibility to confirm that the address change has been processed falls squarely on our shoulders, not the USCIS. In our case, we followed up after completing the AR-11 online form and then mailed the copy of the confirmation to a Kentucky (I think) address. So far all the mail has come to the correct address.

Blaming the postman won't help.

[mozplay 29]

You have received good advice. Now, you should take the time to so you don't have to keep apologizing and so that other can benefit from your experience. That way, you can give back a little for all the advice, info and help you have received over the years.