N-400: Biomterics/Fingerprints Letter Received!/The "infamous RFE"???...

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Just to update and let all you VJers know that....

This afternoon (9/28/09), in the midst of a heavy rainstorm, my husband decided to drive the van over to the mailbox to pick up the mail (note: our mailbox is literally a mile away from our actual house..we live in a rural/country area...). A few minutes later, he came back through the sliding glass back door, somewhat soaked and in his hand there is a pile of wet envelopes...(lol..gee, how come my mail is always wet, for some reason or other..)

"What's in the mail? Is there a letter from immigration?", I ask, as I take that pile of wet envelopes from his hand...

I find an envelope from the USCIS in blue lettering, (postmarked 9/24/09) from Missouri, open the envelope,

And I read the letter as follows:

Fingerprint Notification

Notice Date: September 23, 2009

Case Title: N-400 Application for Naturalizaton

USCIS A#: AXXXXXXXXX

Application Number: NBC*XXXXXXXXX

Received Date: September 11, 2009

Priority Date: September 11, 2009

Page 1 of 1

Applicant Name and Mailing address: (My First and Last Name and Mailing Address), with some sort of barcode next to it.

To process your application, USCIS must take your fingerprints and have them cleared by the FBI. PLEASE APPEAR AT THE BELOW APPLICAATION SUPPORT CENTER AT THE APPOINTED DATE AND TIME TO HAVE YOUR FINGERPRINTS TAKEN. If you are unable to appear at this time, you may go on any following Wednesday at the same time noted below, as long as you appear before 01/06/2010. If you do not have your fingerprints taken by that daye, you application will be considered abbandoned.

Application Support Center: (My local USCIS office of Buffalo, NY address listed here)

Date And Time of Apppointment: 10/14/2009...11:00am

WHEN YOU GO TO THE APPLICATION SUPPORT CENTER TO HAVE YOUR FINGERPRINTS TAKEN, YOU MUST BRING:

1) THIS APPOINTMENT NOTICE and

2) PHOTO IDENTIFICATION. Naturalization applicants must bring their Alien Registration Card. All other applicants must bring a passport, driver's license, national ID, military ID, or State-issued photo ID. If you appear without proper identification, you will not be fingerprinted.

PLEASE DISREGARD THIS NOTICE IF YOUR APPLICATION HAS ALREADY BEEN GRANTED.

Due to limited seating availability in our lobby areas; only persons who are necessary to assist with transportation or completing the fingerprints worksheet should accompany you.

NO CELL PHONES, CAMERAS, OR OTHER RECORDING DEVICES PERMITTED.

USCIS has a free booklet to help you study for the naturalization test. Ask about "Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons" when you go to have your fingerptints taken at the Application Support Center.

If you have any questions regarding this notice, please feel fee to call: (customer service phone number here)

So ok, now that I have my Fingerprints/Biometrics Notice for my N-400, I was also wondering the following:

1) For those of you who got Fingerprints/Biometrics Notices for your N-400, did it look something like this?

2) The priority date/notice date on my NOA was for September 15th, but for my fingerprints letter is September 11th. Is this ok? Will it make a difference?

3) What the heck is an "Alien Registration Card", (as I don't have one of those)? Do they mean "green card" instead? Or do they mean something else?

4) Is this biometrics leter actually the "RFE letter" (as noted on CRIS, and I also mentioned about it here which I got that RFE notice for: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...;#entry3352841) that I'm supposed to get? Or am I supposed to get another RFE letter or something else that I missed from the USCIS too?

On that note, I also made an infopass appointment this week (for 09/30/09), to get to the bottom of this..

Do they want my fingrprints/biometrics? Do they want additional evidence from an RFE? Do they want both? Do they want something else?....

Not good at all...

Lol...looks like I'll be heading off on a long-distance drive to Buffalo, sooner than expected...in the rain..and with baby in tow..oh my....

Will keep you all updated as to what happens next....I'll get to the bottom of this RFE/Biometrics mystery!

Any other thoughts, ideas, suggestions, humour, jokes, appreciated too....

Ant

P.S. I couldn't help but notice that they changed the vocabulary on their letters to make things "simplier" for us immigrants..."fingerprints" instead of "biometrics"...funny.... What an "improvement" in the system! (sarcasm...lol..as if we knew what "biometrics" were in the first place...)

Edited September 28, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[vivekjay 1]

I have the exact same dateline as your application. My district office is San Jose, CA.

* My receipt notice also showed a priority date of 15th Sept but Finger printing notice showed the the priority date as 11th sept (Which is the actual USCIS receive date)

* I received my finger printing notice today (28th Sept).

* The content of the letter was exactly the same as you had mentioned.

* I too recived the RFE email update from CRIS which i believe is the request for finger prints.

* Alien Registration card is your Green card.

I will probably confirm the priority date descripency when i go to the local office for finger printing. Good luck with your application.

Cheers

Edited September 29, 2009 by vivekjay

[antda 13]

Hi Vivekjay,

Thanks for your quick reply and answers too. Lol..now I know what an "alien registration card" is (and know that I have it too..I guess)...gee, couldn't they have said "permanent resident card" or "green card"? Wow, what a co-incidence that you have the same timeline as I do as well! When is your fingerprint appointment date, by the way?

Good idea about confirming the date discripency..will ask about that too.

Good luck on your immigration journey too.

Ant

I have the exact same dateline as your application. My district office is San Jose, CA.

* My receipt notice also showed a priority date of 15th Sept but Finger printing notice showed the the priority date as 11th sept (Which is the actual USCIS receive date)

* I received my finger printing notice today (28th Sept).

* The content of the letter was exactly the same as you had mentioned.

* I too recived the RFE email update from CRIS which i believe is the request for finger prints.

* Alien Registration card is your Green card.

I will probably confirm the priority date descripency when i go to the local office for finger printing. Good luck with your application.

Cheers

Edited September 29, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[Italian_in_NYC 259]

Save yourself the trip to Buffalo.

The RFE they meant is the biometric notice.

Everybody got it recently. No reason to panic.

I called the customer service when I got the message and they open an inquiry.

After a few days I received a letter stating that it was a mistake and they were referring to the biometric notice.

[vivekjay 1]

Hi Vivekjay,

Thanks for your quick reply and answers too. Lol..now I know what an "alien registration card" is (and know that I have it too..I guess)...gee, couldn't they have said "permanent resident card" or "green card"? Wow, what a co-incidence that you have the same timeline as I do as well! When is your fingerprint appointment date, by the way?

Good idea about confirming the date discripency..will ask about that too.

Good luck on your immigration journey too.

Ant

My Finger printing appointment is on the 20th of Oct

Edited September 29, 2009 by vivekjay

[antda 13]

Hi Vivekjay,

Thanks for telling me about your upcoming fp date. Good luck with your appointment on that date too! Lol...looks like we're close together timeline-wise as well.

By the way, since you are an N-400 September 2009 applicant, feel free to add your name and info to this "N-400 September 2009 Applicants" list too (scroll to the last updated list):

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=216210

Let's track our progress together with other VJers as September 2009 filers too!

Ant

My Finger printing appointment is on the 20th of Oct

Edited September 29, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[antda 13]

Hi Italian_in_NYC,

Yes, I know that others got this rfe/biometrics notice too...

Which is why I want to "get to the bottom of this", and find out as to why this is happening...

As well, I've read that others have gotten real rfes along with this biometrics rfe too...And I don't want that to happen to me!

Lol..I don't do well with phones...and I especially don't like the "mis-information line"...lol....

Instead would rather get the answer in-person..and make them more "aware" of such a problem...(even if it means extra travelling for me and my family)

Glad that on your end, that they sorted the same problem and got a letter of apology from them too.

I wonder why they didn't "fix" the problem, after you made them more aware of it? Guess it takes many vjers to inquire about such in order to get things done!

Good luck with the rest of your immigration journey. And hope this mistake didn't cause problems in your case either.

Ant

Save yourself the trip to Buffalo.

The RFE they meant is the biometric notice.

Everybody got it recently. No reason to panic.

I called the customer service when I got the message and they open an inquiry.

After a few days I received a letter stating that it was a mistake and they were referring to the biometric notice.

Edited September 29, 2009 by Ant+D+A