Given a wrong A# on my visa

[matalie 1]

My husband and I went to our local DHS office this afternoon, as we were just about to send out my AOS documents. We had been there the week before and the nice officer had offered to look over our forms before we sent in our package. While she was looking over the first one, she asked what a number was and I told her it was my A#. She said it was missing a couple numbers and I must have written it down wrong by accident and asked to take a look at my visa to correct it. When she checked, it was the same number I had written down and after a few minutes of searching on the computer, she told us that the Montreal consulate had given me the wrong A# on my visa and my real one was two numbers different and one number short! We corrected it on the forms but has anyone had any experience in this happening to them? I submitted photocopies of my K1 visa, along with my package and I'm worried it may cause problems since the A# on my visa and the A# on my forms don't match. The officers all assured me it wouldn't cause a problem as the number they have assigned to me in their computer system would match the forms but I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else?

Matalie

Edited March 4, 2011 by matalie

[Inky 1,110]

I haven't heard of that, could you maybe post a scan of your visa _with the private info and photo blanked out of course_ so we could see the invalid number? If not thats cool i'm just curious to see how it looks and how that could of happened on the visa.

[Haarp425 26]

I would like to see it too with personnal info blank out.

Just want to clarify. The visa number is the red color. The alien number usually starts with A with 9 number and if it is 8 number usually there is a 0 in front of it. Like A012345678 == Alien # 12345678 == Alien # 012345678.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

This happens REALLY often. Basically you're relying on a person to type your number into a box to put on your visa, and human error in this regard is quite consistent. Some people also have issues at POE where the person who processes them writes down their A number on their I-94 but again, typos. There is one person I recall who had THREE different A numbers, the one from the K1 NOA2, one on their I-94, and one on their visa...

This is why we ALWAYS recommend to ONLY go by the A number listed on your NOA2 from the K1 petition. It is always the correct number.

The other reason not to go by the A number on the visa is if your petitioner is a naturalised USC they had their own A number and sometimes the consulate puts that number on the visa. All sorts of confusion so, don't stress, you're not the only one this has happened to but at least someone caught it because yes, it could have caused issues.. not from the copies of your visa, but from what you wrote on the forms. Some people have even had their A number typed wrong when the person accepting their AOS packet has entered the info on the computer. I know of at least three people who've had to try and fix it. This is why ANY time you get correspondence from USCIS you must check the info to make sure it's all correct. I checked all my stuff at least 3 times just to make sure I wasn't too excited and skipping an error (like how my married name is on the forms but 26 years with my maiden name I might overlook them mistakenly typing my maiden name instead of married).

[matalie 1]

Thanks Vanessa &Tony! I was hoping someone would tell me it wasn't a big deal! I was very worried! The original number I received was only 7 digits and when the officer at DHS gave me my new one, it was 8 digits but did not start with a zero. The 8 digit one she gave me is the number I used on our forms. Will this cause an RFE or am I worrying about the zero for nothing? Thanks for the quick input everyone! I wish I could scan it but all my computer equipment is still boxed up in storage as we're moving in a few months!

Matalie

[Inky 1,110]

Thanks Vanessa &Tony! I was hoping someone would tell me it wasn't a big deal! I was very worried! The original number I received was only 7 digits and when the officer at DHS gave me my new one, it was 8 digits but did not start with a zero. The 8 digit one she gave me is the number I used on our forms. Will this cause an RFE or am I worrying about the zero for nothing? Thanks for the quick input everyone! I wish I could scan it but all my computer equipment is still boxed up in storage as we're moving in a few months!

Matalie

No because USCIS will automatically add the 0 to the number all the time.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Thanks Vanessa &Tony! I was hoping someone would tell me it wasn't a big deal! I was very worried! The original number I received was only 7 digits and when the officer at DHS gave me my new one, it was 8 digits but did not start with a zero. The 8 digit one she gave me is the number I used on our forms. Will this cause an RFE or am I worrying about the zero for nothing? Thanks for the quick input everyone! I wish I could scan it but all my computer equipment is still boxed up in storage as we're moving in a few months!

Matalie

Double check the number on your NOA2. If that matches the number you ended up sending with your forms, don't stress. My A number starts with a 0 but not all would 'cause there's lots of aliens so lots of alien numbers. As long as it matches your NOA2 that's all that matters.