Biometrics & Rescheduling

[mr and mrs 187]

i'm wondering about rescheduling a biometrics appointment that my husband cannot attend. he is out of the country until one week after the appointment date.

im going to send back the letter tomorrow and ask for a date after 8/15. our ASC is pretty sleepy, and i am hoping that we can do a walk-in appointment on 8/16 or sometime in the following week or so.

[a] is this a reasonable course of action?

do i need to feel badly because i messed up the timing by sending our application too early? i didnt really think that the biometrics appointment would be scheduled so soon. (i-751 sent 7/14, biometrics appointment 8/9)

just need some support. (or harsh truths, either is okay!) ive always found great help here. vj has been the best part of this immigration stuff. well, my husband is nice too.

thanks much!

xx.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Hey lady! Long time no see. Is he already gone on the trip? If not, try to walk in tomorrow. Otherwise it's not a big deal to reschedule. You may not hear from them immediately, so you'll worry about it, but they won't freak out because you need to change it.

P.S. Send a photocopy of the letter. You might can use the original for a walkin after he gets back in case you don't get a new one immediately. I'd try it.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Nich-Nick

[mr and mrs 187]

and the voice of the almighty herself rang through the crowded forums of vj...

ms. nich! YAY! i can not IMAGINE a better surprise! so lovely to see your typed words again! reading your timeline gave me the warm fuzzies. well earned, my friend. and think of all of the people you have helped along the way.

sadly, my alien resident has already departed for points east, and thus i will do exactly as you have described.

make my photocopies.

send NOA2 back to ASC asking for a reschedule.

send NOA2 copy to VSC for records.

wait until my alien resident comes back.

attempt a walk-in appointment with copy of original appointment letter in hand.

wait patiently and remember that this is a lot easier this time around.

honestly, thank you. i feel less deflated. so much so, im going to change my signature!

all my best you!

-lisabette.

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

We did the exact steps that you mentioned above and are now scheduled for the second biometrics appt. We had some other change of address issues though, so ours took a bit longer than one would expect for a rescheduling (4 months). As you said though, we must remember that it is much easier this time around. We knew we would lose time by rescheduling, so we are just glad that everything worked out. I believe they try to give you 3 weeks notice for the appt, so I am fairly sure that yours will be after Aug 15. If anything I would imagine that you might end up complaining about how LONG it takes, not how quickly it comes haha. You know USCIS........

Good luck!

[hotshot 2]

the best thing is to go in the middle of the week and at 11.00am, or 2.30 pm just try your luck take you id and green card with the paper of bio , then let see

[mr and mrs 187]

do 'we' think that i should show up on tuesday (date of biometrics appointment) and let them know that my husband is unable to attend (because he is absent from the country at the moment)?

OR

do 'we' think that i can just let the appointment date pass and assume that the ASC (and/or the VSC (copies were sent to both)) received my request for a reschedule?

it seems to me that:

they wont consider the petition abandoned because i sent in a reschedule request (note: i did not send via delivery confirmation)

they are in the process of assigning/sending me a new biometrics appointment date

we will be able to do a walk-in appointment at some point in the month of august (even if we have to try a couple of times)

would just like input on the best course of action!

[mr and mrs 187]

<slightly anxious bump>

[hotshot 2]

change in bio appointment will simple delay the case and it can go more then six months i checked

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

As long as you follow the instructions on the appointment letter they sent you, you will be fine. We sent our letter to reschedule (one to the local office and a copy to VSC) via regular mail and they simply rescheduled us. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[mr and mrs 187]

my concern is the age-old question of when a petition is considered abandoned. we all know that the biometrics appointment letter explicitly states:

PLEASE APPEAR AT THE BELOW APPLICATION SUPPORT CENTER AT THE DATE AND TIME SPECIFIED. IF YOU FAIL TO APPEAR, YOUR APPLICATION WILL BE CONSIDERED ABANDONED

.

we certainly are not abandoning the petition and certainly do not want USCIS to think that. i have read through many threads, the majority of which seem to say that there is some flexibility in when the petition is considered abandoned. (i've read a month, i've read three months. i've read that it is in fact a hard and fast date.)

if my husband is expected on tuesday the 9th of august, but is unable to attend, even though we sent a appointment change request, but we haven't received a new appointment date.... what shall i do?

does anyone know whether or not i can phone USCIS to see if the request i sent was indeed received? if not, i suppose i'll just pop in to the ASC and double check in person.

or maybe the new appointment letter will magically appear in the mail tomorrow.

sorry for my fretting. you know how it is. this process can get the best of you.

(thanks for your response, susie.)

[mr and mrs 187]

this thread is mostly me talking to me.

being fairly certain that it would not be of much help, i called the customer service line for USCIS (1-800-375-5283), to see if i could speak to someone about my concerns. (i chose option #2 after the language prompt for case status and an agent.) the call was picked up immediately and the woman i spoke to (dominique!) was very pleasant. after chatting, she told me that because i am the USC that my husband is the only one who has access to the information but that she could offer general information. she seemed to think that the fact that i have sent a request (to the ASC and VSC) is proof enough that the petition has not been abandoned. she said that we just need to wait for the 2nd biometrics appointment letter to arrive. i mentioned going tomorrow and she said to bring my paperwork if i decided to go.

none of this information was new to me, but i guess i did what i could via telephone.

i've just noticed advice above that i failed to follow. in nich-nick's post above, i now see that she suggests to send a COPY of the biometrics letter, rather than the original. i sent the original as the directions for rescheduling indicated. i kinda see the benefit of having an original in hand now. we wereplanning to attempt a walk-in on the 17th, but i think that without a 'real' (aka original) biometrics appointment letter, we may be turned away at the door.

still might go tomorrow just to ease my worked-up mind. but i suppose now i am hoping that a new appointment letter comes in the mail soon.

edit: typo

Edited August 8, 2011 by mr and mrs

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

If you followed the instructions for rescheduling, then you will be fine. We also did not have a new appointment when the first date passed, and it was no problem. Just follow their protocol. If you want to go there tomorrow you can, but I don't see the need to if you notified them by mail.

[mr and mrs 187]

i have decided that im not going up. i am sure the new appointment letter will come soon enough. and i am just going to sit tight until then.

thanks again, susie. now i can devote my energy to work today (instead of worrying about immigration things). im doing the flowers for a small wedding on a boat. lesbians too! 'cause in vermont, they can get married! woohoo! <3 yay for love.

(lets not even start on the topic of same-sex couples and immigration. :l)

xx.

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

Yeah, no sense in worrying. I totally understand though, as we all have those worrisome moments during the immigration process.

[Diazy 10]

my concern is the age-old question of when a petition is considered abandoned. we all know that the biometrics appointment letter explicitly states:

PLEASE APPEAR AT THE BELOW APPLICATION SUPPORT CENTER AT THE DATE AND TIME SPECIFIED. IF YOU FAIL TO APPEAR, YOUR APPLICATION WILL BE CONSIDERED ABANDONED

.

we certainly are not abandoning the petition and certainly do not want USCIS to think that. i have read through many threads, the majority of which seem to say that there is some flexibility in when the petition is considered abandoned. (i've read a month, i've read three months. i've read that it is in fact a hard and fast date.)

if my husband is expected on tuesday the 9th of august, but is unable to attend, even though we sent a appointment change request, but we haven't received a new appointment date.... what shall i do?

does anyone know whether or not i can phone USCIS to see if the request i sent was indeed received? if not, i suppose i'll just pop in to the ASC and double check in person.

or maybe the new appointment letter will magically appear in the mail tomorrow.

sorry for my fretting. you know how it is. this process can get the best of you.

(thanks for your response, susie.)

My friend didn't receive her bio during the AOS, however her attorney received a copy of the biometrics letter. When my friend called her attorney, the day of bio was passed by 5-10 days. So my friend just picked up that letter and went the next day for her biometrics - everything went smooth and the case wasn't abandoned.