It is OK to staple I-751 submission documentation?

[dirtyweebesom 8]

This is a weird question, but I would be grateful if someone could let me know how to organize (i.e. can I staple?) all the documentation I will be sending to the USCIS for ROC. Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me somehow, but when I was adjusting my status initially, I thought that I remembered reading somewhere that USCIS did not want you to staple everything.

I am planning on sending everything in a big binder with labelled tabs so whoever deals with my case can easily see what I've submitted.

Does this sound good to you?

Also, I am sending off my application tomorrow. I can read ;-), so I know that the form says to send everything to the following address if you live in Texas, like I do, but can someone just confirm that this is the right address, just so I know once and for all that I'm doing everything correctly. Slightly paranoid here!

USCIS Vermont Service Center 75 Lower Welden St.

P.O. Box 200

St. Albans, VT 05479-0001

I'm also going to be using Overnight USPS Express Mail to send off my package (truly a necessity since my green card expires on February 16th!), but how does that work if you mail it off on a Saturday? Will someone even be there to sign for it on the Sunday? Or will it just arrive on Monday instead? Finally, what happens if somebody at USCIS doesn't get around to opening my application until after my green card has expired? I'm assuming that I would still be OK since I mailed it off before the expiration date?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[dirtyweebesom 8]

No responses? C'mon! Help a girl out! :-)

[markiweiss49 4]

DO NOT STAPLE YOUR DOCUMENTS. YOU CAN USE PAPER CLIPS. THERE WON'T BE NO ONE THERE ON SUNDAY. USCIS WILL GET IT SOMETIME ON MONDAY. IF SOMEONE HAS TO SIGN FOR IT, THE MAIL MAN WILL LEAVE A SLIP IN THEIR MAIL BOX SAYING THERE IS A PACKAGE AT THE POST OFFICE WAITING TO BE PICKUP FROM SOMEONE FROM USCIS.I DON'T KNOW HOW OR WHICH WAY YOU ARE SENDING YOUR PAPERS BY OVERNIGHT. I REMEMBER SENDING MY PAPERWORK FOR MY WIFE AOS, AND I WANTED SOMEONE TO SIGN FOR IT. IT TOOK 4 DAYS BEFORE SOMEONE FROM USCIS HAD PICK UP THE PACKAGE. I HAVE SPOKEN TO SOMEONE FROM USCIS SOMETIME AGO AND SHE HAD TOLD ME TO NEVER SEND PAPERS WHICH REQUIRE SOMEONE TO SIGN FOR THAT IS GOING TO A P.O. BOX. YOU CAN HAVE THE OVERNIGHT EXPRESS FROM THE POST OFFICE CONFIRM THAT YOUR PACKAGE HAS ARRIVED TO THAT BOX NUMBER. I BELIEVED THAT ITS A GREEN AND WHITE SLIP. I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU A LITTLE. GOOD LUCK.

DO NOT STAPLE YOUR DOCUMENTS. YOU CAN USE PAPER CLIPS. THERE WON'T BE NO ONE THERE ON SUNDAY. USCIS WILL GET IT SOMETIME ON MONDAY. IF SOMEONE HAS TO SIGN FOR IT, THE MAIL MAN WILL LEAVE A SLIP IN THEIR MAIL BOX SAYING THERE IS A PACKAGE AT THE POST OFFICE WAITING TO BE PICKUP FROM SOMEONE FROM USCIS.I DON'T KNOW HOW OR WHICH WAY YOU ARE SENDING YOUR PAPERS BY OVERNIGHT. I REMEMBER SENDING MY PAPERWORK FOR MY WIFE AOS, AND I WANTED SOMEONE TO SIGN FOR IT. IT TOOK 4 DAYS BEFORE SOMEONE FROM USCIS HAD PICK UP THE PACKAGE. I HAVE SPOKEN TO SOMEONE FROM USCIS SOMETIME AGO AND SHE HAD TOLD ME TO NEVER SEND PAPERS WHICH REQUIRE SOMEONE TO SIGN FOR THAT IS GOING TO A P.O. BOX. YOU CAN HAVE THE OVERNIGHT EXPRESS FROM THE POST OFFICE CONFIRM THAT YOUR PACKAGE HAS ARRIVED TO THAT BOX NUMBER. I BELIEVED THAT ITS A GREEN AND WHITE SLIP. I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU A LITTLE. GOOD LUCK.

[TBoneTX 43,604]

Do not type in ALL CAPS.

OP, don't use the green card that requires a signature. Use the little yellow-&-white "delivery confirmation" sticker. It's very inexpensive.

Go sparingly even with the paper clips. USCIS will pull everything apart and arrange it to their own preference, anyway.

[chinese_mutt 11]

i used paper clips just to make sure certain documents are lumped together. other than that... good luck!

[dirtyweebesom 8]

Thank you for the tips.

And can I just have confirmation of exactly what postal service to use? TBoneTX said not to ask for the green card that someone on USCIS's end has to sign for to confirm delivery. What service should I be asking for if I just want that little yellow and white delivery confirmation sticker?

[angus28 7]

Thank you for the tips.

And can I just have confirmation of exactly what postal service to use? TBoneTX said not to ask for the green card that someone on USCIS's end has to sign for to confirm delivery. What service should I be asking for if I just want that little yellow and white delivery confirmation sticker?

I used the USPS express mail service which comes with the signature confirmation and tracking number, my package was signed. Even you send the package to a PO Box if you ask for a signature confirmation, they need to sign the confirmation in order to receive your package.

Hope this helps

[angus28 7]

Thank you for the tips.

And can I just have confirmation of exactly what postal service to use? TBoneTX said not to ask for the green card that someone on USCIS's end has to sign for to confirm delivery. What service should I be asking for if I just want that little yellow and white delivery confirmation sticker?

I punched two holes on my documents and bound them with an ECHO fastener, and also organized the whole package with the tabs. I do not know how they handle our packages, but I would keep the package as organized as possible.

[Stephen + Elisha 92]

USPS Express Mail requires a signature upon delivery by default. There's an option on the form for "Waiver of Signature." Check that box and sign underneath.

You will still be able to confirm that the package was delivered to the PO box through the "Track and Confirm" service. As others have correctly stated, requiring a signature can cause delays. It doesn't always happen, but it can and has.

Edited February 11, 2012 by Stephen + Elisha

[dirtyweebesom 8]

OK, great, thanks. I've got it! I'll use "Express Mail" and waive the "Signature on Delivery" part.

As regards two-hole punching (OK, I know I"m getting really ####### here, so forgive me!), does it matter that I used a three-hole punch on my documents? I mean, the top two holes made by my three-hole punch will be the same distance apart as if they had been made by a two-hole punch, right? Or not? :-(

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Save money, and use Priority Mail with confirmation. The package is going to take months to process, so why spend the extra $15 just to get it a day sooner. By the way, requiring a signature will add another day or two to the processing, as they can't get a signature to release the package until the next business day.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

n.m.

Edited February 12, 2012 by ☼

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

OK, great, thanks. I've got it! I'll use "Express Mail" and waive the "Signature on Delivery" part.

As regards two-hole punching (OK, I know I"m getting really ####### here, so forgive me!), does it matter that I used a three-hole punch on my documents? I mean, the top two holes made by my three-hole punch will be the same distance apart as if they had been made by a two-hole punch, right? Or not? :-(

No. Don't punch holes in the application if it is going to a Lockbox. They scan and process all the documents electronically, and things like holes, folds, fasteners, staples, post-it notes, white out, and tabs, screw up the document feeder. Make sure all the pages, including the evidence, are printed on standard weight 8-1/2 x 11 inch copy paper.

Edited February 12, 2012 by ☼

[Stephen + Elisha 92]

Save money, and use Priority Mail with confirmation. The package is going to take months to process, so why spend the extra $15 just to get it a day sooner. By the way, requiring a signature will add another day or two to the processing, as they can't get a signature to release the package until the next business day.

The OP stated that the GC expires February 16. Monday is the 13th. If we were in that situation, I think we'd spend the extra $15.

Again, if you do use Express Mail, make sure you don't require a signature on delivery. On the older Express Mail labels (like the one I posted above), you had to tick the "Waiver of Signature" box and sign below it. Apparently on Express Mail labels printed after January 2012, they've reversed it and you now have to tick a box if you want a signature. Read the form carefully and make sure you're not asking for a signature on delivery or you're liable to waste a day.

[dirtyweebesom 8]

Yeah, "Stephen + Elisha" are right about my green card expiring on Thursday February 16th. It's true that I would save $15 by sending my package by "priority mail" instead of "express mail" but if getting it there a day earlier saves me from being deported, losing my job, being separated from my husband and my pets, I think it's $15 well spent! :-)

As regards the holes, well, damn, I've already punched three holes in all my documents so that I could keep them organized in a binder. The US is one of the world's most advanced countries, so I can only hope that the USCIS's scanning machines can cope with my holes. Then again, I changed my address online twice when I moved, and the USCIS apparently has no record of that, so maybe those punched holes will send them over the edge?