Social Security can't find my information...

[Laure&Colin 558]

New update, as I just called the CBP. These guys ASSURE me that because it's an immigrant entry, they CANNOT make any correction. The officer I talked to said that they can easily make corrections in their system when this happens to a non-immigrant arrival record (hence a K1 I suppose), but she insisted that her supervisor had checked and they can't possibly make it. Of course I insisted that this was not true and I had seen multiple cases where changes were made, but she told me it was wrong, they cannot correct the arrival record for an immigrant visa because the database is USCIS access only.

So the supervisor of that deferred inspection office is going to get in touch with the supervisor of the local USCIS field office to see how this mess can be fixed, and I'm supposed to call them back next week.

So now ####### can I do?? Just stay on my couch and wait that these morons find a way to fix the mess they created?? And be stuck with no SSN, no driving license, and probably no GC coming (since USCIS doesn't have an entry record in my real name) until it happens??

[Laure&Colin 558]

Talking to my hands here, but this is just to update the story: I just filled in the online form on the US Senator's website to request assistance in dealing with a federal agency. We'll see if that helps...

[Moomin 292]

Yeah, they're already trying to pull your info. I mean, you're stuck in one of those limbo situations where you seem to have taken the right steps and you're stuck waiting. I see from your timeline you've gone back and forth. I just felt bad not responding when you're obviously searching for some sort of reply hoping there's a way to fix this right now.

[Laure&Colin 558]

Thanks for your reply, I'm just really depressed right now... The visa part of the journey was so smooth, and then everything was supposed to be OVER with immigration because I came on a CR1... I really didn't expect to run into such difficulties after POE.

[Darnell 8,478]

So now ####### can I do?? Just stay on my couch and wait that these morons find a way to fix the mess they created?? And be stuck with no SSN, no driving license, and probably no GC coming (since USCIS doesn't have an entry record in my real name) until it happens??

Find another deferred inspection / secondary inspection office. Lemme see if I can find that link...

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/deferred_inspection/

I also suggest seeking redress with TRIP -

http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1169676919316.shtm

as the goon touching the keyboard was lazy, at the poe.

[Laure&Colin 558]

Find another deferred inspection / secondary inspection office. Lemme see if I can find that link...

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/deferred_inspection/

I also suggest seeking redress with TRIP -

http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1169676919316.shtm

as the goon touching the keyboard was lazy, at the poe.

There's no other deferred inspection office I can go to by bus... The closest one apart from San Diego is in LA, and I just can't go there right now. I can however try to call there and see what they say.

I know the agent was a lazy douche, and the good thing is I remember his name very well... From what I understand, the data that CBP received from the airline contained the error, and the guy just used that instead of correcting the record. I'm gonna be filing a complaint through CBP online tool.

Additional question for you: how much is this gonna screw me?

Social security is not the only agency that uses SAVE, in CA, the DMV also does. And then if an employer tries to use the E-verify to check me up, nothing's gonna come up either, right?

What about USCIS? Am I right to think that they're not gonna start working on getting me a GC as long as this issue is not resolved, since I do not have an arrival record in my proper name? The CBP people told me that it won't be a problem, since the visa packet contains everything they need to issue the GC... but then why haven't I received the welcome letter, almost one month after POE?

[Darnell 8,478]

time and timing, alas. At this point I'd be calling into USCIS , getting a Tier 2 Human and inquiring about your status and the card production status. don't futz about with a Tier 1 sub-human (see ISO - http://www.dhs.gov/files/publications/gc_1305658440339.shtm ) if the Tier 2 seems really confused, ask him/her to scroll through all pages of his/her computer screen. In the end, if USCIS can't say (over the phone, that phone call) that they have a positive hit on your arrival record (irrespective of spelling, that A # is golden) then you need to hang out at CBP 'for the day' till the right human there fixes you.

supposedly -->

the green card will come through regardless and irrespective of the poe data entry error - they use the same data that's printed on the visa, supposedly handled via a human reading the ds-230 form back at the IV unit.

but - if uscis cannot verify that you, indeed, did cross the border, then there's some problem. this is tracked via your Visa Name and your Visa number. IIRC, the passport was scanned at the POE, so the visa number 'hit' in the system, making a match and then subsequently a record for entry. My brain is a bit fuzzy (i've been up for 26 hours, cross 11 time zones) so pardon if I'm not exact , at the moment. The system is called 'SAVE' and the CBP folk have a terminal for SAVE with direct data entry and correction rights. If no one at 'that' office has the proper rights for a data correction, then they'll have to call upwards on some regional office to get a human with the proper rights. Did they make copies of your passport/visa page whilst you were there?

ok la - i'm out for a bit - I need to sleep ... keep on keeping at it...

Edited May 10, 2012 by Darnell

[Laure&Colin 558]

I'll let you have a good night's sleep...

I don't understand how the arrival record can be wrong if my visa was used to retrieve my information in their database? HTF does that system work? Why do they base the arrival record on the info sent by the airline anyway?

Little detail: when I went to the USCIS, they found me immediately in their database, and the IO was laughing, although not telling me why (I suppose he was laughing at the way they spelled my name in the arrival record but it's just a guess). However the SS office could not find me at all. So I'm there somewhere, but I do not show up on SAVE...

Edited May 10, 2012 by Laure&Colin

[Darnell 8,478]

here's a sad hint.

SSA office can find you by your visa number / A #. You had a lazy SSA person, not know ALL search parameters with SAVE (ftw, there's only 3)

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Laure, it'll work out. There are procedures in place for this stuff... the procedures are much slower than you'd like of course, but they do exist. You're doing a great job and keep on the follow-up, but keep in mind all is not lost. Are you sure you can't drive on your French license for a bit more?

[*Snowdrop* 604]

Laure, it'll work out. There are procedures in place for this stuff... the procedures are much slower than you'd like of course, but they do exist. You're doing a great job and keep on the follow-up, but keep in mind all is not lost. Are you sure you can't drive on your French license for a bit more?

I think they are pretty strict in California about that - I remember a couple of posts on here before with people getting into trouble for driving on their foreign licence in CA after a very short time of residency.

We had 60 days in VA which was a nice gap to get everything done.

[Laure&Colin 558]

here's a sad hint.

SSA office can find you by your visa number / A #. You had a lazy SSA person, not know ALL search parameters with SAVE (ftw, there's only 3)

This is the problem, I think he tried, and still didn't find me. Would that mean that beyond the misspelled name, they also didn't scan my visa at POE?? That doesn't make sense since the CBP now says they can't correct the record because it's an immigrant entry. How would that be an immigrant entry if the visa wasn't entered in the system?

Laure, it'll work out. There are procedures in place for this stuff... the procedures are much slower than you'd like of course, but they do exist. You're doing a great job and keep on the follow-up, but keep in mind all is not lost. Are you sure you can't drive on your French license for a bit more?

I don't know, the people I ran into were simply not aware of these procedures if they exist. Right now the CBP supervisor meeting the USCIS supervisor doesn't sound like a standard procedure to me!

I think they are pretty strict in California about that - I remember a couple of posts on here before with people getting into trouble for driving on their foreign licence in CA after a very short time of residency.

We had 60 days in VA which was a nice gap to get everything done.

CA law says that you must get a CA license within 10 days of becoming a resident here. Their definition of resident is kind of vague and there's nothing specific to aliens.

I just phoned another CBP deferred inspection office to see what they were gonna say, and they were totally clueless too...

Edited May 10, 2012 by Laure&Colin

[Laure&Colin 558]

here's a sad hint.

SSA office can find you by your visa number / A #. You had a lazy SSA person, not know ALL search parameters with SAVE (ftw, there's only 3)

I may have a clue here, the USCIS officer I saw wrote something on a piece of paper I gave to the CBP: "missing FCO". The CBP folks didn't seem to give a sh*t about that.

[Laure&Colin 558]

time and timing, alas. At this point I'd be calling into USCIS , getting a Tier 2 Human and inquiring about your status and the card production status. don't futz about with a Tier 1 sub-human (see ISO - http://www.dhs.gov/files/publications/gc_1305658440339.shtm ) if the Tier 2 seems really confused, ask him/her to scroll through all pages of his/her computer screen. In the end, if USCIS can't say (over the phone, that phone call) that they have a positive hit on your arrival record (irrespective of spelling, that A # is golden) then you need to hang out at CBP 'for the day' till the right human there fixes you.

supposedly -->

the green card will come through regardless and irrespective of the poe data entry error - they use the same data that's printed on the visa, supposedly handled via a human reading the ds-230 form back at the IV unit.

but - if uscis cannot verify that you, indeed, did cross the border, then there's some problem. this is tracked via your Visa Name and your Visa number. IIRC, the passport was scanned at the POE, so the visa number 'hit' in the system, making a match and then subsequently a record for entry. My brain is a bit fuzzy (i've been up for 26 hours, cross 11 time zones) so pardon if I'm not exact , at the moment. The system is called 'SAVE' and the CBP folk have a terminal for SAVE with direct data entry and correction rights. If no one at 'that' office has the proper rights for a data correction, then they'll have to call upwards on some regional office to get a human with the proper rights. Did they make copies of your passport/visa page whilst you were there?

ok la - i'm out for a bit - I need to sleep ... keep on keeping at it...

I didn't realize you edited your post: that deferred inspection office had no clue what SAVE was ; and yes they made copies of my passport and visa.

Escalate the case to someone who has rights on SAVE is obviously not the route they're taking right now. Instead they're trying to get USCIS to get it fixed through their supervisor.

OK, so I'm gonna call USCIS, and then I'm gonna try to reach CBP regional headquarters. It can't hurt, right?

[Laure&Colin 558]

USCIS call: they do have a record of my entry through San Diego, and actually my GC is produced and on its way :dance: They even gave me the tracking number and delivery is expected tomorrow! :dancing:

Haven't called CBP yet, but San Diego IS a regional field office.....

Edited May 10, 2012 by Laure&Colin