I-751 NOA Receipt Number -- no status shown on USCIS website

[Chris & Joy 0]

Hello: I filed I-751 on 8/12 and received a NOA on 8/15 with a WAC-XXX... receipt number. When I check for status on the USCIS web site it says that "Your case can not be found at this time in My Case Status. Please check your receipt number and try again." I called the USCIS and they said it can take 30 days to receive the appointment for biometrics. When I look on Visa Journey it looks like people are getting biometrics appointments about 3 weeks after receiving the NOA. My problem is that I am out of the country with my family working in China for a few weeks right now and I don't have easy access to my mail to see if I received another NOA with a different number or if the appointment simply hasn't been made yet. I don't want to miss the appointment.

Question: (1) Is the first NOA WAC-XXX receipt number the correct number to use to check status online or do I need to use a different receipt number? (2) Will the appointment date for the biometrics show online or will I need to call USCIS to get this data?

Thanks in advance for any help. Chris.

[Driss&alicia 1]

The number you use to check your case status is going to be on your biometrics appointment letter. You should receive this letter soon after your NOA-1 on it will show the date, time and place of your appointment. If you know where you will have your biometrics you can call and see if they accept walk-ins or not (or if it is close enough to you then you can just go there)I hope this info helps and good luck with your ROC!

[Darnell 8,479]

well, there be folks collecting yer postal mail at your usa mail address, right?

or did you forward, via a usps mail forward order?

getting to EMAIL in China is easy, as there be many internet cafes.

If you have some problem because of the great china firewall, considering using a yahoo email account instead, and set up email passthrough to that OTHER email account.

IIRC there will be 2 I-797-C formletters - one for the receipt notice on the ROC, another for the biometrics thingie.

THERE ARE 2 receipt numbers for tracking, as there are two formletters, each for a different thing.

Seriously - who's checking yer postal mail?

[Chris & Joy 0]

Well that's what I thought...or was afraid of. It is very difficult to get a straight answer out of the USCIS. I have a PO box that can forward mail to me. When I called the store that has the PO Box yesterday they said they didn't have anything from the USCIS. I'll call them again tonight. It is very frustrating that USCIS can't give me any information unless I have a receipt number. You'd think they could track it using the alien ID number or something else.

Thanks for the reply.

well, there be folks collecting yer postal mail at your usa mail address, right?

or did you forward, via a usps mail forward order?

getting to EMAIL in China is easy, as there be many internet cafes.

If you have some problem because of the great china firewall, considering using a yahoo email account instead, and set up email passthrough to that OTHER email account.

IIRC there will be 2 I-797-C formletters - one for the receipt notice on the ROC, another for the biometrics thingie.

THERE ARE 2 receipt numbers for tracking, as there are two formletters, each for a different thing.

Seriously - who's checking yer postal mail?

[Darnell 8,479]

was the po box address used in the forms?

if not, and you've had your home address forwarded to that po box,

then

usually

USCIS will receive the letters back,

as on the outside of the letter,

it says - DO NOT FORWARD...

[KayaEel 5]

Hey Chris and Joy, the Biometrics appointment letter (ASC Appointment Notice - Form I-797C) is important for a couple of reasons. It has the receipt number in order to check your case status. (I know, it is frustrating that the initial NOA letter, that extends your green card, has a different receipt number on it.) The Biometrics appointment letter is also important, because it will be useful if you try to 'walk-in' at the local ASC so that your biometrics can be taken early, and the letter also includes instructions on how to reschedule a Biometrics appointment, including a mailing address (which could be different than your local ASC). Since my husband and step-son were traveling outside of the US during our first appointment date, I followed the instructions on the ASC Appointment Notice to request that our appointment be re-scheduled. Since there was no place to request a specific date on the Notice, I explained our situation and asked for a specific date range in my cover letter. To my surprise, this worked! Within one week of my request, I received an updated Biometrics appointment letter with a new date during the timeframe that I requested. Hang in there, and good luck to you!

- KayaEel

Edited September 3, 2012 by KayaEel

[Azure30 22]

If 30 days have passed since the receipt date on your NOA1 & you still have not received your biometrics appt. notice, you can also call their 800#, speak to a live person, and request a 'service request' to have your biometrics appt. mailed to you. They will contact your local branch and you should get it shortly thereafter. Worked just as easily and quickly for me.

And trying to speak to a live person on the 800# is tricky. I never press any buttons when recording instructs you to press 1 for english. It picks up shortly after by a bilingual speaking representative who begins to speak english after I begin to speak.

I wouldn't suggest doing a walk-in WITHOUT your biometrics notice. It specifically states on there not to come without it. There's a thread on here with reviews on many local offices and people's experiences with doing walk-ins. There were no rejections that I've read about, so based on that, I took a chance and walked-in with my biometrics notice. It is frowned upon at some local offices, but here in Des Moines, no questions were asked. They only kindly asked if i'd wait a bit to let the 8 am appts go before me. Overall, the process took just under an hour.

Hope this helps:)

[Azure30 22]

Hello: I filed I-751 on 8/12 and received a NOA on 8/15 with a WAC-XXX... receipt number. When I check for status on the USCIS web site it says that "Your case can not be found at this time in My Case Status. Please check your receipt number and try again." I called the USCIS and they said it can take 30 days to receive the appointment for biometrics. When I look on Visa Journey it looks like people are getting biometrics appointments about 3 weeks after receiving the NOA. My problem is that I am out of the country with my family working in China for a few weeks right now and I don't have easy access to my mail to see if I received another NOA with a different number or if the appointment simply hasn't been made yet. I don't want to miss the appointment.

Question: (1) Is the first NOA WAC-XXX receipt number the correct number to use to check status online or do I need to use a different receipt number? (2) Will the appointment date for the biometrics show online or will I need to call USCIS to get this data?

Thanks in advance for any help. Chris.

And no, the appt date for your biometrics appt. will not show online. I'm not certain if a live person at the 800# would be kind enough to give you the appointment date once they can verify that it's in your mail. Perhaps if you explain your situation to them they just might.

[txladykat 1]

Don't rely on the online system for updates. We filed our ROC July 2011, just got approved last month - but the system still says its in the initial receipt phase. Oh, and the email/text alerts... joke, I never got one. But yes, as others have said, its the receipt number on your biometrics notice.