Got NOA - 2 (from Nebraska)

[akdiver 3]

We received the NOA-2 today. To summarize:

12-Oct-2006 : App Received by NSC

13-Nov-2006 : Check Posted

17-Nov-2006 : NOA-1 Notice date

28-Nov-2006 : NOA-1 Postmarked

30-Nov-2006 : NOA-2 Notice date

5-Dec-2006 : NOA-1 Received

5-Dec-2006: NOA-2 Postmarked

11-Dec-2006: NOA-2 Received. Biometrics appt. on 14-Dec.

The NOA-2 had a completely different LIN than the NOA-1. Is that normal??

The biometrics appointment is scheduled only three days after we received the notice. Glad the mail wasn't any slower, and that we were here to get the notice, and so forth!!

Thinking about asking for "the stamp" for the passport when we go in for biometrics, since we may be traveling soon. Is the stamp good for a year, or only 90 days like the original stamp, or what?

Thanks!

AKDiver

[sparkofcreation 0]

We received the NOA-2 today. To summarize:

12-Oct-2006 : App Received by NSC

13-Nov-2006 : Check Posted

17-Nov-2006 : NOA-1 Notice date

28-Nov-2006 : NOA-1 Postmarked

30-Nov-2006 : NOA-2 Notice date

5-Dec-2006 : NOA-1 Received

5-Dec-2006: NOA-2 Postmarked

11-Dec-2006: NOA-2 Received. Biometrics appt. on 14-Dec.

The NOA-2 had a completely different LIN than the NOA-1. Is that normal??

The biometrics appointment is scheduled only three days after we received the notice. Glad the mail wasn't any slower, and that we were here to get the notice, and so forth!!

Thinking about asking for "the stamp" for the passport when we go in for biometrics, since we may be traveling soon. Is the stamp good for a year, or only 90 days like the original stamp, or what?

Thanks!

AKDiver

My understanding was that NOA-2 refers only to the approval notice, so I must say your use of it to mean the biometrics letter confuses me. I thought you meant you'd been approved.

That said, yes, it's normal for the first NOA-1 to have a standard-format case number (SRC-07-xxx-xxxxx) and the second NOA-1 (if applicable; Texas is the only Service Center that I know for sure sends a second NOA-1) and biometrics letter to have a different case number.

The new case number should be trackable on the USCIS website.

Unless your office is weird, you couldn't get a stamp at the biometrics appointment if you wanted to, because biometrics are taken at an Application Support Center and the stamp is given at a District Office, and I've never heard of them being in the same place. In Newark they were several blocks apart, and here they're in totally different quadrants of the city. (ASC in the southwest and DO in the southeast.)

In any case, the NOA-1 extends travel and work authorization by a year (or until your application is approved, whichever comes first), so I don't see why you need a stamp anyway. You only need the stamp if (1) it takes more than that to process your case or (2) once the application is approved.

Edited December 11, 2006 by sparkofcreation

[akdiver 3]

My understanding was that NOA-2 refers only to the approval notice, so I must say your use of it to mean the biometrics letter confuses me. I thought you meant you'd been approved.

Well, my use is probably non-standard then. I was just using 1, 2, 3, as in the first thing they send, the second thing they sent, and so forth. So in this case, I am using NOA-2 and the notice of Biometrics Appointment as being the same thing.

Unless your office is weird, you couldn't get a stamp at the biometrics appointment if you wanted to, because biometrics are taken at an Application Support Center and the stamp is given at a District Office, and I've never heard of them being in the same place. In Newark they were several blocks apart, and here they're in totally different quadrants of the city. (ASC in the southwest and DO in the southeast.)

I guess my office is weird then, because it is the same place. Same building, same floor, just right across the hall from each other. Time to get from one to the other is, oh, maybe 2 seconds at most. As an added bonus, it's all of about two blocks from where I work AND since I have a federal employee badge, I can get in the building without the usual BS of being searched and going through the metal detector. (: Same for the social security office, except that it is also in the building where I work.

In any case, the NOA-1 extends travel and work authorization by a year (or until your application is approved, whichever comes first), so I don't see why you need a stamp anyway. You only need the stamp if (1) it takes more than that to process your case or (2) once the application is approved.

Because I think it is unlikely that the foreign embassy that we want to send my wife's passport to in order to get a visa is going to take our word for it that my wife is really a permanent resident with ability to re-enter the U.S. even though her green card is expired or that the NOA document is proof of such a thing. I know that if I were them, I wouldn't believe us. (:

Cheers!

AKDiver

[sparkofcreation 0]

In any case, the NOA-1 extends travel and work authorization by a year (or until your application is approved, whichever comes first), so I don't see why you need a stamp anyway. You only need the stamp if (1) it takes more than that to process your case or (2) once the application is approved.

Because I think it is unlikely that the foreign embassy that we want to send my wife's passport to in order to get a visa is going to take our word for it that my wife is really a permanent resident with ability to re-enter the U.S. even though her green card is expired or that the NOA document is proof of such a thing. I know that if I were them, I wouldn't believe us. (:

Cheers!

AKDiver

I don't see why not. My mortgage company believed us. I mean, it's an official document on watermarked paper and all that. You may never have seen one before, but I would assume they see them all the time. *You* might not believe it, but (I assume) it's also not your job to deal with these things.

Hmm, I'll have to see about that. I know my state government badge didn't get me in to the immigration office last time, but maybe the new federal one will. (I've never seen a SS office that had security, actually.)

[Sunny 0]

In any case, the NOA-1 extends travel and work authorization by a year (or until your application is approved, whichever comes first), so I don't see why you need a stamp anyway. You only need the stamp if (1) it takes more than that to process your case or (2) once the application is approved.

Because I think it is unlikely that the foreign embassy that we want to send my wife's passport to in order to get a visa is going to take our word for it that my wife is really a permanent resident with ability to re-enter the U.S. even though her green card is expired or that the NOA document is proof of such a thing. I know that if I were them, I wouldn't believe us. (:

Cheers!

AKDiver

I don't see why not. My mortgage company believed us. I mean, it's an official document on watermarked paper and all that. You may never have seen one before, but I would assume they see them all the time. *You* might not believe it, but (I assume) it's also not your job to deal with these things.

Hmm, I'll have to see about that. I know my state government badge didn't get me in to the immigration office last time, but maybe the new federal one will. (I've never seen a SS office that had security, actually.)

This is funny, because I received my first NOA for I-751 that has a LIN# which is searchable on USCIS web site. My biometric appointment NOA has same LIN# and this is from Nebrasca Service Center.

-Sunny