wrong spelling on green card

[evets&netsrik 0]

Hi my green card arrived about 3-4 weeks after I entered the US on my CR-1 visa through SFO.

Unfortunately the CA service Center had spelled my name wrong! I have now returned it for replacement with an I-90 but I am concerned about how long that could take. The processing times for I-90s say they are working on May 2006 now!

Has anyone else had this happen recently? how long did it take to correct?

I live in Chicago, is there any point scheduling an InfoPass appt here? especially as I no longer have the card.

When I check my case status online there is no updated info - as far as they are concerned they sent the card (the mis-spelled one) to me on Dec 1st.

Thanks very much for any insight.

[YuAndDan 153]

Saw great advise about this yesterday on another board that I am involved with.

We finally got a 90 day stamp for Jie, so that she can travel and get back into the US. :cheering:

Since we could not find anything in the FAQ section on the process of fixing the card and getting the passport stamp, I thought I would document it here. We learned a few things about this process that came with both a time and financial cost to us (cancelled plane tickets), and I hope this helps anyone who runs into the same problem we had.

----------------------------

Part 1: Fixing an erroneous Green Card (due to USCIS admin errors)

When you get the Green Card (I-551), CHECK and DOUBLE CHECK for errors. If there are errors you must:

a: Complete an I-90 http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-90.pdf

b: Return the I-90 with the original erroneous green card to the service center

that issued it (address is on the welcome letter or letter that comes with the GC)

c: Send supporting evidence with the correct information (Passport, visa, birth cert, etc)

d: Although not required, I suggest sending a cover letter detailing the error. I have a

copy of ours below

e: Make copies of everything you send, including the green card.

f: Send it in such a manner that requires a signature from the recipient at

USCIS (i.e. certified or registered mail, or return signiture, etc)

g: For USCIS administrative errors, do not send any fees

USCIS says it could take up to 6 months to get a new green card, so be patient.

Part 2: Travel when you have an erroneous green card

1) If you already have the USCIS stamp in your passport, you are good to go. However, if USCIS did not stamp your passport, and you need to travel, you must get one. After you have done all of the above, make an infopass appt at the USCIS center nearest you. Here is the site: http://infopass.uscis.gov/

2) At the appt, bring copies of the I-90 & evidence, passport, proof of mailing the I-90, etc

3) Will you need confirmation from USCIS that they got the I-90? At our first infopass appt, the IO said before she can stamp the passport, we have to bring a USCIS confirmation letter that they got the I-90. THIS IS INCORRECT!!! We did NOT get a receipt. So, I called USCIS and they told me "We do not send confirmation for I-90's sent for USCIS admin errors."

So, today at our 2nd infopass appt, a different IO asked again for this confirmation. I told her what USCIS said. So, she looked at our copies of the I-90, the USPS signature receipt, copy of the green card, then did some checking in the computer, talked with a supervisor, and guess what: she issued a 90 day stamp!!!

AGAIN: USCIS does not send confirmation that they got the I-90!!!

4) The IO said if we do not get a new GC within the 90 days, to schedule another infopass 1 to 2 weeks before it expires, bring the information again, and they'll grant an extension.

----------------------------

Thats all folks!!! I hope this helps anyone else who recieves an erroneous green card. Here is the cover letter I sent with the I-90:

December 3, 2006

From: Ping Doe SO A# 000 000 000

123 Anywhere

Anycity, Anystate Zip

To: USCIS National Benefits Center

Re: Incorrect I-551

Dear USCIS National Benefits Center,

I am submitting an I-90 due to incorrect information from a USCIS administrative error on my I-551 card as follows:

The incorrect card states (give error)

The correct information is XXXXXX

I am enclosing the following supporting documentation: (Note this evidence may vary depending on the error)

***Copy of the I-797 Welcome Letter

***The original incorrect I-551 card

***Copy of my passport identification page

***Copy of the K1 visa in my passport that was issued to me in China

***Copy of the I-94 attached to my passport and visa

***Copy of my work card showing the correct information

***Copy of my birth certificate (translated)

Thank you for your attention to this!

Sincerely,

Ping Doe

A#000 000 000

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...c=22051&hl=

[Kez/JWolf 6]

Did you ask this before????

it takes months to get a replacement card and there is no point in making an infopass appointment until more than 30 days after the date of processing on the uscis system....

It took me 8 months to get my replacement card and that is average...

Kez

[hotairguy 0]

Do you have the 551 stamp in your passport? If so, that will have to serve as proof of status until the replacement card comes which may take a while.

Marilyn and Peter.

[YuAndDan 153]

Did you ask this before????

it takes months to get a replacement card and there is no point in making an infopass appointment until more than 30 days after the date of processing on the uscis system....

It took me 8 months to get my replacement card and that is average...

Kez

Yep I see that, hopefully my answer satisfies them, they can schedule info pass appointment and get the I-551 stamp in passport, then passport will substitute as temporary green card.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=47448

[evets&netsrik 0]

Thanks for your assistance (yes I posted this yesterday in another forum, wasn't sure which forum was best)

Anyway I have followed the instructions that YuandDan have posted here - same that were given to me by USCIS.

I guess I am just immensely frustrated that after all the effort, time and money we have spent doing everything correctly those numpties can't even COPY my name! It's just so amazing to me and obviously upsetting too.

I do have the temporary I-551 in my passport and am moving forward with re-instating my SSN. So could I then start work without the green card? Do you think employers generally accept this instead of a green card?

Thanks so much.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

Yes the I-551 stamp is the same as the Greencard... I used the stamp to show my employers and I had no problems... it is very frustrating when USCIS messes your card up and it takes forever to get a new one... you would think that once they recieved the I-90 they would just request a new card to be issued... if they can get a card ordered and mailed within 2 weeks of someones interview why then does it take 8 months to issue a replacement card???

Sorry its still a sore point with me...

Kez

[Yodrak 7]

evets&netsrik,

.....

I do have the temporary I-551 in my passport and am moving forward with re-instating my SSN.

"re-instating" your SSN? How did it get un-instated? (de-instated?)

So could I then start work without the green card? Do you think employers generally accept this instead of a green card?

Employer's are supposed to accept whichever item(s) from the lists on I-9 you present to them. If the stamp in your passport is what you chose to present, then that's what they have to accept.

Yodrak

[evets&netsrik 0]

I had a SSN when I lived in the US as a student but it was only valid to work for that time (or so I have been told). Although I can't confirm that because just to add to everything I cannot now find that SSN card! So I need to have it re-issued regardless. Could you please confirm what an I-9 is though?

[Yodrak 7]

evets&netsrik,

You don't have to do anything with regard to your SSN number except give it when asked for it, and show the card to verify that you gave a legit number assigned to you. So yes you do need to have a card re-issued to you.

Beyond that, a SSN is required for employment because the employer and you are required to put money into your SS 'account' based on you wages.

I-9 is the form that employer and employee must fill out for the employer's records documenting that the employer has verified that you are employment authorized.

Yodrak

I had a SSN when I lived in the US as a student but it was only valid to work for that time (or so I have been told). Although I can't confirm that because just to add to everything I cannot now find that SSN card! So I need to have it re-issued regardless. Could you please confirm what an I-9 is though?

[evets&netsrik 0]

hi just thought I'd update and share some more stories of incompetence!

I visited the social security office today and should receive my new card in 2 weeks.

Whilst there the lady entering the info into her computer made another typo incorrectly copying my mother's maiden name from the form I had filled out which was now placed in front of her into the system!

Once the newly generated form was printed for me to sign and I pointed out the error to her she then said she would require my birth certificate to change it! This was HER error!

Anyway I had brought my birth certificate with me so could somewhat smugly hand that over and ask for it to be corrected.

I now also have two names! Yes because of the immigration spelling error that is already in the system she had to fill that incorrect name into the space 'other names used' on the social security info - this is truly absurb especially given I don't use that name ever! Isn't it amazing how mistakes can easily be translated between government departments but other information doesn't seem to be!

Thanks for all your help again.

[motu 5]

Once my boss went through a series of comutations for our processing errors - We processed more than 2 million documents with a 2 to 3% error rate - that ment that for some people they had an error on top of another error on top of another etc. etc. they would end up going through 4 times with errors - yes most errors were caused by fat fingers, slippery fingers, misreads, losing the spot on the document or probably sleeping on the job! For the poor person stuck in this nightmare - it could take them 4 months or more to correct errors that were not caused by them. The good part is that 98% do not experience a problem - so one just hopes to be handled by the right person at the right time. This is just the nature of processing large volumes - tax returns, insurance forms, checks in a bank, etc. etc. etc. Good Luck

[evets&netsrik 0]

Good News! Today my green card finally arrived! With my name spelled correctly! YAY!

For the record it arrived back at the CA Service Center on December 9, 2006 so has taken 2 months and 2 weeks to be corrected. Better than the 6-8 months we were originally concerned about.

Now we can finally have a little rest from all this immigration stuff.

Thanks for all the great help we have received here and good luck to those of you still in the process.