I-485 Approved...where is the card though?

[IHateINS 0]

I have a couple of questions regarding the green card--I hope some of you might be able to help me.

My family of 4 was finally approved for Permanent Residency (after 6 long years) on February 15, 2007. My mother is the primary applicant. A couple of days later we received an I-797 notice of approval (the "welcome letter). It stated:

The above application has been approved. Prior to receiving your permanent resident card you may be required to report for biometrics processing (photo/fingerprint/signature). Please do not take any action at this time. If you are required to report for this processing, you will receive another notice advising you of the date, time and location to appear.

If you have not received your permanent resident card or the above mentioned notice to appear for biometrics processing within 90 days, please call this office at the number listed below.

All 4 of us received the approval notices on the 22 of Frebruary. About 2 weeks after that only me and my siblings received the biometrics notice and were scheduled to appear for Code 2 biometrics on March 23, 2007. My mother was not sent this notice. So on March 23, we did the code 2 biometrics...and it is now a week later and still no update on the INS website. All it says is that:

Application Type: I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On February 15, 2007, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.

The last LUD was 3/24.

So my questions are these:

1. I have heard of some people who got their green cards days after being approved...why was this case different?

2. If anybody has experienced the same as me in this case--how long did it take to get your card after code 2 biometrics?

3. Is it normal for the primary applicant not to have to appear for code 2 after approval?

Thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to what you have to say!

[florida_guy07 0]

I have a couple of questions regarding the green card--I hope some of you might be able to help me.

My family of 4 was finally approved for Permanent Residency (after 6 long years) on February 15, 2007. My mother is the primary applicant. A couple of days later we received an I-797 notice of approval (the "welcome letter). It stated:

The above application has been approved. Prior to receiving your permanent resident card you may be required to report for biometrics processing (photo/fingerprint/signature). Please do not take any action at this time. If you are required to report for this processing, you will receive another notice advising you of the date, time and location to appear.

If you have not received your permanent resident card or the above mentioned notice to appear for biometrics processing within 90 days, please call this office at the number listed below.

All 4 of us received the approval notices on the 22 of Frebruary. About 2 weeks after that only me and my siblings received the biometrics notice and were scheduled to appear for Code 2 biometrics on March 23, 2007. My mother was not sent this notice. So on March 23, we did the code 2 biometrics...and it is now a week later and still no update on the INS website. All it says is that:

Application Type: I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On February 15, 2007, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.

The last LUD was 3/24.

So my questions are these:

1. I have heard of some people who got their green cards days after being approved...why was this case different?

2. If anybody has experienced the same as me in this case--how long did it take to get your card after code 2 biometrics?

3. Is it normal for the primary applicant not to have to appear for code 2 after approval?

Thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to what you have to say!

6 years ago it was INS, it s no longer that... it is USCIS... why do you hate them so much ??

1. I have heard of some people who got their green cards days after being approved...why was this case different?

I have heard of people who wait 2...3...4 years to get their cards... so looking at the "positive" side only is not very smart. Nobody here works for the USCIS or has any type of information about your specific case, so you are not going to find the answer why you havent received your green card here. Maybe an infopass ???? or maybe you should wait 90 days like they asked you to. " If you have not received your permanent resident card or the above mentioned notice to appear for biometrics processing within 90 days, please call this office at the number listed below"

And while I do understand that after 6 years you just want the damn card already, you have to understand that you are dealing with a government agency and they are not really in a hurry to do things for you, so sit back and relax... you will get your card soon. Have you checked your mail today ?

Oh also, don't go by what their website says, people here who have become US Citizens will tell you that some of them still have AOS pending when they check their status online.

Edited March 31, 2007 by florida_guy07

[IHateINS 0]

Well as far as me calling it INS it is just a holdover and sometimes I forget, I am aware the name changed. I hate it for the reasons most people do--slowness and incompetence. But that's really beside the point.

I am aware it says 90 days, but I was wondering if there was an explanation as to why some people receive their cards a week after approval and others don't (like my case) and why my mother did not get the biometrics notice and me and my siblings did. If anybody has had this experiece it would be valuable to know--I am not expecting an official USCIS answer here--just speaking from experience.

[florida_guy07 0]

Ok, I can answer that....There is no explanation why some people get their cards within a week and other get it months and months later.

I would probably be wondering the same If I had waited 6 years...so I understand. Why did it take 6 years ? Do you mind sharing that with us ?

[IHateINS 0]

Well I am not completely familiar of every detail of the case...my mother, the primary applicant certainly would be. My general understanding is that the AOS application which was filed in 2001 was not being processed as part of the batch from the same time. We also had some name check issues that lasted forever. We resorted to contacting our congresswoman at around November of last year, and almost miraculously everything started flowing smoothly and the medical exam was done in December, and then the approval notice arrived in February.

I know this is not a huge issue as I have already been approved--that's the most important part. But the more I read some of these types of forums, the more I see people receiving approval e-mails and card production notifications and mailing notices almost immediately. I have also read some more on people getting their green cards almost immediately after doing the same code 2 biometrics my approval notice stated I might be ordered to do.

Yeah after this long process I am pretty eager to see the card in my hands, but I can wait and will wait the entire 90 days--it's only been about half of that. I am just curious if others had similar experiences and can share them with me.