Is it normal for them to cut up your green card?

[visaqueries 111]

My husband had a biometrics appointment scheduled for tomorrow for his naturalization.  He did have some questions regarding the ROC that is still pending and tried to schedule and INFOpass on the same day as his biometrics.  Since that didn't work out, he did his INFOpass today.

 

When I asked him how it went, he told me they cut up his green card.  He said the officer told him it was expired and he no longer needed it.  Additionally, because it has an expired date, it could casue others additional confusion.  Instead, they put a stamp in his passport and explained this will serve as his one year green card.  He wouldn't need anything else.  I was a bit concerned because we've also filed for the n400, and if they do his ROC at the same time as his naturalization interview (saw that has happened for some and they never received their 10 year card), that he would no longer have a green cart to surrender.  I asked if the officer made a note that he took the card.  My husband wasn't sure, but he didn't feel worried.  Have others had their green card cut up after getting the 551 stamp?

 

The officer was very nice and allowed my husband to ask many questions...  

 

My husband had mentioned that we had the CRI number and the i-751 number.  One number had said his case had been transferred to the field office and the other didn't say anything.  We had looked up the processing time online (it said field offices can take up to 46 months and the California Service Center said it would take up to 19 months...), but the officer thought that was backwards.  He explained that when CSC is overloaded they send cases to different field offices...meaning ours could go to any field office whose load is lighter NOT our specific field office.  The officer said that usually speeds up the process.  He also said the CRI 89 number is a back office number they use, and we should be using the I 751 number to look up information about our case.

 

He told my husband that it would have been better for us to have waited for naturalization.  According to the officer, the applications go in two different ways.  Rather than trigger the I-751 to get moving, the naturalization application will just be put aside until a decision can be made on the I-751.  There isn't a notification that is sent to say they can pick up and work on the naturalization once the I-751 is adjucated, so there's a chance it will just sit there unless we make another INFOpass to get it moving again.  I thought that information was a bit odd as I've heard of several people who have had both applications/interviews on the same day.  I think that's what is the most frustrating thing about the process.  There is often a different answer :).  I guess we will see how it all plays out for us.

 

And, after all the questions, they did send my husband to get his biometrics done.  So now he won't have to return tomorrow.  That was nice.

[mindthegap 2,590]

Yes.

Not all officers/officers do it, but most do.

The stamp is legal proof of status for document and travel purposes so don’t worry about it.

 

[sutu 6]

No.

 

My wife had I-551 stamped a few days ago.  The officer stamped, dated and wrote down gc# next to the stamp. He returned everything back to us including green card, extension letter.

[WeGuyGal 1,052]

Different USCIS officers have different ways of dealing with the physical green card once they dole out the i551 stamp. 

Some keep the gc and destroy it, while some give it back as is, still others cut it up like this thread illustrates.