Time to Call USCIS for Permanent Green Card 120 BUSINESS Days?

[Manda16 10]

Hi there, 

 

Apologies if this has already been asked. My husband entered on a CR-1, has a stamped I-551, and is waiting on his permanent green card (137 days since payment January 3, 108 days since POE February 1). I know it's typically 120 days from POE, but when we call for case status, it says to call USCIS 120 days from our date of payment. 

 

In the off chance we could get things moving, we've called USCIS a few times now. One agent agreed it had been beyond the standard processing time, and submitted an inquiry on our behalf. In response to this inquiry, they only confirmed payment and said to call 120 days from that date.... the whole reason we submitted an inquiry in the first place. An agent on Thursday asked us to call back in the morning to speak with a tier 2 agent since we clearly got an incorrect response on our inquiry and have to wait 30 days before we can make another one. Fast forward to today, the tier 2 agent said it is 120 BUSINESS days, not total days, and that we'd have to wait until late June to inquire. This is the first time USCIS has ever said that to us. 

 

Has anyone else heard this? 

 

Also, would it be crazy for my husband to travel internationally to visit his family before receiving the card? The tier 2 agent said he can travel with the stamped visa, but I've read some horror stories on here about that. 

 

Any advice you have would be great! Thanks VJ! 

[payxibka 10,045]

7 minutes ago, Manda16 said:

Hi there, 

 

Apologies if this has already been asked. My husband entered on a CR-1, has a stamped I-551, and is waiting on his permanent green card (137 days since payment January 3, 108 days since POE February 1). I know it's typically 120 days from POE, but when we call for case status, it says to call USCIS 120 days from our date of payment. 

 

In the off chance we could get things moving, we've called USCIS a few times now. One agent agreed it had been beyond the standard processing time, and submitted an inquiry on our behalf. In response to this inquiry, they only confirmed payment and said to call 120 days from that date.... the whole reason we submitted an inquiry in the first place. An agent on Thursday asked us to call back in the morning to speak with a tier 2 agent since we clearly got an incorrect response on our inquiry and have to wait 30 days before we can make another one. Fast forward to today, the tier 2 agent said it is 120 BUSINESS days, not total days, and that we'd have to wait until late June to inquire. This is the first time USCIS has ever said that to us. 

 

Has anyone else heard this? 

 

Also, would it be crazy for my husband to travel internationally to visit his family before receiving the card? The tier 2 agent said he can travel with the stamped visa, but I've read some horror stories on here about that. 

 

Any advice you have would be great! Thanks VJ! 

Not crazy to travel with the stamp in the passport.   One of the reasons they do this 

[nguoivietnam2019 67]

15 minutes ago, Manda16 said:

Hi there, 

 

Apologies if this has already been asked. My husband entered on a CR-1, has a stamped I-551, and is waiting on his permanent green card (137 days since payment January 3, 108 days since POE February 1). I know it's typically 120 days from POE, but when we call for case status, it says to call USCIS 120 days from our date of payment. 

 

In the off chance we could get things moving, we've called USCIS a few times now. One agent agreed it had been beyond the standard processing time, and submitted an inquiry on our behalf. In response to this inquiry, they only confirmed payment and said to call 120 days from that date.... the whole reason we submitted an inquiry in the first place. An agent on Thursday asked us to call back in the morning to speak with a tier 2 agent since we clearly got an incorrect response on our inquiry and have to wait 30 days before we can make another one. Fast forward to today, the tier 2 agent said it is 120 BUSINESS days, not total days, and that we'd have to wait until late June to inquire. This is the first time USCIS has ever said that to us. 

 

Has anyone else heard this? 

 

Also, would it be crazy for my husband to travel internationally to visit his family before receiving the card? The tier 2 agent said he can travel with the stamped visa, but I've read some horror stories on here about that. 

 

Any advice you have would be great! Thanks VJ! 

• If the payment is made before the POE, it is 120 days after POE. Otherwise, it is 120 days after the payment is made. US Consulate normally advises to make the payment before travel to US.  However, I think it is total number of days, including weekend days (well, this is what I have been believing).
• No issue travelling intentionally with the stamp.

 

 

 

 

 

[Crazy Cat 41,886]

20 minutes ago, Manda16 said:

Also, would it be crazy for my husband to travel internationally to visit his family before receiving the card?

The endorsed CR-1 visa IS a Green Card until the plastic one arrives........they are equivalent and can be used for travel, work, etc.

[Manda16 10]

3 minutes ago, nguoivietnam2019 said:

• If the payment is made before the POE, it is 120 days after POE. Otherwise, it is 120 days after the payment is made. US Consulate normally advises to make the payment before travel to US.  However, I think it is total number of days, including weekend days (well, this is what I have been believing).
• No issue travelling intentionally with the stamp.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks @nguoivietnam2019. I thought that too, but now twice in the last week they've said BUSINESS days, which is the first time any USCIS agent has mentioned that to us. I hate to be a conspiracy theorist but I am wondering if they are now saying this since issuing green cards seems to be going slower. Anyway, we are all no strangers to waiting at this point :/ We'll just hope everything is fine with the stamp. Thanks!

[nguoivietnam2019 67]

1 minute ago, Manda16 said:

Thanks @nguoivietnam2019. I thought that too, but now twice in the last week they've said BUSINESS days, which is the first time any USCIS agent has mentioned that to us. I hate to be a conspiracy theorist but I am wondering if they are now saying this since issuing green cards seems to be going slower. Anyway, we are all no strangers to waiting at this point :/ We'll just hope everything is fine with the stamp. Thanks!

My wife is also waiting for her physical Green Card and we hope we do not need to make any phone call with USCIS to find out if it is 120 days or 120 business days.

 

Anyway, your husband will be fine with the passport stamp, just do not travel when that stamp expired as it will cause some headache. 

[Ontarkie 14,226]

~~Moved to General Immigration, from IR1/CR1 P&P- THe OP's spouse has already entered the US on his visa.~~

[ahm12 83]

Did your case went to Texas service center ?

Did you landed without a visa packet , meaning visa packet was digital. 

if the above two are true , then pretty much your visa packet is lost. Technically its not lost but incompetent people at texas service center are not looking for it at the right place. 

 

Don't worry about it keep submitting request after 30 days wait period is over . Eventually they will give you a infopass appointment around 6-8 month mark and everything will be fixed. there are many people who went through this and going through this. Read through the thread below started by CWIGGIN. . You will understand whats going on. 

 

But if your case didn't go to texas service center. All of it that i said above does not apply. 

 

[Pitaya 2,577]

10 hours ago, ahm12 said:

Did your case went to Texas service center ?

Did you landed without a visa packet , meaning visa packet was digital. 

if the above two are true , then pretty much your visa packet is lost. Technically its not lost but incompetent people at texas service center are not looking for it at the right place. 

 

Don't worry about it keep submitting request after 30 days wait period is over . Eventually they will give you a infopass appointment around 6-8 month mark and everything will be fixed. there are many people who went through this and going through this. Read through the thread below started by CWIGGIN. . You will understand whats going on. 

 

But if your case didn't go to texas service center. All of it that i said above does not apply. 

 

Frankly, given the voluminous amount of paper and paper shuffling by likely entry to mid-level government bureaucratic workers in an organization that is worn out and woefully understaffed, I am somewhat surprised that this type of problem is not reported with increasing frequency.

 

And yet we have highly-paid appointed and elected government officials that could care less about how the well the government doesn't operate, and cannot even balance the government's budget in a reasonable manner. Go figure.....

 

YMMV

Good luck on your immigration journey.

[Maggie wallace 4]

I travelled to Egypt last summer to Egypt with the stamp.  I didn't have my physical card .but you will need to check the transit location .  Because some countries wouldn't just let him pass with the stamp . He might will have to apply for transit visa  to the country where he is going to be on layover 

 

[Sharon & Thomas 24]

On 5/21/2019 at 8:32 AM, ahm12 said:

Did your case went to Texas service center ?

Did you landed without a visa packet , meaning visa packet was digital. 

if the above two are true , then pretty much your visa packet is lost. Technically its not lost but incompetent people at texas service center are not looking for it at the right place. 

 

Don't worry about it keep submitting request after 30 days wait period is over . Eventually they will give you a infopass appointment around 6-8 month mark and everything will be fixed. there are many people who went through this and going through this. Read through the thread below started by CWIGGIN. . You will understand whats going on. 

 

But if your case didn't go to texas service center. All of it that i said above does not apply. 

 

Hello, how do we know our case was going to Texas service center? I’m the one waiting for physical green card with I-551 stamp. I’m at 131 days now and just requested an inquiry last week. But until today, my case is still showing payment received. Very frustrated...