Lost Extension letter

[thatguyuknow 147]

Hi Everyone, 

 

Well my week just gets better and better. I needed to submit a FOIA request for my I-94 (they're not online after 5 years) and now I have lost my Extension letter. 

 

Called USCIS, 30 days for an info pass appointment?! Thought I would've got something within 72 hours. 

 

I'm due to fly out on the 20th, going back to the UK to see family for Christmas (first time since I came here, covid etc)

 

Questions: 

1. Can I leave the US on my British Passport without my ext letter? (I guess they don't care when you're leaving)

2. I have  copy of the letter, can this help me? (photocopy)

3. Could I visit the London Embassy when I'm there to get my passport stamped so I can come home?

4. Could a tier 2 help me? Is it always 30 days? They deemed it Non Urgent 

 

I just want to see my family and stupidly I lost my letter. 

 

Thanks, Everyone

[Crazy Cat 41,851]

You need an emergency Infopass appointment for an ADIT stamp.  In September, my wife had a stamp within 24 hours after I called them.  But, your time is short.  

1.  Yes, you can leave.  No one processes through immigration when leaving the US.

2.  Maybe.....If the airlines will let you board the flight back to the US.

3.  USCIS issues ADIT stamps, not DOS.

4.  Try to get an EMERGENCY infopass appointment.

Edited December 16, 2021 by Crazy Cat

[thatguyuknow 147]

28 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

You need an emergency Infopass appointment for an ADIT stamp.  In September, my wife had a stamp within 24 hours after I called them.  But, your time is short.  

1.  Yes, you can leave.  No one processes through immigration when leaving the US.

2.  Maybe.....If the airlines will let you board the flight back to the US.

3.  USCIS issues ADIT stamps, not DOS.

4.  Try to get an EMERGENCY infopass appointment.

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate you. 

 

3. So I couldn't try and get my ADIT stamp at the London Embassy when I'm there?

 

 

USCIS have thrown me into a 30day wait period. They don't deem it to be an Emergency or for need of urgent attention. To be seen I would have to provide documentation to show family emergency or money loss etc. 

[thatguyuknow 147]

Doing a bit more research, people are suggesting walking into USCIS. Worth a shot! It's only 10 min from my house, plus I'll can get a Starbucks!

 

Hopefully they let me in! *Zombie 

[Crazy Cat 41,851]

21 minutes ago, thatguyuknow said:

Doing a bit more research, people are suggesting walking into USCIS. Worth a shot! It's only 10 min from my house, plus I'll can get a Starbucks!

 

Hopefully they let me in! *Zombie 

Might work.  Let us know.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

14 hours ago, thatguyuknow said:

3. So I couldn't try and get my ADIT stamp at the London Embassy when I'm there?

There is no USCIS office in London. The embassy is Dept of State. They have no authority to stamp passports.

 

If you have an expired greencard and a photocopy of your extension letter, you ought to be able to talk your way onboard the plane. Tell them you only carry a photocopy so you don’t lose the original. Arriving in the US, the immigration people can look up your record if needed to verify your extension.

[RamonGomez 271]

15 hours ago, thatguyuknow said:

....

3. Could I visit the London Embassy when I'm there to get my passport stamped so I can come home?

 

 

You might be able to get a boarding foil from the embassy. But with all the headaches and COVID closures I'm not sure how easy it is. It's also fairly expensive IIRC.

 

The biggest issue is going to be boarding the plane.  I'm not sure if a picture of the extension letter will do it, but who knows.

 

Some ideas:

- Try to get an emergency USCIS appointment.

- Can you print off a high quality copy of the letter? Airline employees may not be able to tell the difference between a high quality copy and the real letter. We have a high resolution scan of all USCIS documents for this reason.

- Not sure if this would work, but can you board the plane in the UK as a "tourist" and then hop on in the citizen/PR line when you land in the US?

- As a last resort you could fly to Canada/Mexico as a tourist and cross the land border back into the US as well.

 

Either way you'll have to go through secondary inspection but you should be okay there. Good luck!

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by RamonGomez

[El Escocés 217]

22 minutes ago, RamonGomez said:

Not sure if this would work, but can you board the plane in the UK as a "tourist" and then hop on in the citizen/PR line when you land in the US?

IAH doesn’t allow PR’s in the US citizen line which was the reason why I applied for Global Entry. 

[RamonGomez 271]

4 minutes ago, El Escocés said:

IAH doesn’t allow PR’s in the US citizen line which was the reason why I applied for Global Entry. 

Then OP can hop in the non-citizen line and explain what happened to the officer

[Crazy Cat 41,851]

 

2 minutes ago, RamonGomez said:

Then OP can hop in the non-citizen line and explain what happened to the officer

Exactly.  My wife and I went through the same line...I don't remember which line. ....No problem.

[Loren Y 2,755]

48 minutes ago, El Escocés said:

IAH doesn’t allow PR’s in the US citizen line which was the reason why I applied for Global Entry. 

Just September of this year Me and my wife returned from Brazil thru Panama into IAH where we cleared customs. My wife a PR green card holder came thru the US citizen line with me with no issues at all. CBP has told us multiple times she is more than welcome to use the US citizen line with me. Maybe it's because she is traveling with a US citizen husband, But we have been thru many POE's since she has been a PR, and we always use the US citizen line.

[El Escocés 217]

Yes when I was with my wife, it wasn’t an issue to join that line. Otherwise was pushed to the other line

 

But anyway, whether you can join the citizen line or not isn’t something I’m gonna get my knickers in a twist about, especially on an Internet forum 

Edited December 17, 2021 by El Escocés

[thatguyuknow 147]

Thought I would post an update

 

1. Tried to walk into a USCIS office - No dice. Spoke to a really nice security agent (I know if she could've helped me she would have) - She said there was no one physically there to see me/refer me to.

2. Called USCIS again to pled my case, spoke to a really helpful agent. Turns out they posted me the 24 month extension letter on Tuesday!!! Signed up for informed delivery and got it yesterday. What a stoke of luck! It was meant to be I suppose. (Why they wouldn't just tell me this and have me go through the infopass nonsense I dont know) 

 

Well thats the end of that. Thanks everyone