Our Hempstead biometrics experience

[RosaMystica7 0]

There were some things I wished I knew before going so I thought I would put them in a post. Maybe someone down the line will do a search for "Hempstead" before going to their biometrics and this will help.

The area of Hempstead that the ASC is in seemed, to us, to be very unsafe. It reminded us of our missionary days in the South Bronx, to be honest. They did not search us for cell phones and did not have metal detectors or anything of the like. So my advice is to bring anything valuable in with you, just keep anything that could make noise turned off. I had forgotten to take my digital camera out of my purse, plus there were our two cell phones and the face plate for my car's CD player. Had I known that it wouldn't jeopardize anything I would have brought all of that inside in my purse. I felt so uncomfortable leaving it all in my car.

Bring money to pay for meters. An hour is 50 cents. It takes quarters and dollar bills. We paid for 2 hours just to be safe but were out of there in about 30 minutes. If you want off street parking: Coming from Jackson St. going straight on Main St., the first left after you pass the courthouse on the right and mall on the left has a metered parking lot.

The ASC's office is very hard to find. It's inside that mall! The mall is 100 Main Street. Go in the entrance with an arch over it and suite B will be on your right side. You will think you're in the wrong place because there's stores and eyeglasses places and whatnot. But it's there.

When we walked in they took his passport and biometrics appointment notice, gave him a form to fill out and a number. They let me sit with him without even asking who I was. They called his number before he could even complete the form. They stamped his biometrics notice, checked over and made a copy of the form (which he completed in front of him) and a copy of the stamped biometrics notice, and gave it all back to him and told him to sit down. We waited about another 10-15 minutes til they called him in. I had to stay in the waiting area, they took him just behind a half-wall that was covered by plants so we couldn't see them. They took his fingerprints and a photo, and handed him a little survey on a yellow piece of paper to fill out. He put the completed survey in a slot on the wall and that was that.

We had an hour long drive home so I asked to use a restroom. They handed me a key. I walked down the hall and around a flight of stairs, and the restroom was there. Let me tell you, ladies, if you think you'll have to use the restroom there learn how to pee standing up and bring a bottle of hand sanitizer with you! It was absolutely G-R-O-S-S and the sinks were nearly as gross as the toilets.

All in all the people were very kind to us both, and like I said we were in and out of there in about a half an hour. But we drove around in circles for about 20 minutes looking for the building just to realize that 100 Main St. is a mall and freaking out that maybe we had the wrong Main St... then drove around in circles even more looking for parking... we had to scrounge our pockets for quarters for the meters... we were completely shocked that the ASC would be in such an unsafe area of the neighborhood... and the bathroom issue was rather interesting. So I just thought I'd put a warning out there for other Long Islanders who end up in Hempstead for their biometrics so you know what to expect.

Edited July 15, 2007 by Angilla

[Dr_LHA 3]

The area of Hempstead that the ASC is in seemed, to us, to be very unsafe.

Government offices often seem to be in crappy areas! The York, PA ASC is literally in the grounds of a state prison for example! Lovely.

[RosaMystica7 0]

IN the grounds of a state prison? Whoa. What're they trying to do, scare the immigrants away?

Edited July 15, 2007 by Angilla

[cshell 0]

Hi Angilla,

I found your post just as you mentioned by doing a search for "Hempstead." The biometrics for my husband will be the July 27 so I appreciate your timely post. I only know of you and lisaf that have been to Hempstead. I greatly appreciate the info on how to find the place. I think from what you are describing it is near to traffic court - was there a parking garage there? I will need to look on the map before going.

[RosaMystica7 0]

Oh good cshell - I'm glad I could help! There was no parking garage that I saw in the circles we drove in, but there's a metered parking lot (50 cents an hour) right around the corner from the mall that the ASC is in. Here, I'll doodle on a mapquest map. Click it to open the full-size image.

Just be careful you don't pick a parking lot that's "court employees only", this was the only public lot we saw.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask. And after your husband's biometrics maybe post here with your experience, it'd be great to build up an informational post for people after us!

Edited July 18, 2007 by Angilla

[cshell 0]

So yesterday my husband and I went to his biometrics appt in Hempstead. It was scheduled for 1PM. We were running a few min late but Angilla did a nice job of explaining were it was in post #1 and it's location. If you know where the east side of the courthouse is then it is directly across from there. There are two entrances into the "mall." As I said we entered on the courthouse side. I understand Angilla's feeling of it being an unsafe neirborhood. But, it is Hempstead, it is a mixed community. I personally feel fine in the area during the day. Just next door to the mall is where I buy my plane tickets from Delgato travel when I travel to S. and Central America - nice discounts. Anyway, when we went inside the mall to Suite B, there was a sign on the door to wait outside. Which we did until we were waved inside. Our experience was the same as Angilla's but we were in and out of the place in 20 min. They even asked if my husband liked the photo of him. If not the lady was willing to take it again. So now biometrics is done for the I-485 and I-765. And on our receipt notice they were both listed in the box marked Case Type in the upper left. Because of that we got one biometrics letter not two.

Edited July 28, 2007 by cshell

[RosaMystica7 0]

Thanks for posting your experience.

I understand Angilla's feeling of it being an unsafe neirborhood. But, it is Hempstead, it is a mixed community.

I have no problem with mixed communities. The place could have been all white people and I still would've felt unsafe, just because the area seemed to be (in my opinion) run-down. Then again, that's coming from someone in Suffolk County. I spent time in the South Bronx, but other than that I never really spent much time in Nassau or the city, so I'm not used to it.

[cshell 0]

Oh I forgot to mention that if a person doesn't drive that both the train (LIRR) and bus station (major hub) are 1 block away.

Angilla - once again thanks for the original post it was a help to me and my husband in finding the place