I-551 Stamp instead of 48-month extension. Asking for some input.

[Olga&Jared 267]

Hey guys!

I have a question regarding receiving I-551 by Mail. 2 weeks ago I received a physical mail from my local San Francisco office saying that 

 

"USCIS has granted your request and enclosed temporary evidence of your legal status on the Form I-94 with a temporary I-551 stamp. Your I-94# is ******. Your remain authorized to work and travel. Your form I-94 provides evidence of your lawful permanent resident status only until the date referenced on the Form I-94s accompanying I-551 stamp. Please allow seven to ten days to receive your document by mail". 

 

This letter is dated June 1st, and I still haven't received anything else. I called USCIS earlier today to ask if there was anything else sent to me but they just put me in line for another call from my local office. Helpful as always 🙄.

 

I requested this stamp because I haven't received a 48-months extension letter that was issued earlier this year to everyone who has a pending I-751, and I couldn't obtain it through e-requests (I already submitted 2 and they both were ignored). If you have an experience receiving this stamp by mail, how long did it take you to receive an actual document after getting this confirmation?

 

I also don't know what to do with I-94 number that was stated in this letter. When I checked my most recent I-94 online, I saw information on my very first entry under K1 visa back in 2019. It also has a different number attached to it, and no other information. 

 

I'm getting anxious here. Filed I-751 in November 2021 (WAC), filed N-400 in February 2023 (San Francisco), no 48-month extension. No stamp, still. Any input will be very much appreciated!

[Mike E 11,739]

It is time to do a DIY Writ of Mandamus on the I-751 so that you get an actual 10 year gc.

[Olga&Jared 267]

13 minutes ago, Mike E said:

It is time to do a DIY Writ of Mandamus on the I-751 so that you get an actual 10 year gc.

I read the thread where you talk about it. I’m thinking of possibly doing it closer to November when my 24-month extension expires and if I still am not invited for N-400 interview. 

[Mike E 11,739]

26 minutes ago, Olga&Jared said:

I read the thread where you talk about it. I’m thinking of possibly doing it closer to November when my 24-month extension expires and if I still am not invited for N-400 interview. 

If your 24 month extension is still valid, why are you seeking an I-551 stamp?

[Olga&Jared 267]

5 minutes ago, Mike E said:

If your 24 month extension is still valid, why are you seeking an I-551 stamp?

I wasn’t seeking the stamp, I was seeking a 48-month extension that they owe me and that was never sent to me. They said they’d give me a stamp instead even though my request was always about a 48-month extension. Given that I’ve been trying to get something out of them for 2 months now (still unsuccessfully), I’m glad I’ve started early. 

[Mike E 11,739]

Are they promising a stamp good for 48 months from the expiration of your gc?

[Olga&Jared 267]

Just now, Mike E said:

Are they promising a stamp good for 48 months from the expiration of your gc?

No, I don’t even know for how long it is valid, they didn’t say in that confirmation. I suspect it’s probably valid for a year. I just need something since my N-400 might take a while based on my local office stats. 

[Mike E 11,739]

I will be surprised if you see an I-551 stamp before November.

[igoyougoduke 1,656]

5 hours ago, Olga&Jared said:

Hey guys!

I have a question regarding receiving I-551 by Mail. 2 weeks ago I received a physical mail from my local San Francisco office saying that 

 

"USCIS has granted your request and enclosed temporary evidence of your legal status on the Form I-94 with a temporary I-551 stamp. Your I-94# is ******. Your remain authorized to work and travel. Your form I-94 provides evidence of your lawful permanent resident status only until the date referenced on the Form I-94s accompanying I-551 stamp. Please allow seven to ten days to receive your document by mail". 

 

This letter is dated June 1st, and I still haven't received anything else. I called USCIS earlier today to ask if there was anything else sent to me but they just put me in line for another call from my local office. Helpful as always 🙄.

 

I requested this stamp because I haven't received a 48-months extension letter that was issued earlier this year to everyone who has a pending I-751, and I couldn't obtain it through e-requests (I already submitted 2 and they both were ignored). If you have an experience receiving this stamp by mail, how long did it take you to receive an actual document after getting this confirmation?

 

I also don't know what to do with I-94 number that was stated in this letter. When I checked my most recent I-94 online, I saw information on my very first entry under K1 visa back in 2019. It also has a different number attached to it, and no other information. 

 

I'm getting anxious here. Filed I-751 in November 2021 (WAC), filed N-400 in February 2023 (San Francisco), no 48-month extension. No stamp, still. Any input will be very much appreciated!

i think the idiots at USCIS are working backwards with sending out the 48 month extensions. like the new applicants are getting 48 months extensions before older applications. i doubt they have got to 2021 yet.. 

 

iam puzzled by them sending i-94 along with a letter. this is really new.. never heard about this.. may be you do have the 48 month extension letter in mail. who knows 

 

i beleive this is the new process https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-announces-additional-mail-delivery-process-for-receiving-adit-stamp

 

[Olga&Jared 267]

3 hours ago, igoyougoduke said:

i think the idiots at USCIS are working backwards with sending out the 48 month extensions. like the new applicants are getting 48 months extensions before older applications. i doubt they have got to 2021 yet.. 

 

iam puzzled by them sending i-94 along with a letter. this is really new.. never heard about this.. may be you do have the 48 month extension letter in mail. who knows 

 

i beleive this is the new process https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-announces-additional-mail-delivery-process-for-receiving-adit-stamp

 

I honestly don’t know how exactly they’re sending 48-month extensions, I’m judging based on VJ topics. Quite a few people among 2021 applicants received theirs somewhere between end of February-mid April, that’s why it makes me feel like I was left out. I did see couple more people who didn’t get theirs but it seems like an exception rather than a rule at this point.

 

Thank you for the link! Yes, it definitely is new. I wonder if they ended up not sending me actual documents following the confirmation because I still have a valid extension letter like Mike was saying, but then it’s weird that they granted me this confirmation in the first place. I still don’t understand why it’s so hard to send me a 48-month extension. Phone support seems to be completely in the dark on this topic, and missing form requests are being ignored whatsoever. 
 

After 5 years in this process I don’t trust in the system at all, that’s why when I get extra red flags beyond the insanely long processing times, I start panicking and want some reassurances 🤪.

[OldUser 6,636]

4 hours ago, igoyougoduke said:

i think the idiots at USCIS are working backwards with sending out the 48 month extensions. like the new applicants are getting 48 months extensions before older applications. i doubt they have got to 2021 yet.. 

2021 filer here, about same time as @Olga&Jared, also WAC. Received my 48 month extension few months ago. And I know someone who filed around that time too and got 10 year GC already.

Edited June 17, 2023 by OldUser

[Olga&Jared 267]

Small update. An officer from my local San Francisco office called me today and said that my 48-month extension should be mailed to me within 30 days of my current extension letter's expiration. If it's not he's going to issue that stamp. He also told me that 48-month extensions are mostly issued when someone's current extension is coming to the end and it makes sense that I haven't received mine. That doesn't seem accurate though given that a lot of users here already received theirs long before their 24-month extension expires but I have no other choice but wait once again 🤪 At least, I spoke to someone who knows about 48-month extension's existence. 

[Mike E 11,739]

3 minutes ago, Olga&Jared said:

expiration. If it's not he's going to issue that stamp. He also told me that 48-month extensions are mostly issued when someone's current extension is coming to the end

There are enough counter examples to suggest that the ISO you spoke to is at best misinformed. But as I earlier posted, I do agree with him on one thing: you are not getting an ADIT with months left on your current extension letter.

[Olga&Jared 267]

Just now, Mike E said:

But as I earlier posted, I do agree with him on one thing: you are not getting an ADIT with months left on your current extension letter.

I agree, it makes sense. I'm more emotional about it because given current processing times it's not a pleasant feeling to be "left out". Hopefully, my N-400 interview gets scheduled by the time it expires. 

[beloved_dingo 1,976]

On 6/17/2023 at 2:27 PM, igoyougoduke said:

i think the idiots at USCIS are working backwards with sending out the 48 month extensions. like the new applicants are getting 48 months extensions before older applications. i doubt they have got to 2021 yet.. 

 

iam puzzled by them sending i-94 along with a letter. this is really new.. never heard about this.. may be you do have the 48 month extension letter in mail. who knows 

 

i beleive this is the new process https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-announces-additional-mail-delivery-process-for-receiving-adit-stamp

 

We were Nov. 2021 filers and got the 48 month extension March 7th.

1 minute ago, Olga&Jared said:

I agree, it makes sense. I'm more emotional about it because given current processing times it's not a pleasant feeling to be "left out". Hopefully, my N-400 interview gets scheduled by the time it expires. 

So sorry you're dealing with the USCIS' unsurprising incompetence. I hope you get good news with the N-400 in the next 4-5 months and avoid the hassle of an expiring extension letter altogether.