I-751: Congressional Inquiry and Pregnancy Stuff…

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

This is just to let you know as to what happened on Monday April 13^th, when I went to my local congressperson to inquire and intervene about my immigration case. I also had some pregnancy testing and shopping done that day too.

8:45am- Went to my doctor’s office, with a letter in hand written by me and addressed to her, hoping she’d write a medical note explaining my medical situation, and telling her I’d be back later to pick it up to add to my other evidence to show a local congressperson.

9:15am-10:20am – Went to the medical lab next door to get a glucose test for pregnancy done. It was crowded when I got there, and it took awhile to get registered and get my test done. My test began, with me drinking a very carbonated orange soda-like drink, which made me feel very dizzy and nauseous, especially more so that I had to fast/not eat/not drink anything beforehand. I had to wait for the next hour or so in the crowded waiting room, so luckily I had brought some paperwork to complete. So during that time, I filled out the forms and organized the paperwork (about 15+ pages or so) that I needed to give to the congressperson and/or their office staff that I was going to meet later on that afternoon. The time had gone by pretty quickly while I was filling out those forms, as before I knew it, I was called back in, had my blood drawn out, and was done with that.

11:00am – Went back to the doctor’s office to pick up the medical note. I was surprised that instead of a short note, I got a full page letter detailing my entire medical situation, and as it relates to my high-risk pregnancy and how it affects my immigration case.

1:00pm – Went to my local (ok, not so local for me) Congressperson’s office. My husband and I met with an office staff member, who we spoke to privately in a small conference room there, as I explained my immigration situation. I detailed as to how I’ve been waiting for the I-751 for the last 8+ months, that I’ve tried expediting my case before, but with no success, and that this is seriously affecting my already high-risk pregnancy as it is a serious matter that I’ve been worrying a lot about. They were very nice, going over all the details of our case, asking us how long we’ve been married, and kind of felt sorry about the whole situation. As well, she was surprised that we would come all this way (it’s a long drive, and as she said she drove almost the same distance and way to work there too) to meet with them. She also said that they would be able to help by calling their “immigration expert”. So she tried calling him then, but they were busy at the time, so we left our phone number and told them to call us back later.

1:30pm-3:30pm – Went shopping for more baby supplies/items while we were waiting for the telephone call back, since we were in the city anyways. I had a great time shopping, as my husband and I walked through Babies R Us, in search of the items that we needed. I was happy that we were able to find the perfect blue-coloured car seat and stroller set, and baby mattress covers that we were looking for awhile for, but couldn’t find anywhere else. Oh baby shopping we went, and had a great time with such, indeed! I can’t wait to see how our baby will enjoy these new items, when they are ready for such.

3:30pm-5:30pm– Went back to our local area, as it was getting late and I was feeling tired. On the way back, we also went to the local grocery store for some food too.

5:30-6:00pm – Received a phone call on our cell phone while I was grocery shopping. I quickly ran out the door to answer the call, and it was the “immigration expert” that had called back. And this is how that telephone conversation went:

Expert: My name is (insert name here) and I’m calling back from (congressperson’s office), as I just received your pile of information in front of me, and would like to talk to you more about it. First of all, don’t worry about this, just focus on the pregnancy instead. I’ve had 10+ years of experience dealing with immigration cases, and your case isn’t a problem at all.

Ant: Ok thanks. It’s good to know there is an expert that can handle this case.

Expert: Can you drive?

Ant: Huh? Well, I got my NYS license, and it’s still valid for about 4 years or so. (plus I drove in Canada for many years before as well)

Expert: Well your situation is like driving a car but forgetting to take your license out.

Ant: I don’t drive without my license, as that would be illegal anyways.

Expert: But your green card and your extension letter is still valid. And if that expires, you can still get an I-551 stamp on your Canadian passport.

Ant: Well, my green card isn’t valid, as on the surface, the date on it says that it’s expired. My extension letter is faded, soiled, wrinkled, etc. And if I get a passport stamp, they are going to take my 2yr green card away.

Expert: They won’t take your card away. How do you know that?

Ant: Well I’ve personally known someone who had that happen to them (which is true).

Expert: Even if that is the case, they can still scan your card at the border and it will still say that it is valid. And if you have any problems at the border, you can call me (gives me their telephone number), as I’ve dealt with the guards at the border before.

Ant: Still, I don’t feel comfortable traveling and having a card that appears to be expired. More importantly so, I don’t feel comfortable knowing what the status of my immigration is, whether it is approved, denied, called for an interview, or an rfe, and that I would need the extra time and paperwork to prepare for that.

Expert: You’re still married, so you probably won’t get called for an interview.

Ant: Still, it’s the indecisiveness of the decision, as well as the unfairness of the USCIS promising 6 months and me waiting 8+ months still, the inconsistency between the VSC and CSC, and the fact that they don’t deliver as promised (which I also mentioned in the paperwork that I gave their office too). As well, and more importantly so, I don’t want to be worrying about this through the rest of my pregnancy, as I don’t want to put that in danger, especially in light of all my pregnancy problems before and as it’s during the 3^rd trimester, when the baby is about to be born.

Expert: I’ve known cases where people have applied for US Citizenship before they got their I-751 approved.

Ant: So what’s the point of this I-751 stage then, if one is going to get citizenship beforehand? A lot of people don’t have that kind of money to spend, and it is pointless to have a 10yr green card that I paid for and can’t even use.

Expert: Some people never become citizens, and do keep and use that 10yr card.

Ant: Well, that isn’t the case for many people, and it just seems like such a waste.

Expert: Re-explains about what the I-751 process is about. Also, the USCIS doesn’t have enough man-power to deal with such. And if they did, they would have to increase the fees.

Ant: They already increased the fees from $180 to $545 recently, so why can’t they get it done quicker now? As well, I don’t understand why it takes 2 weeks for an EDL (enhanced driver’s license), 2-4 weeks for a US passport, and 3 months for a 2yr green card, all of which contain the same machine-readable coded information for travel and identification on it.

Expert: According to the USCIS, on a scale from 1-10, the I-751 is ranked a 2, for low priority. They are working on other more important cases instead. As well, they only have 10 officers or so at a time working on such cases I-751 cases, versus the passport office which has 80-100 people.

Ant: Still, there could be improvements made there. And if they can’t promise service in a specified amount of time, then that’s bad customer service there.

Expert: (silence on the phone for several seconds or so).

Ant: Hello?

Expert: Anyways, I’ll call the California Service Center for you tomorrow, and see if I can inquire about your file. Until then, don’t worry and enjoy your child instead.

Ant: Ok, thanks. Again, it was nice talking to an expert like you, and hopefully things can be resolved for my case here.

(Ant hangs up the phone, goes back into the store to continue grocery shopping).

Overall, I thought that the “immigration expert” seemed nice and informative there, and wanted to help, but at the same time was “neutral” about the issues at hand. Nevertheless, I did get my point across for me and for all of you out there who have similar concerns regarding their I-751 immigration cases too.

Meanwhile, I still keep on waiting….for both my immigration case to be resolved and for the Baby, both expected to happen soon…Remember, don’t give up!...

Ant (Still waiting for I-751, Still waiting for Baby…)

Edited April 16, 2009 by AntandD

[Old Dominion 26]

Good luck with what's ahead. As you already know, no single member of Congress is able to do anything about the immigration system, its regulations, and its priorities. A staff person is even less likely to be able to make any changes -- they simply must learn how it works and do their best with what exists. In effect, they can only inquire of USCIS and sometimes that will get USCIS to dislodge a stray application from its nesting place. In any event, you have a very effective senior Senator and USCIS tends to listen to Senators' offices a bit more quickly - there are only 100 of them, and 435 in Congress. Every Senator has a website, and also regional offices. Try Sen. Schumer's office in a few days.

The border folks at Peace Bridge are easy to deal with -- in daylight, at least. The "expert" is right -- they will be glad to talk with him/her.

The "expert's" view is right on -- worry not about your green card.

[jasminelily 1]

Hello Ant,

It's always great to read about your updates. I'm glad that now there is an expert going to inquire about your case for you. Although we haven't got any children yet, but I do understand how stressful it can be dealing with high risk pregnancy and immigration mess at the same time. That's also a reason why we don't want baby until I get my citizenship, as we want to move to a bigger place before I get pregnant, and I also refuse to move or travel out of country until all immigration mess is taking care of. Another reason is that immigration mess sucked up big chunk of our savings so I can't pay for the expensive round trip air fare for two people to/from HK. Really hope that HK is next door close like you can drive to Canada.

Here is a sincere wish for you and your hubby will have a cute healthy baby and still confident that you'll have your GC before baby is born.

Again, more good luck on both of our Very Journey!

jasminelily

[Immigrant2009 0]

Hi Everyone,

This is just to let you know as to what happened on Monday April 13^th, when I went to my local congressperson to inquire and intervene about my immigration case. I also had some pregnancy testing and shopping done that day too.

8:45am- Went to my doctor’s office, with a letter in hand written by me and addressed to her, hoping she’d write a medical note explaining my medical situation, and telling her I’d be back later to pick it up to add to my other evidence to show a local congressperson.

9:15am-10:20am – Went to the medical lab next door to get a glucose test for pregnancy done. It was crowded when I got there, and it took awhile to get registered and get my test done. My test began, with me drinking a very carbonated orange soda-like drink, which made me feel very dizzy and nauseous, especially more so that I had to fast/not eat/not drink anything beforehand. I had to wait for the next hour or so in the crowded waiting room, so luckily I had brought some paperwork to complete. So during that time, I filled out the forms and organized the paperwork (about 15+ pages or so) that I needed to give to the congressperson and/or their office staff that I was going to meet later on that afternoon. The time had gone by pretty quickly while I was filling out those forms, as before I knew it, I was called back in, had my blood drawn out, and was done with that.

11:00am – Went back to the doctor’s office to pick up the medical note. I was surprised that instead of a short note, I got a full page letter detailing my entire medical situation, and as it relates to my high-risk pregnancy and how it affects my immigration case.

1:00pm – Went to my local (ok, not so local for me) Congressperson’s office. My husband and I met with an office staff member, who we spoke to privately in a small conference room there, as I explained my immigration situation. I detailed as to how I’ve been waiting for the I-751 for the last 8+ months, that I’ve tried expediting my case before, but with no success, and that this is seriously affecting my already high-risk pregnancy as it is a serious matter that I’ve been worrying a lot about. They were very nice, going over all the details of our case, asking us how long we’ve been married, and kind of felt sorry about the whole situation. As well, she was surprised that we would come all this way (it’s a long drive, and as she said she drove almost the same distance and way to work there too) to meet with them. She also said that they would be able to help by calling their “immigration expert”. So she tried calling him then, but they were busy at the time, so we left our phone number and told them to call us back later.

1:30pm-3:30pm – Went shopping for more baby supplies/items while we were waiting for the telephone call back, since we were in the city anyways. I had a great time shopping, as my husband and I walked through Babies R Us, in search of the items that we needed. I was happy that we were able to find the perfect blue-coloured car seat and stroller set, and baby mattress covers that we were looking for awhile for, but couldn’t find anywhere else. Oh baby shopping we went, and had a great time with such, indeed! I can’t wait to see how our baby will enjoy these new items, when they are ready for such.

3:30pm-5:30pm– Went back to our local area, as it was getting late and I was feeling tired. On the way back, we also went to the local grocery store for some food too.

5:30-6:00pm – Received a phone call on our cell phone while I was grocery shopping. I quickly ran out the door to answer the call, and it was the “immigration expert” that had called back. And this is how that telephone conversation went:

Expert: My name is (insert name here) and I’m calling back from (congressperson’s office), as I just received your pile of information in front of me, and would like to talk to you more about it. First of all, don’t worry about this, just focus on the pregnancy instead. I’ve had 10+ years of experience dealing with immigration cases, and your case isn’t a problem at all.

Ant: Ok thanks. It’s good to know there is an expert that can handle this case.

Expert: Can you drive?

Ant: Huh? Well, I got my NYS license, and it’s still valid for about 4 years or so. (plus I drove in Canada for many years before as well)

Expert: Well your situation is like driving a car but forgetting to take your license out.

Ant: I don’t drive without my license, as that would be illegal anyways.

Expert: But your green card and your extension letter is still valid. And if that expires, you can still get an I-551 stamp on your Canadian passport.

Ant: Well, my green card isn’t valid, as on the surface, the date on it says that it’s expired. My extension letter is faded, soiled, wrinkled, etc. And if I get a passport stamp, they are going to take my 2yr green card away.

Expert: They won’t take your card away. How do you know that?

Ant: Well I’ve personally known someone who had that happen to them (which is true).

Expert: Even if that is the case, they can still scan your card at the border and it will still say that it is valid. And if you have any problems at the border, you can call me (gives me their telephone number), as I’ve dealt with the guards at the border before.

Ant: Still, I don’t feel comfortable traveling and having a card that appears to be expired. More importantly so, I don’t feel comfortable knowing what the status of my immigration is, whether it is approved, denied, called for an interview, or an rfe, and that I would need the extra time and paperwork to prepare for that.

Expert: You’re still married, so you probably won’t get called for an interview.

Ant: Still, it’s the indecisiveness of the decision, as well as the unfairness of the USCIS promising 6 months and me waiting 8+ months still, the inconsistency between the VSC and CSC, and the fact that they don’t deliver as promised (which I also mentioned in the paperwork that I gave their office too). As well, and more importantly so, I don’t want to be worrying about this through the rest of my pregnancy, as I don’t want to put that in danger, especially in light of all my pregnancy problems before and as it’s during the 3^rd trimester, when the baby is about to be born.

Expert: I’ve known cases where people have applied for US Citizenship before they got their I-751 approved.

Ant: So what’s the point of this I-751 stage then, if one is going to get citizenship beforehand? A lot of people don’t have that kind of money to spend, and it is pointless to have a 10yr green card that I paid for and can’t even use.

Expert: Some people never become citizens, and do keep and use that 10yr card.

Ant: Well, that isn’t the case for many people, and it just seems like such a waste.

Expert: Re-explains about what the I-751 process is about. Also, the USCIS doesn’t have enough man-power to deal with such. And if they did, they would have to increase the fees.

Ant: They already increased the fees from $180 to $545 recently, so why can’t they get it done quicker now? As well, I don’t understand why it takes 2 weeks for an EDL (enhanced driver’s license), 2-4 weeks for a US passport, and 3 months for a 2yr green card, all of which contain the same machine-readable coded information for travel and identification on it.

Expert: According to the USCIS, on a scale from 1-10, the I-751 is ranked a 2, for low priority. They are working on other more important cases instead. As well, they only have 10 officers or so at a time working on such cases I-751 cases, versus the passport office which has 80-100 people.

Ant: Still, there could be improvements made there. And if they can’t promise service in a specified amount of time, then that’s bad customer service there.

Expert: (silence on the phone for several seconds or so).

Ant: Hello?

Expert: Anyways, I’ll call the California Service Center for you tomorrow, and see if I can inquire about your file. Until then, don’t worry and enjoy your child instead.

Ant: Ok, thanks. Again, it was nice talking to an expert like you, and hopefully things can be resolved for my case here.

(Ant hangs up the phone, goes back into the store to continue grocery shopping).

Overall, I thought that the “immigration expert” seemed nice and informative there, and wanted to help, but at the same time was “neutral” about the issues at hand. Nevertheless, I did get my point across for me and for all of you out there who have similar concerns regarding their I-751 immigration cases too.

Meanwhile, I still keep on waiting….for both my immigration case to be resolved and for the Baby, both expected to happen soon…Remember, don’t give up!...

Ant (Still waiting for I-751, Still waiting for Baby…)

Ant,

It's always pleasure to read your posts. You make them enjoyable to read. While i was reading you post, literally it felt like i was in a movie and everything played out visually in front of me thanks to your writing.

Now it's just a matter of time. The expert's inquire will force CSC to expedite your case hopefully and you will get your GC soon. I would suggest if you get approved in 2 weeks or so, you can take approval letter and visit Canada after couple of days of getting it rather than waiting for the card, as i am sure when you come back the card must be waiting for you in mail or your hubby might hold it for you.

Also since you have the contact info of the Immigration Expert that would give you a big plus when entering back to USA.

Normally i do scan and make PDFs of important documents so that i have an electronic backup, so that God forbid if you loose the original you have copy of it handy. make copies of your GC,NOA,biometeric letter just for your reference

You are almost there , somehow i can sense it. Now time to take of the yourself and family especially baby.

All the best wishes and kind regards

Immigrant2009.

[Bill S 0]

hi ant,

Love reading your posts, I am keeping my fingers crossed for you and hoping that u will get that e-mail soon. Good Luck with the baby

[girl 37 7]

It seems like you're getting worked up for nothing. I've been travelling back & forth to Canada with the expired card and tattered, folded extension letter (always keep it in my purse) without any problem at all.

[HappyNathy 0]

Thanks for that Ant & D.