I-751: Infopass Appointment Soon (GC Card Production Delay)

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Ok, because of this recent "USCIS Card Production" delay:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

I made an Infopass appointment online for next week at my "non-local (about 1-2 hours away) Service Center" to "get to the bottom of this delay" regarding my I-751 case/10yr green card (and get an I-551 Extension Stamp while I am waiting, as suggested)......

I have no idea what to expect, as I have never been to an USCIS Infopass appointment before.

So to those of you who have been to Infopass appointments:

1) What should I expect? What do I need? What should I bring paperwork-wise (besides the infopass letter and identification)?

2) What will happen at the appointment? How long would the appointment be for?

3) Will they take my 2yr expired green card away if I get the additional I-551 stamp extension in my valid Canadian passport? If they do, can I request that they not take my expired card away, as I would still need it for travel and identification purposes?

4) How long do they give the I-551 extension stamps for (ex. 30 days, 60 days, 1yr, etc.)? Can I travel with the stamp and expired card without any problems?

5) Any other tips/suggestions that I should make a note of before I go for the infopass?

As well, my husband will be going with me (for transportation and moral support).

Any help here regarding the infopass process would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Ant (Still waiting for Card 10 months, Still waiting for Baby 9 months...)

Edited May 30, 2009 by AntandD

[antda 13]

P.S. 6) If I have to cancel/reschedule my infopass appointment for any reason (lol..for all I know I could get my 10yr card before my appointment...though that's wishful thinking here), how can I do this exactly? Will it cause any other additional problems if I have to do such?

[Immigrant2009 0]

Hi Everyone,

Ok, because of this recent "USCIS Card Production" delay:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

I made an Infopass appointment online for next week at my "non-local (about 1-2 hours away) Service Center" to "get to the bottom of this delay" regarding my I-751 case/10yr green card (and get an I-551 Extension Stamp while I am waiting, as suggested)......

I have no idea what to expect, as I have never been to an USCIS Infopass appointment before.

So to those of you who have been to Infopass appointments:

1) What should I expect? What do I need? What should I bring paperwork-wise (besides the infopass letter and identification)?

2) What will happen at the appointment? How long would the appointment be for?

3) Will they take my 2yr expired green card away if I get the additional I-551 stamp extension in my valid Canadian passport? If they do, can I request that they not take my expired card away, as I would still need it for travel and identification purposes?

4) How long do they give the I-551 extension stamps for (ex. 30 days, 60 days, 1yr, etc.)? Can I travel with the stamp and expired card without any problems?

5) Any other tips/suggestions that I should make a note of before I go for the infopass?

As well, my husband will be going with me (for transportation and moral support).

Any help here regarding the infopass process would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Ant (Still waiting for Card 10 months, Still waiting for Baby 9 months...)

P.S. 6) If I have to cancel/reschedule my infopass appointment for any reason (lol..for all I know I could get my 10yr card before my appointment...though that's wishful thinking here), how can I do this exactly? Will it cause any other additional problems if I have to do such?

Hello AntandD,

I can understand your frustration of being so close of getting done but still can't get done with GC thanks to USCIS. I am glad you are going for infopass to get more details, hope you will share those with us. Answers to your questions are as follows:

1) What should I expect? What do I need? What should I bring paperwork-wise (besides the infopass letter and identification)?

Take a print out of the infopass appointment, I am sure you must have saved the confirmation page as you have take it to the appointment, otherwise if you don't have it, I think you should be ok as they have your name on the appointment list.

Here how infopass goes. Once you clear security check, then you go to the clerk at the entrance of the room and tell him/her your name what is the purpose of your visit. He/She might ask your ID probably GC and will put it in a file (probalby will cross highlight your name in the list) for the IO and will ask you to take a number or will give you a number. On the screen you will see the numbers being called.

Take your GC, NOA, approval letter/emails etc with you to show to the IO.

Also be on time, be there at least 10-15 mins. before appointment, don't be late as you don't want IOs to piss off.

2) What will happen at the appointment? How long would the appointment be for?

At the appointment the IOs probably will give you the answer you probably know i.e. due to new facility for GC production thats why there a delay. The meeting can last 10 mins up to an hour depending how complex is your situation or depending how much argument goes on between you and the IO and also if they have to look up info in the system etc.

If you think the IO is not helping your cause, ask gently for the supervisor etc.

3) Will they take my 2yr expired green card away if I get the additional I-551 stamp extension in my valid Canadian passport? If they do, can I request that they not take my expired card away, as I would still need it for travel and identification purposes?

As far my knowledge goes, IOs normally only take 2 Yr GC away when you got for I-551 after 1 Yr of NOA or I-551, don't know what the regulation is for I-551 for 10 Yr GC, but i think they might take it away from you, telling you that you don't need etc and they are giving you a stamp for it. etc. So prepared for anything. If you have to give it up for 1 Yr or 6 month stamp for I-551 I would suggest go for it.

4) How long do they give the I-551 extension stamps for (ex. 30 days, 60 days, 1yr, etc.)? Can I travel with the stamp and expired card without any problems?

I think they might give I-551 extension stamp for 3 months or 6 months ( coz it might take them more than 60 days ) and I think you can travel on it with expired GC because a stamp is more official more accurate than a piece of paper, a stamp comes 2nd in validity of a document after the card ( for us humans ).

5) Any other tips/suggestions that I should make a note of before I go for the infopass?

Just be there 10-15 before, be gentle not aggressive but be firm on your point. IOs have huge EGOs and they think they are smart and us s are dumb and problematic .

As well, my husband will be going with me (for transportation and moral support).

That is so nice of him, you need him now more than anything coz of pregnancy and GC issue.

6) If I have to cancel/reschedule my infopass appointment for any reason (lol..for all I know I could get my 10yr card before my appointment...though that's wishful thinking here), how can I do this exactly? Will it cause any other additional problems if I have to do such?

Just remember to cancel it more than 24 hrs before or 2 days before if you can. USCIS keeps track of how many appointments you make etc, so getting an appointment and not showing up is not a good thing for you in the long run. If you have to reschedule try to do it at least 2 days. Don't call any number or something, i guess online system it more faster and accurate.

I read on VJ that a person had appointment for I-751 and got sick and try to reschedule or called, the rep told him that he should do it next week or something and USCIS sent him an email or a letter stating his case was abandoned. So with USCIS be careful, you are using their time and they are very edgey about the appointments. If you reschedule/cancel on time it doesn't hurt but if you don't do it on time or don't show up, it might be bad for you in the long run.

Hope I answered your questions my dear .

Good Luck ( Praying that your GC comes before the appointment ).

[antda 13]

Hi Immigrant2009,

Thanks for your quick and helpful reply in answering my questions regarding infopass appointments...

Yes, I have my infopass barcoded appointment letter that I got online, so I'll sure to bring that for the appointment, along with any paperwork and/or documentation I have. It's good to know what to expect too, and from what you described, it doesn't sound to hard at all. Don't worry, I'll try not to be late, and I'll be sure to leave extra early (I'll be travelling from 1-2 hours away), just in case (and I won't cancel either). Good idea too, that you mentioned about talking to a supervisor, but hopefully it won't come to that point. Let's just hope too, that this infopass will go quickly with the immigration officers, as I don't want to waste more time than I should in having to deal with them. Either way, if I come out of there with an I-551 stamp and some explaination as to what the heck is going on with my case, then I would say that this would be a productive meeting then. And yes, I'll definitely "be prepared for anything" at this appointment (and heck, I might even go into labour at the appointment because of all this stress...just kidding...but this would be fall under the "anything" category of events too). I agree, the I-551 stamp looks more "official" than some flimsy piece of paper. On that note: Why can't they give I-551 stamps instead of NOA Extension letters while one's case is processing? Seems to make more sense to me to do it that way, instead of waste extra paper, postage, and time with extra useless paperwork down the road. Lol...as for being "gentle and agressive (well, more like assertive than agressive)", yup, that is the approach I will take. Don't worry, I won't let them outsmart us VJ either! Go VJ, for making us extra smarter in immigration issues!

Meanwhile, Uggh....between the bronchitis (which my husband has now), mosquito/bug-bites (which I have now), and baby/pregnancy (which I am now), and everything else in between (which we both have to deal with).....It should make for a very interesting infopass appointment and Canadian trip next week....911 anyone? Will we make it back home alive?....

And so my I-751 story continues...Stay tunned here on VJ for more updates (and yes, a detailed review of this infopass appointment too)....

Ant (Sick of being sick, Sick of D being sick, Sick of immigration...)

Hello AntandD,

I can understand your frustration of being so close of getting done but still can't get done with GC thanks to USCIS. I am glad you are going for infopass to get more details, hope you will share those with us. Answers to your questions are as follows:

1) What should I expect? What do I need? What should I bring paperwork-wise (besides the infopass letter and identification)?

Take a print out of the infopass appointment, I am sure you must have saved the confirmation page as you have take it to the appointment, otherwise if you don't have it, I think you should be ok as they have your name on the appointment list.

Here how infopass goes. Once you clear security check, then you go to the clerk at the entrance of the room and tell him/her your name what is the purpose of your visit. He/She might ask your ID probably GC and will put it in a file (probalby will cross highlight your name in the list) for the IO and will ask you to take a number or will give you a number. On the screen you will see the numbers being called.

Take your GC, NOA, approval letter/emails etc with you to show to the IO.

Also be on time, be there at least 10-15 mins. before appointment, don't be late as you don't want IOs to piss off.

2) What will happen at the appointment? How long would the appointment be for?

At the appointment the IOs probably will give you the answer you probably know i.e. due to new facility for GC production thats why there a delay. The meeting can last 10 mins up to an hour depending how complex is your situation or depending how much argument goes on between you and the IO and also if they have to look up info in the system etc.

If you think the IO is not helping your cause, ask gently for the supervisor etc.

3) Will they take my 2yr expired green card away if I get the additional I-551 stamp extension in my valid Canadian passport? If they do, can I request that they not take my expired card away, as I would still need it for travel and identification purposes?

As far my knowledge goes, IOs normally only take 2 Yr GC away when you got for I-551 after 1 Yr of NOA or I-551, don't know what the regulation is for I-551 for 10 Yr GC, but i think they might take it away from you, telling you that you don't need etc and they are giving you a stamp for it. etc. So prepared for anything. If you have to give it up for 1 Yr or 6 month stamp for I-551 I would suggest go for it.

4) How long do they give the I-551 extension stamps for (ex. 30 days, 60 days, 1yr, etc.)? Can I travel with the stamp and expired card without any problems?

I think they might give I-551 extension stamp for 3 months or 6 months ( coz it might take them more than 60 days ) and I think you can travel on it with expired GC because a stamp is more official more accurate than a piece of paper, a stamp comes 2nd in validity of a document after the card ( for us humans ).

5) Any other tips/suggestions that I should make a note of before I go for the infopass?

Just be there 10-15 before, be gentle not aggressive but be firm on your point. IOs have huge EGOs and they think they are smart and us s are dumb and problematic .

As well, my husband will be going with me (for transportation and moral support).

That is so nice of him, you need him now more than anything coz of pregnancy and GC issue.

6) If I have to cancel/reschedule my infopass appointment for any reason (lol..for all I know I could get my 10yr card before my appointment...though that's wishful thinking here), how can I do this exactly? Will it cause any other additional problems if I have to do such?

Just remember to cancel it more than 24 hrs before or 2 days before if you can. USCIS keeps track of how many appointments you make etc, so getting an appointment and not showing up is not a good thing for you in the long run. If you have to reschedule try to do it at least 2 days. Don't call any number or something, i guess online system it more faster and accurate.

I read on VJ that a person had appointment for I-751 and got sick and try to reschedule or called, the rep told him that he should do it next week or something and USCIS sent him an email or a letter stating his case was abandoned. So with USCIS be careful, you are using their time and they are very edgey about the appointments. If you reschedule/cancel on time it doesn't hurt but if you don't do it on time or don't show up, it might be bad for you in the long run.

Hope I answered your questions my dear .

Good Luck ( Praying that your GC comes before the appointment ).

Edited June 1, 2009 by AntandD

[Immigrant2009 0]

Hi Immigrant2009,

Thanks for your quick and helpful reply in answering my questions regarding infopass appointments...

Yes, I have my infopass barcoded appointment letter that I got online, so I'll sure to bring that for the appointment, along with any paperwork and/or documentation I have. It's good to know what to expect too, and from what you described, it doesn't sound to hard at all. Don't worry, I'll try not to be late, and I'll be sure to leave extra early (I'll be travelling from 1-2 hours away), just in case (and I won't cancel either). Good idea too, that you mentioned about talking to a supervisor, but hopefully it won't come to that point. Let's just hope too, that this infopass will go quickly with the immigration officers, as I don't want to waste more time than I should in having to deal with them. Either way, if I come out of there with an I-551 stamp and some explaination as to what the heck is going on with my case, then I would say that this would be a productive meeting then. And yes, I'll definitely "be prepared for anything" at this appointment (and heck, I might even go into labour at the appointment because of all this stress...just kidding...but this would be fall under the "anything" category of events too). I agree, the I-551 stamp looks more "official" than some flimsy piece of paper. On that note: Why can't they give I-551 stamps instead of NOA Extension letters while one's case is processing? Seems to make more sense to me to do it that way, instead of waste extra paper, postage, and time with extra useless paperwork down the road. Lol...as for being "gentle and agressive (well, more like assertive than agressive)", yup, that is the approach I will take. Don't worry, I won't let them outsmart us VJ either! Go VJ, for making us extra smarter in immigration issues!

Meanwhile, Uggh....between the bronchitis (which my husband has now), mosquito/bug-bites (which I have now), and baby/pregnancy (which I am now), and everything else in between (which we both have to deal with).....It should make for a very interesting infopass appointment and Canadian trip next week....911 anyone? Will we make it back home alive?....

And so my I-751 story continues...Stay tunned here on VJ for more updates (and yes, a detailed review of this infopass appointment too)....

Ant (Sick of being sick, Sick of D being sick, Sick of immigration...)

Hello AntandD,

I can understand your frustration of being so close of getting done but still can't get done with GC thanks to USCIS. I am glad you are going for infopass to get more details, hope you will share those with us. Answers to your questions are as follows:

1) What should I expect? What do I need? What should I bring paperwork-wise (besides the infopass letter and identification)?

Take a print out of the infopass appointment, I am sure you must have saved the confirmation page as you have take it to the appointment, otherwise if you don't have it, I think you should be ok as they have your name on the appointment list.

Here how infopass goes. Once you clear security check, then you go to the clerk at the entrance of the room and tell him/her your name what is the purpose of your visit. He/She might ask your ID probably GC and will put it in a file (probalby will cross highlight your name in the list) for the IO and will ask you to take a number or will give you a number. On the screen you will see the numbers being called.

Take your GC, NOA, approval letter/emails etc with you to show to the IO.

Also be on time, be there at least 10-15 mins. before appointment, don't be late as you don't want IOs to piss off.

2) What will happen at the appointment? How long would the appointment be for?

At the appointment the IOs probably will give you the answer you probably know i.e. due to new facility for GC production thats why there a delay. The meeting can last 10 mins up to an hour depending how complex is your situation or depending how much argument goes on between you and the IO and also if they have to look up info in the system etc.

If you think the IO is not helping your cause, ask gently for the supervisor etc.

3) Will they take my 2yr expired green card away if I get the additional I-551 stamp extension in my valid Canadian passport? If they do, can I request that they not take my expired card away, as I would still need it for travel and identification purposes?

As far my knowledge goes, IOs normally only take 2 Yr GC away when you got for I-551 after 1 Yr of NOA or I-551, don't know what the regulation is for I-551 for 10 Yr GC, but i think they might take it away from you, telling you that you don't need etc and they are giving you a stamp for it. etc. So prepared for anything. If you have to give it up for 1 Yr or 6 month stamp for I-551 I would suggest go for it.

4) How long do they give the I-551 extension stamps for (ex. 30 days, 60 days, 1yr, etc.)? Can I travel with the stamp and expired card without any problems?

I think they might give I-551 extension stamp for 3 months or 6 months ( coz it might take them more than 60 days ) and I think you can travel on it with expired GC because a stamp is more official more accurate than a piece of paper, a stamp comes 2nd in validity of a document after the card ( for us humans ).

5) Any other tips/suggestions that I should make a note of before I go for the infopass?

Just be there 10-15 before, be gentle not aggressive but be firm on your point. IOs have huge EGOs and they think they are smart and us s are dumb and problematic .

As well, my husband will be going with me (for transportation and moral support).

That is so nice of him, you need him now more than anything coz of pregnancy and GC issue.

6) If I have to cancel/reschedule my infopass appointment for any reason (lol..for all I know I could get my 10yr card before my appointment...though that's wishful thinking here), how can I do this exactly? Will it cause any other additional problems if I have to do such?

Just remember to cancel it more than 24 hrs before or 2 days before if you can. USCIS keeps track of how many appointments you make etc, so getting an appointment and not showing up is not a good thing for you in the long run. If you have to reschedule try to do it at least 2 days. Don't call any number or something, i guess online system it more faster and accurate.

I read on VJ that a person had appointment for I-751 and got sick and try to reschedule or called, the rep told him that he should do it next week or something and USCIS sent him an email or a letter stating his case was abandoned. So with USCIS be careful, you are using their time and they are very edgey about the appointments. If you reschedule/cancel on time it doesn't hurt but if you don't do it on time or don't show up, it might be bad for you in the long run.

Hope I answered your questions my dear .

Good Luck ( Praying that your GC comes before the appointment ).

Hi Ant,

It's my pleasure that I was of some assistance to you. I think you will be ok at the appointment . As far your question goes:

Why can't they give I-551 stamps instead of NOA Extension letters while one's case is processing? Seems to make more sense to me to do it that way, instead of waste extra paper, postage, and time with extra useless paperwork down the road.

My theory regarding that is, they don't want the infopass appointments to be filled up with I-751 applicants asking for I-551 stamps or the field offices' time just for I-751 stamps, thats why there is an option to get the stamp if you don't get NOA or approved GC. USCIS is not green yet ( you know what i mean) so they are sending the NOA and biometric letters so that all the folks (I-751 applicants) don't use up the field office time and resources.

I do hope you and your hubby get well soon and that your appointment goes well.

Good Luck my dear fellow VJer .

Edited June 1, 2009 by Immigrant2009

[Ree 9]

Last week I had an infopass appointment in Buffalo office. I came in 10 minutes earlier, signed in at window #6, they gave me a ticket with a number and told me to wait till my number is called. In about 10 minutes I was called to another window.

I brought my approval letter, my passport and ID, explained to the IO that I am still waiting for my new card, but I need to travel and before I leave the country, I want to get a stamp about my card being processed. The IO told me I can travel with my old stamp (which is still valid for a few more months but says that my I-751 is pending) along with my approval letter.

So, probably you can use your expired card and approval letter instead of getting a stamp, but if I were you, I would definitely go to an infopass and ask about options.

Good luck

[berniefl33 0]

i just received a notice in the mail about my service enquiry i made about my card by calling the uscis---i was approved on april 27th---the notice came from laguna california---it says my case was approved and now my card production is pending-----i now that already----i would like the card and not another piece of paper---it says 60 days---