kachab
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Everything posted by kachab
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Hi @DTCC In my case, the status was stuck for almost 8 months at "Immigrant fee paid". After it finally changed to "Card being produced", it went fairly quickly. Three days later it changed to "Card was mailed to me" and got my card in hand a day or two after that. When it changed to "Card being produced" my attorney had told me it could take about two weeks after that to get the card. You can wait a bit more or simply call USCIS at 800-375-5283 (and say "Infopass" to speak to someone) to see if this 2-week delay is currently normal. They will probably tell you to wait a bit longer. You could also try filing the e-request. However, I am not sure if the system will allow you to submit it since you are well within the 90 days. The good news is that since your status changed to "Card being produced", they surely have all the documents and fingerprints they need to proceed with the card production. I would think it it just a matter a waiting a bit longer for the cards to arrive.
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Hi @Nimar Yes, there is a $220 USD fee that needs to be paid (not sure if this is still this exact amount). You don't need to pay it before entering the US, it can be done after. However, as long as the fee is not paid, they will not start the printing process. More info here: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/expect-green-card#:~:text=It may take up to,receive your permanent resident card. You have to wait to get your passport and the sealed envelope back from the consulate to create the online account. There will be a letter in there with your immigrant visa number. You will need it to create the account. It is also in this account that you will pay the immigrant fee.
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Generally, all the USCIS contact info and tools are in this link: https://www.uscis.gov/contactcenter The phone number is 1-800-375-5283. When you call there is voice recognition and they ask you to say what is the reason for your call. If you say "Infopass", you will be transferred to an actual person. Since my card took 8 months to arrive, I called them many times and honestly, many of them were not useful and one in particular gave me wrong information that made me waste a lot of time. Based on my experience, the main thing that you need to do if you are passed the 90 days, is to file an e-request ("Did not receive card by mail" request) here: https://egov.uscis.gov/e-request/displayNDCForm.do?sroPageType=ndc&entryPoint=init In the "form" drop down you have to select OS155A and your receipt number the IOE number that should appear in your MyUSCIS account that you created when you paid your immigrant fees and where you can track your green card. When I filed mine, they then said that they would get back to me within 30 days. However, after that 30 days, they told me that they needed another 90 days to investigate or issue my green card! That felt like a slap in the face, but my green card actually did show up 45 days after that. The e-request actually gets someone to get back into your case and check why it is getting delayed. Since it takes quite a bit of time, better file it asap after you are passed the 90 days. After you have filed it, if you want to make 100% sure that they have it, you can call USCIS. They should see the e-request in your file. You may have already seen it on the VJ link I had sent you, but it seems likely that your and your wife's card will arrive separately. As long as you are still within the 90 days, there is nothing to worry about and no action on your part is necessary apart from waiting. Hope you don't need all of this info and you receive your card on a timely manner.
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Hi @DTCC Glad to hear all went smoothly. Enjoy your new PR status!
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Hi @DTCC Hope you get this on time before leaving for the US. That's a good question... I am actually not sure which set of fingerprints they are using to release the printing of the green card. I saw someone on VJ who was not asked for fingerprints at the border and I think got his green card without issues, but most people seem to have been asked to be fingerprinted. The best thing to do if you see that they will not be asking for your fingerprints at the border would probably to simply bring up the topic and ask them to confirm that the USCIS will be using your fingerprints taken during your interview at the consulate or ask them to retake them if they can for peace of mind. I have seen on VJ that some people who had issues with their fingerprints received a letter from the USCIS a few weeks after entering the US asking them to take an appointment to a local USCIS office. I am assuming that in some instances even if they were taken, the fingerprints may not have been clear enough or did not save properly in the system.
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That's really great news, congratulations! Were you able to change your address during your interview? Have a nice trip back to the US tomorrow!
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I hadn't thought about the Citizenship and SSN benefits... good point!
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Oh yes, the note you mention is what I had. I couldn't remember the exact wording! Same for me, I hadn't noticed that note on my card until the immigration attorney sent me the draft of the DS260 for review and I saw that he had requested a new SSN card and I asked him why I needed a new one! I don't think you even need to tell anything to HR when you get the new card. All they care about is that your number stays the same. I have the suspicion that even if we never got a new card, it would not be a problem. I've been in the US for 10 years now and never once had to show that card to anybody, even when I changed jobs. They were just interested in knowing the SSN number.
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Just out of curiosity, are you not getting a new SSN card for yourself even if you already have a SSN? I am asking because I had already been working in the US on a TN and had a SSN, but on my card, it said something like "valid only with work permit", so I had to get a new one after getting approved for the green card. My new SSN card has the same number as before, but the work permit note has been removed.
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Hi @DTCC. #1. I remember they asked me my address at the interview, so I assume you could ask them to change it (I did not need to). Also, they also ask it at the border, so surely it can be changed there as well. For the green card itself, it would not be an issue if you entered the US without having changed it. When you get your passport back with the documents in a sealed envelope that you have to hand in at the border, there is also a document that explains that you have to create an online account with the USCIS and pay the immigration fees. I think you can change your address directly in that account or you just have to call USCIS and they will change it for you. (There is more info regarding this account and how to contact the USCIS here: https://www.uscis.gov/contactcenter). The card takes a while to get printed, so you would have enough time to contact the USCIS and get your mailing address changed. Where it gets trickier is with the Social Security Number card. If you asked on your DS260 to have a card (or a new card) issued, when you get to the border and they stamp your visa, it will automatically trigger its issuance and they do it really fast. The printing date on my card was the day after I entered the US and I received it about a week and a half later. There's therefore no time to change your address after having crossed the border and I am not sure how you would go about doing it. I am not sure at that point after you are in the US if changing your address with USCIS would change it at the Social Security office as well. I have heard of many people on VJ who had asked to get a SSN issued on their DS260 and did not get it. They just had to go and apply in person at a Social Security office. It seems to be a hit or miss, so nothing to worry about if you don't receive it. The border official I had did not even know that he was triggering the issuance of my SSN card. #2 I have never heard of anyone who got denied at the border. They ask you a few basic questions (like what job are you going to do in the US, your company and where are you going to live), but they clearly do no review your case in depth. They try to make it look like they could potentially deny you entry to the US, but I think it is more a show than anything else. Anyway, they need to ask you to confirm some information on your case to make sure that the documents that are in the sealed envelope that the consulate sent you and that you then handed to them (do NOT open that envelope!), are really for your case and not someone else's. Since you mentioned Port Champlin, I am assuming you will be driving to the US like I did (I crossed at Thousand Islands). When you get to the passport control, you just have to hand in your passport to the border officer and tell him/her that you are entering the US for the first time as a permanent resident. He will ask you to park your car and go inside the office. You will then hand in your sealed envelope and they will go through all the documents and re-enter some information in their computer system. They also took my fingerprints again (and I think my photo, but I am not 100% sure anymore). When this is all done, they stamp the visa that the consulate had put in your passport and you are free to go. You just have to make sure that they keep the documents from the consulate that you gave them. I have heard on VJ a few instances where the officer was confused and handed the documents back to the person and it delayed the printing of the green card because they said the packet was lost. My understanding is that the border needs to send that paperwork to the USCIS for the green card to be released for printing. The person had to get an appointment to a local USCIS in the US to hand in the packet and it seemed to have been quite complicated. I think some officers get confused because some immigrant visa categories do not have a packet anymore but the employment-based ones still do. My understanding is that the three main things that need to be done right for the green card to be printed are that the physical packet has to be sent by the border officials to the USCIS, you need to have paid the immigrant fee and the USCIS needs to have your fingerprints on file. If one of those three things are missing, your card will be delayed. In my case, it took 8 months to get it even though it appears that everything was done correctly. Seems I just fell through the cracks. If all goes well, they aim to send you the card within 90 days, but many people seem to receive it sooner than that recently. In case there is a glitch with your card issuance, there is the thread on VJ below that I found quite useful to navigate the delay. Hopefully you don't need it! I wish you the best of luck for your interview. You will soon cross the finish line!!
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Hi @DTCC I had my interview on a Wednesday morning, the next day I was receiving the tracking for my passport and on Friday morning I collected it at the Ottawa post office. They had told me at the end of the interview that I would get it back within 2-3 weeks, but it turned out to be only 2 days.
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Hi @DTCC Congratulations on finally getting your IL! Unfortunately, I don't know how it works for the courier registration when there are two or more people. In my case, it was only myself. Even then, I remember that the registration system was very confusing! Hopefully someone else on VJ will be able to give you a better answer.
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They did not ask to bring my tax returns and W2's but I had them with me just in case. At the interview they just asked me to give them the documents on the list here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/MTL-Montreal.html#pre_interview_checklist However, they asked me quite a few of simple questions about the visas I had been on in the past. They were mainly interested in finding out if I had overstayed any of these visas and if they had been obtained legitimately (what job and employer were they issued for and when, etc). Any fraud there would be a reason for denying the GC. They already know all the answers to those questions, but they want to see if your answers match what they have on their screen.
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Hi @Dip_eb, The USCIS says that they will print and mail the card within 90 days of the entry in the US or date of payment of the immigrant fee, whichever is later. However, mine took 8.5 months! Apparently that when it takes more than 90 days, it is usually a sign that the visa packet that we have to hand in at the border got lost or misplaced, or that the fingerprints were not taken properly. It doesn't seem to have been the case for me, but I never managed to find out why it got stuck and took so long. If after 90 days you still don't have it, you should start calling them and filing an e-request straight away. The first few officers I spoke to just told me to wait a bit longer and never told me to file an e-request. I waisted a few months because of that. They take ages to respond to the e-requests and the responses are usually quite useless. They took 30 days to respond to my e-request and the response was that they need another 90 days to investigate why it is delayed! However, despite of that, it seems it is still the best way to get things moving eventually. Thankfully my GC was issued before then. One year initially seems quite long for the temporary green card in the passport (stamped immigrant visa), but time flies by very quickly compared to how unresponsive the USCIS can be. If you don't get the GC before the one-year stamp expires, you need to get an appointment at an USCIS office to get another stamp for an extension of your temporary green card otherwise you will not be able to travel and get back in the US. Getting an appointment with the USCIS takes a long time and is also a challenge. Something not to be left at the last minute... From what I have seen on another VJ thread though, when everything goes smoothly, many people get the card within 45-60 days lately. Hopefully that will be the case for you. Last thing we want after waiting so long to get an interview at the consulate, is to have to fight again with the USCIS just to get them to print the card!
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My interview was on January 19th, 2022, right in the middle of the omicron wave! There was also a snow storm on that day. I was really afraid they would cancel it at the last minute, but thankfully, it hasn't been the case. They seem to be almost up to date with the F visas, so they should start pushing to clear the EB backlog very soon. Hopefully you get your interview soon.
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Yes, that's correct. I was actually in a situation very similar to yours. I had already been working for a few years in the US on non-immigrant work visas when I received my interview letter. The only government-issued ID I had other than my passport (which I obviously could not use to pick up at the post office!) was my NY driver's license. I remember it being a bit weird when I registered online though. I initially had the impression that the only way of getting it sent to a post office was if you had a Canadian ID and address, but it is not the case. The registration system is not really clear in my opinion. I had to read it a few times because the wording, which I don't remember exactly, was a bit weird. When I got to the post office, the first person who served me asked me if I also had a proof of my Canadian address. I told her I did not have any and someone more senior who was familiar with this passport pickup thing said I did not need any and that she just needed to check that my US ID matched the US ID I had registered with and that the Consulate gave them when they mailed my passport.
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When you receive your interview letter and before your actual appointment, you will have to register online for the courier service (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/MTL-Montreal.html). This is where you will have to pick the post office or give the address you want them to send your passports and documents to. There is a list of specific post offices where they can be sent to, not any Canada Post Office. From what I remember, the post offices available were only in the main Canadian cities (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, etc). People who live too far from those post office have no choice but to have them sent to their home address. Maybe it has changed, but there was no option to pick up directly at the Consulate. You probably can get your documents sent to the hotel, but I would personally tend to have them sent in a post office in Montreal since you will be sure that they will not fall into someone else's hands at the hotel reception and have trouble getting them. Also, I think you get them a day or two sooner if they are sent to a post office. If I remember correctly, you also have to pay extra if you want to have your passport sent to an address other than a post office. When you register, if you pick the post office option, you will need to specify which ID you will show to pick your documents up and the address on it. I used my New York driver's license with my US address and I was asked to show it at the post office. They really checked if it matched the ID I said I would be using when I registered for the courier. I don't know if you also need to give an ID if they send to a home address. Maybe the postman has to check it and have you sign to give you the documents, I am not sure.
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I had my interview on a Wednesday morning and they told me at the end of the interview that I would get my passport back within 2-3 weeks. However, the next day I received the tracking info and I picked up my passport at the post office in Ottawa on Friday morning.
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@DTCC Yes, you will need to extend your stay in Canada until you get your passport back. After my interview back in January, the Consulate sent me back my passport with the immigrant visa in it as well as a sealed envelope with documents. When you get to the border, you have to hand in the unopened envelope and your passport. They will open the envelope and review its content, probably take your fingerprints once again and then stamp the immigrant visa that the consulate put in your passport. Once it is stamped, it becomes your temporary green card which is valid for one year while you wait for your physical green card to come in the mail at your US address. You can travel during that time. If you requested a new SSN card in your DS-260, it will also be mailed to that address after you enter the US.
