ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussionarrested and detained- consequences?
We are getting ready to file for removal of conditions and I'm wondering if it's a big deal that hubby got detained once and arrested once.

Charges were not filed- the DA dropped it. When he was detained it was for drunk and walking, the arrest was for drunk and sleeping in a parked car in a parking lot. In other words, BS from a county unfriendly to Latinos.

We tried to find out if we could get his record cleared, but apparently we can't -- there are no charges to expunge. (catch-22!!!)

Any thoughts?
Chamy and GatitaNot TellingEcuador2011-01-12 01:28:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussiontravel after green card expires? AP?
Thank you all so much!!! What a relief!
Chamy and GatitaNot TellingEcuador2011-02-22 14:25:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussiontravel after green card expires? AP?
Please excuse my questions if they are really dumb ones :-)

We are filing the I-751 for Removal of Conditions on my husband's green card next week. His card expires on 3/26/11. Yesterday he asked me about travel- what if he needs to travel to his country while we are waiting for the new green card?

And for that matter, what if he gets asked to show his green card or prove his legal status for some reason? For example, a traffic stop, or a job application? Can we apply for AP so that we have that in our back pocket in case, or is that just for AOS? Does the NOA act as proof of legal status, and if so, does the average person asking for proof understand that?
Chamy and GatitaNot TellingEcuador2011-02-22 13:47:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 March 2011 Filers
Hi everyone,
Could you add us to the list? We sent ours in on 3/11/11. yay! So glad to be finished with all that paperwork and evidence!
We thought it was going to take about 6 months, so we were happy to read someone is estimating 2-3.5 months.
all the best to everyone....
Chamy and GatitaNot TellingEcuador2011-03-15 19:07:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionResidency requirement after removing conditions

hey grinchus, sorry to hear that hubby isnt enjoying the US - it is hard on some.

IMO it will be best if hubby can wait on another year and get his US Citizenship. If he can last 2 years to the ROC, im sure he can hold out another year. Once he is a USC he will be able to go back and forth from Italy as much as he likes without any immigration implications.

i hope everything gets better soon! maybe hubby can find a group or club with other Italians?? I found a small network of Aussies here in Chapel Hill NC - havent yet met up, but at least i know there are some other Aussies around just in case i get home sick...


Thanks, I appreciate you sharing your experience and advice with me. That does seem like a good path, ROC then UC Citizenship. He has found a few Italians - but they all seem to be moving back to Italy, which doesn't help much :P He's slowly finding some friends and building relationships, so hopefully things will start getting better. He's working really hard on his English too. I think when he feels more comfortable and fluent he'll do better. However there is still a vast gap between the Italian lifestyle and ours. It's hard to adjust, I totally understand him.
grinchusFemaleItaly2011-06-09 19:53:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionResidency requirement after removing conditions

He doesn't like Northern California? The Redwoods? Oh boy . . .

Italy is without a doubt one of the most desirable places to live on this globe. When thinking about retirement, alternatively to the American Rivera where I live now, I have Monaco, the South of France, and Tuscany on my short list. Why not moving to Italy instead if your husband feels home there and can make a living?

If that's not an option, you'll have to be careful. He cannot live part time in the US and part time in Italy before he isn't a US citizen. He can be absent for a few months per year, but every time he returns he has to fear that a CBP officer will give him a hard time, questioning what he did in Italy, how he can afford a vacation that takes several months, and so on.

If he's in the US for a year and a half already, you are approaching the ROC stage very soon. Thereafter he can leave for two or three months and then he should come back and go through the naturalization process. Thereafter he's free to live where he wants, when he wants, without having to deal with immigration issues again ever.


Thank you, this is great advice. Moving to Italy, for me at least, isn't really an option. Currently I'm the "bread-winner" of the two of us, and I would have to give up my career to move there, where the economic situation is pretty precarious. Italy's economic situation isn't that great, and they have high unemployment. My husband didn't leave a particularly good job to come here, thus he was more flexible than I was to make the move. If we moved back, we would face the reality of both of us being underemployed. Here I have a great job, something I would not be able to duplicate there.

Our original plan was to work really hard here, buy a house there, go there as often as we could for vacations, until the point where we could eventually retire there. Retirement is not close, though, and is way too far off for him.

We talk about trying to have a long-distance marriage, but of course that's not ideal -- for obvious reasons! But waiting for him to get citizenship seems like it might be a good plan. Then he really could go back and forth as much as he wants without raising eyebrows.

He loves the nature here, but he doesn't like the people. It's really hard to get to know people, and I don't have the kind of really tight-knit group of friends who have known each other all of our lives, like he does in Italy. Where he's from people are warm, friendly, exuberant, expressive and welcoming. Here people are basically all into their own thing and don't really care about you. That's the impression he's gotten, at least. It's true that Americans are very different from Italians in that regard, especially Southern Italians. I feel awful that things are so hard for him, but we are kind of in a pickle that way. For now we're "stuck" here - at least I am :P
grinchusFemaleItaly2011-06-09 19:22:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionResidency requirement after removing conditions
Hi VJers,

My husband isn't settling in too well here because he is very homesick. Maybe this will change with time, but it's been a year and a half and he is not liking life in America very much. He appreciates the opportunities here, he loves the natural beauty of the place, he loves me and my family, but in general he does not like it here and is having a very hard time adjusting.

His hope is that, after removing conditions, he will be able to live part of the time here and part of the time there, if he can arrange his working life that way. How many months out of the year does a green card holder have to actually spend in the US and still maintain their status? Is there a minimum total time, or a minimum of months in a row?

Thanks,
grinchusFemaleItaly2011-06-08 18:57:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionLiving abroad after removing conditions?
Hi everyone,

I wanted to thank you all for your very thoughtful responses. This is really helpful. We don't know how long-term his return to Italy would be. That depends on family situation/employment/etc. However, it is useful to know that up to a year is no problem, maybe up to four if we are organizing our lives in such a way that he maintains a significant footprint here, and such. Citizenship is also a way to go, but my husband never did intend to get citizenship - he was content w/ permanent resident status. But we'll think about all options.

On the other hand, if his return starts to seem more permanent after time goes by, then maybe "abandonment" is the way, and we can fly back and forth as "tourists" until the time that we can be together again. I could end up there, or if he is going to come back, we'll just do consular filing as spouses, and hopefully speed up the process.

Again, many, many thanks to all for answering my question.
grinchusFemaleItaly2011-12-03 20:24:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionLiving abroad after removing conditions?

depending on when in the fall of 2012 you are looking at the move to italy (for the LPR), you may not have the new green card by the time of departure. looks like you will file with CSC, which is good since at the moment they are processing faster than VSC.

if the green card expires in october 2012, you can renew 90 days before the date, lets say july 2012. i am a july filer and our CSC group is 44% approved at the moment, and its december.

if the LPR has the luxury of being able to travel back from italy for biometrics and a possible interview, this may not pose a significant problem.


Thanks. Assuming that we manage to organize our lives and departures to secure the permanent green card before we (or he) moves to Italy, can someone actually live abroad and be a permanent resident of the U.S.? Also because, in order for him to make full use of the Italian national health care system while he is there, he will need to re-establish residency in Italy. Will that automatically result in a revoking of his U.S. GC?

I'm just trying to understand the flexibility one has as a permanent U.S. resident, but who is paradoxically living abroad indefinitely.
grinchusFemaleItaly2011-12-03 16:02:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionLiving abroad after removing conditions?

can you update your member timeline? still shows you as K-1, though i assume you have AOSed.


Yes, green card received in October 2010. I'll update the time line at some point but have to put my hands on all the docs first.
grinchusFemaleItaly2011-12-03 15:45:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionLiving abroad after removing conditions?
Hello everyone,

My husband and I may be in the strange situation of moving back to his home country of Italy after the removal of conditions next fall. There is also the remote possibility that we will have a long distance marriage for a while, with him living in Italy and me living here. This would be because of a convergence of family/work/financial needs.

So...what happens then? I'm assuming that you can't be a permanent resident of the U.S. without residing in the U.S. What becomes of his status should this come to pass?

Thanks,
grinchusFemaleItaly2011-12-03 15:08:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionHusband possibly out of the country when GC arrives. What to do?

Dear VJers,

 

We just found out today that my husband was approved for the 10 year GC. Yay!!dancin5hr.gif  The letter that came today said the card is printing and we will get it within 2 months.

 

We optimistically thought he would have it by now, so we booked a flight for him on May 14th to go home to Italy for 3 months to visit his family. Unless the GC comes really fast, he will be in Italy when it actually arrives. He's taking his 2 year GC with him, plus the letter from USCIS extending him for one year (until October 2013).

 

Will that be sufficient for him to reenter the country in August? Or should I FedEx (or some other certified courier) the 10 year GC to him in Italy? On the one hand, I don't want him to have any problems coming back (if there are people at immigration who don't understand the 1 year extension letter, etc.). On the other hand, I don't want to risk his GC getting lost in the mail.

 

Has anyone else dealt with this? Any recommendations?

 

Thanks!


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-05-02 14:22:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionHusband possibly out of the country when GC arrives. What to do?

Thanks! I agree, I do not want to risk losing it in the mail. What a pain that would be!

 

I'm becoming more convinced that the best idea is to have him travel w/ his expired GC and his official letter of extension. His GC expired in October 2012 and his letter of extension expires in October 2013. He's coming back August 2013, well before it expires. When I pick him up at the airport in August I'll bring his 10 year GC with me, so not only will he have the letter, he can tell them that his wife is waiting right outside the gate w/ his GC!

 

:)


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-05-02 14:55:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionHusband possibly out of the country when GC arrives. What to do?

oops, this posted twice. Moderators should feel free to delete the other one....


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-05-02 14:38:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionHusband possibly out of the country when GC arrives. What to do?

Dear VJers,

 

We just found out today that my husband was approved for the 10 year GC. Yay!!dancin5hr.gif  The letter that came today said the card is printing and we will get it within 2 months.

 

We optimistically thought he would have it by now, so we booked a flight for him on May 14th to go home to Italy for 3 months to visit his family. Unless the GC comes really fast, he will be in Italy when it actually arrives. He's taking his 2 year GC with him, plus the letter from USCIS extending him for one year (until October 2013).

 

Will that be sufficient for him to reenter the country in August? Or should I FedEx (or some other certified courier) the 10 year GC to him in Italy? On the one hand, I don't want him to have any problems coming back (if there are people at immigration who don't understand the 1 year extension letter, etc.). On the other hand, I don't want to risk his GC getting lost in the mail.

 

Has anyone else dealt with this? Any recommendations?

 

Thanks!


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-05-02 14:22:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionRFE: "Commingling of finances" - Not enough bank statements?

 

did you guys ever think that, what immigration is asking sometimes is not even done by many USC marrying an USC, I don't think everybody has a shared account, but they expect you to do this when you're an immigrant lol

 

Oh absolutely! I know a ton of married couples (USC married to USC) who keep their accounts separate.  Immigration definitely requires a higher amount of "commingled finances" than many couples would participate in, were it not required as proof of a bona fide relationship.


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-05-02 16:36:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionRFE: "Commingling of finances" - Not enough bank statements?

Hi,

We got an RFE too, and in ours we were specifically asked to send bank statements for both of our joint checking/savings accounts, including EVERY SINGLE TRANSACTION going back from when we were married (Feb 2010). So that is exactly what I did. I had most of the bank statements in our files, but I had to call the bank and pay about $100 to have them send me all the ones I didn't have (they only keep the statements online back one year). Anyway, I sent them 3 years worth of bank statements for two accounts! I also sent them tax transcripts + photocopies of our actual returns, itineraries of trips taken together, DLs with our address, and even the certificate of joint ownership of our puppy :) Anyhow, he was approved.


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-05-02 16:28:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionROC with no bills/rental lease in both our names

grinchus

You said "we also don't have any bills in both of our names, or any rental agreement" How did you explain that! My husband is also a "breadwinner" and we live with his parents (so no lease, or bills) we just give them money by a friendly agreement. Also we don't have joint account(( For us it is ridicules. We attached mom's letter (handwritten)  saying that we live with her, but I think we still will get RFE!! So my question is: How does the RFE corer letter looks like, How should we explain our leasing "problem" and how much time do they usually give you for RFE!! thanks 

 

I guess I didn't really explain anything, I just sent different evidence. I didn't send any bills or rental agreement b/c I didn't have any. What I did send was joint accounts (which I also think is silly, but I knew it would be asked for), benefits statement showing that he's my spouse on my work health insurance, joint tax returns, christmas cards and other letters/emails addressed to both of us, etc.

 

The RFE letter states: "To establish eligibility for removal of conditions status, it is requested that additional documentation be submitted to establish a good faith marriage...Such examples may include, but are not limited to the following" and then it goes on to give a list of the types of financial and other records you can provide (proof of joint residence, etc.).

 

You will notice that the wording is "Such examples MAY INCLUDE but are not limited to". What this is saying is that things like bills, lease, etc. are examples of things that you can submit, but are not required, and are not the only things you can submit. If you have them, well that is clearly a good thing and they should be submitted, as they are fairly clear and obvious proof. If you don't have them, well you simply don't have them. Hopefully you can demonstrate your continued, bona fide marriage in other ways. 

 

We had enough evidence besides bills & lease to prove that our marriage is genuine.


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-05-03 11:59:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionROC with no bills/rental lease in both our names

Hi, my husband and I had to do an RFE. I'm not sure exactly why, but I'm thinking it's because I didn't take his last name when we married. I don't know why they wanted more info.

 

Anyway, we also don't have any bills in both of our names, or any rental agreement. I am the primary "breadwinner" between the two of us, so I also just go ahead and manage all of the bill paying. He could certainly be on the bills if he wanted to, but it's just easier for me to pay them (online banking), so I just do it (though if I had thought more carefully about it I would have added him so that we would have this sort of evidence for the ROC). Also, I owned my - now our - home before we had even met, so we didn't buy it together, and only I am on the title.

 

So for the RFE this is what I provided:

 

Joint checking/savings accounts

Evidence from my work that he is my spouse for health insurance

A printout showing that he is the primary beneficiary for my retirement accounts

Tax transcripts AND a photocopy of our tax return for the last 3 years showing we filed jointly

Letters and emails addressed to both of us

The licence for our dog showing that we both own him (no kids!)

Drivers licenses showing our address

Itineraries for trips we took together

Photos of us together w/ family and friends

 

The immigration officers just want you to make a credible case  that you are in a bona fide marriage, with whatever accompanying documentation you have to add weight to it.

 

We just got the letter today saying he was approved!

 

 


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-05-02 16:08:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussiongreen card production stalled for CSC approvals in April?

Once the ROC is approved, the 2 year greencard and extension letter are no longer valid.
While waiting for the actual card, the proper way for travelling abroad is to have the I-551 stamp on the passport.
I personally don't think your husband will have get trouble getting back the States, all the records are on the system, the IO at the airport can see his status. BUT the IO still can give him a hard time becuase he does not have correct documentation for travelling abroad.
If I were your husband, I would go to the US consulate where he's now to have the I-551 stamp on the passport.
A person who enters the US legally has one of these: visa, greencard (or I-551 stamp), or US passport. Your husband has none of these.



 

Thanks for your reply. I'm very confused now. I posted to this site before my husband traveled and explained our situation, even asking if I should FedEx the GC to him when it arrived. I was cautioned not to mail it - in case it got lost - but was reassured because he was in possession of an extension letter, which is valid for travel. Based on what you say now, it looks like my best option is to send him the GC with some sort of courier. I had no idea at that point about a I-551 stamp.


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-12 08:26:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussiongreen card production stalled for CSC approvals in April?

My husband got his approval letter on April 29th and we are STILL waiting for the card. Today is June 10th. 60 days is not until the end of June, though, so technically we are still within the window.

 

Unfortunately I won't be able to call to find out what's going on because my husband is already overseas visiting his family - and he's the only one who can call the USCIS. They can only talk to me if they have his permission. My husband had to leave w/o the GC in hand because it was so late in arriving and he had his flight booked already. We thought we had left plenty of time unsure.png

 

My husband too his 2 year GC with him, his extension letter, and his approval letter. I will meet him at the airport when he comes back w/ his 10 year GC in hand. I hope it will at least be here by then (early August)! Hopefully he won't have trouble coming home.


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-10 12:19:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionOut of status? help!

Hi everyone,

 

I am the OP and I wanted to chime in and thank everyone again for your contributions to this topic. I will summarize here what I understand to be true, and what I am planning to do.

 

I agree with the majority assessment that my husband is not out of status. It is not ideal that he doesn't have the 10 year GC in hand, but it simply wasn't ready by the time he had to travel. What he does have - his expired GC and the extension letter that states very clearly that he has been renewed until October 2013, and that he can travel outside of the US - is, I believe, sufficient documentation to allow him to come back without any problems, even without an I-551.

 

I will tell him about what I have learned from this thread, and also that some people have recommended he get the I-551 anyway. I will let him choose whether to make the trip to the consulate in Naples. He is the one, after all, who will have to make the trek there. I will share with him my opinion that he is probably fine w/o it, but it certainly couldn't hurt to get it for additional peace of mind.

 

I will also meet him at the airport when he returns w/ his 10 year GC. When they swipe his expired card they will see he is approved for 10 year, and he can explain (if he has to) the situation (i.e. that he traveled w/ his extension letter, but that his 10 year came in the mail while he was gone), and also tell them that his wife is standing just on the other side of that wall w/ his card.

 

So that is how I will proceed. I wish everyone the best of luck in your visa journeys!

 

 


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-15 11:22:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionOut of status? help!

 

I respectfully disagree.  My wife's extension letter states, and I quote:

 

"Your contitional resident status is extended for a period of one year.  During the one-year extension you are authorized employment and travel. (This extension and authorization for employment and travel does not apply to you if your contitional resident status has been terminated.)"

 

I do not see the approval of the 10 year GC as terminating the conditional resident status, but rather a change in status.  IMHO terminating the status makes you deportable whereas becoming a non-conditional permenant resident has all the same rights and responsibilities as a conditional permenant resident.  The only ones that are going to know during this trip are those that have access to his complete immigration file.  There are those that have told of problems of being allowed to board even with the I-551 stamp.  The issue will being able to get on the plane back to the US and not at the CBP POE. 

 

It is up to the OP as to how best to proceed, but I would not say that getting the I-551 stamp somehow magically makes this easier, but that is MHO.

 

Dave

 

I truly appreciate everyone's responses to my question, and am interested in the debate back and forth as to the wording of the extension letter. In reading the quote supplied by Dave, I tend to agree with him that it all comes down to the word "terminated." In the case of conditions being removed and the issuance of a 10 year GC, I believe that would fall under a definition of "changed" status and not "terminated" status, so I do think he should be OK traveling with the extension letter.

 

He also has a copy of the approval letter, but maybe I will recommend that he begin by showing just the extension letter and the exp. 2 yr GC, and not confuse matters by presenting the approval letter. That he can present at the PoE in California, where, if there are any questions, I will be waiting in the arrival lobby w/ the 10 yr GC. 

 

The recommendation to get the I-551 stamp is certainly not a bad one, but if he can avoid going to the consulate in Naples, I'm sure he would rather do so. We just need to hope that Luftnansa, and the agents in Italy and Germany (where he'll be flying through) know what they are doing.


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-14 13:16:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionOut of status? help!

 

I recommend you call to USCIS and ask about your situation, inclusive that your husband have not received his GC yet.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. We are still within the 60 days stated by the approval letter (within which you are supposed to receive your GC), so I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate a call from me until after June 29th :)  Even after that, though, it's still complicated since my hub is in Italy and I'm here, and they won't talk to me w/ out his permission. So I would need to figure out how to set up a conference call between me, him, and UCSCI, if it comes to that! Hopefully the GC will just come on its own in the next week or so.


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-14 11:17:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionOut of status? help!

Thanks everyone. The person who told me that he is out of status said that, if his 10 yr GC hadn't been approved yet, he was in status with his 2 yr GC and the extension letter. Now that is 10 yr has been approved, the extension letter on the 2 yr GC is no longer valid, and that he now needs his 10 yr GC in hand. That's why I'm confused. I would have thought that the more info he has with him to show his status, the better.

 

I'm glad to hear others' perspectives.


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-14 10:39:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionOut of status? help!

Hi VJers,

 

My husband's 10 year GC was approved on April 29th - though we still haven't gotten the card. What's up with that?

 

Anyway, on May 14th he went home to visit his family. He left with his expired 2 year GC, the extension letter for one year (through Oct 2013), and his approval letter.

 

I was given to understand that his extension letter would be sufficient documentation for him to be able to return in August. Recently, though, someone on VJ told me that he was now out of status since he now has his approval letter and that he should go to a US consulate in Italy to get an I-551 stamp. I have emailed the consulate in Naples but still haven't heard back.

 

Anyway, my question is: do we need to worry about his being able to come home? What is his status now? I was also thinking of FedEx-ing him his GC when it arrives, but various people have cautioned me against it in case it gets lost.

 

So, I would appreciate the collective wisdom of this forum in this matter.

 

Thank you!

 

 


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-14 09:36:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion57 days and counting - any connection btw MIA GC and summer travel?

 

Have you gone onto the USCIS website and checked your case status to see if they have mailed it and use the tracking number to check with the USPS?  I received an e-mail update that the ROC was approved.  The an e-mail about the card production.  Then an e-mail about the card being mailed.  Then an e-mail about the USPS picking up the card.  The e-mail had incorrect tracking information, but teh USCIS website had the correct tracking information.  My wife's card is in KY and SHOULD be delivered tomorrow--fingers crossed.  I would see if checking your case status gives any information and if the USPS has claimed to have delivered the card based on the tracking information, I would go to them and ask where it is.

 

Some possibilities are that the card is still waiting to be produced, the card was lost in the mail, or the card was delivered to someone else.  The actual production to receiving the card is fairly fast.  The first e-mail was received last Friday and we are scheduled to receive the card tomorrow, so less than a week.  This is the CSC too.  Our e-mail said it should take 30 days to receive the card and you are well outside that.  It is time for you to start calling and see where the card is, but first see if it has been lost by the USPS.

 

Good luck,

Dave

 

P.S. I just reread the approval letter and it says to only call if you don't receive the card w/in 60 days. So I guess I'm back to Monday. Hopefully it will come this week. If not, we'll call on Monday. Thanks again for replying to my post!


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-26 09:49:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion57 days and counting - any connection btw MIA GC and summer travel?

 

Have you gone onto the USCIS website and checked your case status to see if they have mailed it and use the tracking number to check with the USPS?  I received an e-mail update that the ROC was approved.  The an e-mail about the card production.  Then an e-mail about the card being mailed.  Then an e-mail about the USPS picking up the card.  The e-mail had incorrect tracking information, but teh USCIS website had the correct tracking information.  My wife's card is in KY and SHOULD be delivered tomorrow--fingers crossed.  I would see if checking your case status gives any information and if the USPS has claimed to have delivered the card based on the tracking information, I would go to them and ask where it is.

 

Some possibilities are that the card is still waiting to be produced, the card was lost in the mail, or the card was delivered to someone else.  The actual production to receiving the card is fairly fast.  The first e-mail was received last Friday and we are scheduled to receive the card tomorrow, so less than a week.  This is the CSC too.  Our e-mail said it should take 30 days to receive the card and you are well outside that.  It is time for you to start calling and see where the card is, but first see if it has been lost by the USPS.

 

Good luck,

Dave

 

Hi Dave,

 

My husband's case isn't even on their website. I have tried putting in our receipt number but it says no record of our case can be found. However, we have gone through the whole system and been approved and everything. So sometimes it just isn't in the online system somehow. I've heard this from others too. Anyway, we did receive approval, just not the card. Still waiting... I will call this week. And thanks!


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-26 09:26:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion57 days and counting - any connection btw MIA GC and summer travel?

Hi VJers,

 

We are now on day 57 since my husband was approved for ROC. We are August filers, had an RFE, and received the approval letter, dated April 29th. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

Here is our current situation: My husband's GC hadn't arrived by the time he left to travel home on May 14th. He traveled on his expired GC and his extension letter, extending his 2 year GC through October 2013. He will be home in August. I have posted about that situation in other threads and have had great feedback regarding whether or not he should go get an I-551 stamp from the American Embassy in Italy. That is not my question here.

 

My question here is: is his GC maybe not coming because the USCIS knows he left the country to go home for the summer? Or are we just within (but almost beyond) the 60 day window for receiving the 10 year GC? Are things just going REALLY slowly at the California Service Center?

 

If it doesn't come by Friday I will try doing a conference call w/ my husband and the 800 number at the USCIS on Monday (they won't talk to me without his permission) and ask them what's going on.

 

I'm just wondering whether there is any possibility that there is a connection between the fact that his GC isn't coming, and the fact that he went home to visit his family before it arrived (but after it was approved).

 

Thanks!


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-25 19:46:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionHow to get the tracking #?

The tracking number would be in the online update....unless they did an other update.

 

Usually USCIS send 3 emails updates:

1. We order production of your new card.

2. The USPS reported that they picked up mail from USCIS containing your new card on XX-XX-XXXX - At this stage your online update that will show the tracking number.

3. On XX-XX-XXXX, we mailed the new card directly to the address we have on file - if USCIS update your online status at this stage then the tracking number may no longer show.

 

Don't worry, you should get your new card withing a few days. If they ship it priority mail (ours was) it will take 2-3 mailing business days - depending on where you live.

 

 

I posted about this in another thread today. My online status says that the card production was ordered on June 10th. I have had no updates since then at all. I know they say it takes 30 days, but compared to what others have been posting about how long the card takes to come, this seems like an awfully long time btwn card production and mailing. Today is June 28th!! :(


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-28 13:31:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionService request for green card production - do they work?

Hi VJers,

 

My husband is an August filer. We were approved for ROC on April 29th and our status update in USCIS said that card production was ordered on June 10th. We called today because it is July 11th, meaning we have allowed 30 days for the card to arrive - and it has not.

 

The nice lady at UCSIS took a service request and gave us a referral number. Does someone actually call you back when you put in a service request? or do they just get on the ball and mail you your card already? I would appreciate hearing from others who have put in service requests.

 

Thanks!

 

P.S. We can't get an InfoPass appt or anything because he is currently in his home country visiting his family. He had a ticket to leave before the GC came (we thought we had allowed for plenty of time - ha!). He is traveling on his exp GC and his initial NOA extending his GC one year (through October 2013). He also has his original approval letter with him from April 29th. Is it possible his card isn't coming because they know he left the country in May? I'm not sure how coordinated everything is. Anyway, if deemed necessary he will go to the US consulate in Naples to get an I-551 stamp, but it would be much easier if he didn't have to.


Edited by grinchus, 11 July 2013 - 10:50 AM.

grinchusFemaleItaly2013-07-11 10:46:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionStayed with In laws-- Need to explain to USCIS

Hi, my husband and I lived with my parents (who are his inlaws; I am the USC) for two years after the AOS and before ROC -- so basically the whole period of his 2 year GC. Our permanent address is the home that I own, but we moved in w/ my parents for two years to help my dad out with caregiving for my mom (and rented out our house). We had absolutely no documentation showing that we were living with my parents.

 

What I did was append an explanatory letter describing our situation and the reason we were living at a different address for two years. We did end up getting an RFE, but it was more concerned with commingled finances than our address. I think the important thing is that they want to know that you live *together*, so I explained that, though we had lived at 2 different addresses during the conditional GC period, it was always together. I didn't end up needing a notarized letter from my dad, but he would have provided one had it been necessary.


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-08-01 18:43:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionThey forgot to hit "Print" :(

 Sorry to hear it - cheer up, you are almost there.

 

Thank you! 


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-08-16 11:32:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionThey forgot to hit "Print" :(

Grrr, so aggravated! My husband's GC was approved on April 29th, and card production was ordered on June 10th.

 

We waited, waited, waited, and no card. After 30 days (July 11th) we called, and an ISO2 said we should have it by the end of the month (i.e. July 31st).

 

Waited, waited, waited, now it's August 15th and STILL NO CARD!!

 

We called today and spoke to an ISO2 (after being on hold for over an hour, being hung up on, calling back and holding for 2 hours), and the woman said that our file had been ordered back up from the archives on August 8th because, after card production was approved, the employee working on it forgot to actually hit "Print" to print the card. So our case has been stuck in limbo since JUNE 10th.

 

So, we have been advised to wait another 2 weeks, and if we STILL don't get it, to schedule an INFOPASS appointment.

 

If we get the card in 2 weeks, it will have been exactly a year since we mailed our ROC packet. We are August 2012 filers.

 

AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH....

 

My husband is going to apply for citizenship at our earliest opportunity!


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-08-15 16:44:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionCard mailed notice after "Card production" one?

 

We got an e-mail that said our petition for ROC was approved and the card was in production on June 21st. Then an e-mail that the card is being mailed on June 25th with no tracking information. Than an e-mail on teh 25th that the USPS has picked up the card and the tracking number was viewable on the USCIS website only. Than an e-mail that the card was delivered on the 27th.  We received the GC yesterday and a letter in the mail from USCIS that the petition was approved.  I would be a bit concerned and call them the moment the 30 days are up if you do not receive the card by then as things are going pretty quickly right now.  I never received any text updates, only e-mails.  Have you checked the on-line status lately?

 

Good luck,

Dave

 

Hi Dave,

 

Yes, I have been obsessively checking the online status and all I get is the June 10th card production notice. I also called the USCIS number, but in my receipt #, and got the same info. I've signed up for emails and nexts, with no updates. If it doesn't come today or tomorrow, I think I'm going to call Monday, even though it's not 30 days. Everyone else's is moving pretty fast. I have no idea why ours is seeminlgy hung up like this. It's driving me nuts, actually.


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-28 16:58:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionCard mailed notice after "Card production" one?

I got the card production status 6/26 and then mailed status 6/28.. Never saw a tracking # though. Just anxiously awaiting its arrival

 

You have had more info than us. We just got a production status update (June 10), and then no mailed status one after that :(


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-28 13:10:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionCard mailed notice after "Card production" one?

Hi all,

 

I was finally able to access my husband's status online and saw this notice: "On June 10, 2013, we ordered production of your new card. Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you..." (10 yr GC was approved April 29).

 

Today is June 28th and still no card. I know it hasn't been 30 days yet since the card production ordered, but - what the heck? Is anyone else waiting this long for their card to arrive? 

 

Is the Card Production notice the only one we will get, or do you also get an update when the card is actually mailed? I have now signed us up for email and text updates.

 

Just wondering when would be the appropriate time to FREAK OUT...

 

Many thanks!


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-28 11:29:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionBack to "Initial Review" after approval and card production? What??!!

Hi VJers,

 

My husband's case appears to be stuck in a Kafka-esque nightmare of USCIS craziness. We our ROC petition in August 2012. We did biometrics on September 25th 2012, received an RFE on March 12th, responded to the RFE in early April and received a letter of approval on April 29th, stating: "Congratulations! Your request for the removal of the conditional basis of your permanent resident status has been approved." Wow, thanks!

 

Our USCIS status update on the website said that card production was ordered June 10th 2013. Hooray! Well, we waited ALL SUMMER and no card. I have now talked to 4 ISO level 2s, and they said, be patient, oh, wait, card production was ordered but not completed. Now it's *really* going to happen - just hang on...

 

So today was the last straw. I called again and begged an ISO 2 to help resolve this, or at least get it moving. He put in an order for an expedited resolution and production. So I got an update! Yay!

 

But the update said our case was in Initial review. Way back at the beginning! I feel like I am playing Chutes and Ladders, where you get all the way to the end, and then slide back down to the first square.

 

What on earth is going on over there at the California Service Center?????!!!!!!!!


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-09-04 12:54:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Aug 2012 filers

 

Of course! It says so directly on I-797 letter they sent when you applied for your ROC. The paper is all you need to work and to travel in and out of the country. It says so directly on it. You can also look that up in many places. I showed that paper with no problem -- changed jobs, and I work at a very large company. I have also crossed the border with it twice.

 

See this:

http://www.nolo.com/...apter16-19.html

"The I-797 receipt notice is an important document. It extends your residency for a period designated by USCIS (normally 12 months). The notice will be your only proof of your legal status after you green card has expired. The notice is a bit awkward to show to employers, border patrol officers, and others, but it really is an official document. You must, however, also carry your expired green card with you at the same time. That's because your card, unlike the receipt, has your photo on it."



 

And, directly from USCIS:
"Currently, a conditional resident who files a Form I-751 receives a Form I-797, Notice of Action, extending his or her status as a conditional resident for a 1-year period. This Form I-797 also advises the conditional resident that travel and employment are authorized for that 1-year period. Thus, conditional residents with expired Forms I-551, Permanent Resident Cards, may present their expired Form I-551 and their Form I-797 as evidence of their status in the United States."

Hi, what is an "expired Forms I-551" - is that the green card itself? or is it some sort of form?


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-07-11 13:15:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Aug 2012 filers

Hi August filers,

 

Just wondering: is it 60 days or 60 *business* days (i.e. not including weekends) that is the window they give you for receiving your GC? My husband was approved on April 29th, so next Friday brings us to 60 calendar days since we received that news. I've seen from the postings in this thread that others have also been waiting this long, but some are getting their 10 yr GCs much faster.

 

What's up with this long wait??!! Grrrr.... Anyway, I just wanted to know when I should call the USCIS if it's still not here: Monday July 1?

 

Thanks!


grinchusFemaleItaly2013-06-21 09:47:00