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How long before GC arrives?

A

Ausie

New Member
I traveled to the US in July to take up residence once I had been given my DV travel documents by the consulate in Sydney. I was expecting a GC to be posted to my address in the US but instead I received a bill for, I believe, $165 for further processing. I duly paid this and received an email confirmation of the payment in early August but still there is no sign of a GC. Is this delay normal or should I phone the processing centre in the US as I am currently living in Australia.
 
Also which mailing address did you use for the payment? A US or an Australian address?
 
I am using my sisters home address in the US for GC mail and my GC has not been delivered there. I looked in ELIS and it says that I do not have any Pending or Draft cases in process. The $165 fee they asked for was paid on 14th August but still no GC.
Thanks
Robert
 
Ausie said:
I am using my sisters home address in the US for GC mail and my GC has not been delivered there. I looked in ELIS and it says that I do not have any Pending or Draft cases in process. The $165 fee they asked for was paid on 14th August but still no GC.
Thanks
Robert
Click to expand...

What is the "bubble" at? Accepted? Optimized?
 
I haven't looked at my page for months but there were bubble like things that showed the progress of your case, if I recall correctly it moved from accepted, to optimized, to closed; and there was one for reopened in case that was necessary. It should come up on the main page associated with your account. It goes to optimized when your carc is send for production. If it has moved there or to closed and you don't get your card there is either a production pronlem or its lost in the mail.

Another option to check is if you use your elis receipt number,beginning with IOE, in the USCIS case status check website - there is a link to this somewhere on the bottom of the elis page. It only works there once you have moved to optimized or beyond though.
 
I phoned USCIS and they asked for my case ID before being able to track my application. My case ID contains 3 letters followed by 10 digits. I have looked through my material and can find no such number. They said it was on form I797 which I do not appear to have. The three letters in the case ID may be IOSxxxxxxxxxx but I am not sure. Does anybody have one of these IDs and if so where did they get it from?
Thanks
Robert
 
They are talking about the same receipt number I mentioned, it is IOE not IOS - and you don't have an I797, sounds like the person you spoke to is not too familiar with DV cases processed via consulates.
Just to be clear here, you did pay the $165 online via ELIS, correct? That receipt number should be there, in a dropdown box on your home page. (If you click on it it takes you onto a page with your case details.)
 
Thanks SusieQQQ. I paid the fee using elis and they sent me an email confirmation of payment on the 14th August. The IOE number is not included in the email and I have scoured my elis account page and there is no drop down box or bubble just a note to say that there are no open cases. A tracking number is included and I shall phone USCIS tomorrow and quote that number to see if I can get any further.
Cheers
Robert
 
Ausie said:
Thanks SusieQQQ. I paid the fee using elis and they sent me an email confirmation of payment on the 14th August. The IOE number is not included in the email and I have scoured my elis account page and there is no drop down box or bubble just a note to say that there are no open cases. A tracking number is included and I shall phone USCIS tomorrow and quote that number to see if I can get any further.
Cheers
Robert
Click to expand...

Ok... This sounds strange to me, even when our cases were closed the bubbles still showed' just with the inapplicable bits greyed out. I also don't recall getting an email receipt, but that may just be faulty memory. Good luck..
 
I've just gone back in and checked my elis account for the first time in many months. It still shows the bubbles, and the receipt number is actually on my cases home page too in the box that shows status updates, payment submitted, etc, not just in the drop down box. So if all you are getting is a notice that no cases are open it sounds wrong, it almost sounds to me like the system never registered your case?

Out of interest, how did you get the bill originally? Email, post? I may be wrong but I believe people who weren't aware of it before immigrating, usually only find out about the fee when their GC hasn't arrived and they call USCIS, rather than anyone proactively sending them a bill.
 
I received my visa at the US consulate in Sydney early in June and traveled to the US early in July to nominally take up residence. I stayed three weeks then returned to Australia to wind up my affairs. Early in August USCIS sent me a letter by post to my sisters address in the US which I gave them as my permanent address. On 14th August I paid via the Web the $165 fee that USCIS requested to complete the processing of my GC. The letter said that I would receive my GC 30 days after I paid the $165. By email USCIS acknowledged receipt of my payment. I have phoned USCIS twice over the last two days to query my GC. The first they had shut down their telephone system since there were too many people on hold. Today I got through but there was an 83 minute wait for me to get answered. When I phoned USCIS they said that I needed to be transferred to "the next level of service" which was where the delay in getting a person to answer the phone is. The person I spoke with said that I should have received a GC within 45 days of paying the fee. I need to phone "the next level of service" them back when I have the time to wait 83 minutes for an operator.
Thanks
Robert
 
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